I thought of Wolfe. Of his mouth against my ear the night before. Don’t disappear on me. And then I did. The last thing Isaw was the ceiling. And the way the light from the hallway never reached me.
Thud.
I came back like something drowning its way to the surface with fists, not hands.
Everything hurt. My head. My throat. My wrists. Every inch of my skin buzzed like I’d been stitched back into a body I didn’t ask to return to.
The dark was pure. Not quiet. Not gentle.
It pressed in from all sides. Trapped heat under my spine, cold sweat down my back. My legs were folded, crushed against each other, my arms bent painfully behind me, wrists lashed tight with something plastic and unyielding.
I shifted. Pain flared.
A scream ripped out of me before I knew I was making it.
But it caught.
“NO!”
My throat burned. My mouth was dry. The chemical taste still sat on my tongue like spoiled sugar. And the car kept moving. Not fast. Not reckless. Just steady. A rhythm built from apathy.
I pressed my shoulder into the trunk lid and pushed. Nothing. The walls stayed silent. I kicked. Twice. Three times. The heel of my boot caught something metal. It rattled. I kicked again.Harder.
The trunk didn’t give. But the men did. Voices. Muffled. Shouted. Angry.
The car swerved. My body rolled. They were yelling at each other now.
“She’s fucking awake.”
“Hold her down next stop.”
“You should’ve dosed her again.”
“I told you to bring a second one.”
Panic bloomed fast and vicious. I curled my legs in, turned sideways, braced myself against the tire well and screamed. Raw. Shaking.
I screamed until my lungs burned. I screamed Wolfe’s name. And the car stopped. Slammed to a halt like it had hit a wall.
Doors opened.
Footsteps.
Then—
The trunk clicked. And I exploded. The lid opened. I came out swinging.
I launched myself like an animal. Caught one of them in the throat with my shoulder. Heard him grunt. Felt the satisfying crack of bone. The other grabbed me by the waist. I thrashed. Elbowed him in the nose. Felt the cartilage snap. Blood sprayed. He cursed.
I screamed again. Louder. Higher. He clamped a hand over my mouth. I bit.Hard.
He screamed.
“Fucking bitch!”
His fist caught my jaw. My head snapped sideways.
Stars exploded behind my eyes.
