Long enough to realizeexactlyhow much trouble I'm in.
The barn around me is old, falling apart.
Gaps in the wood let in slivers of moonlight.
The smell is dust and decay and old hay.
There's a single lightbulb hanging from the ceiling, swaying slightly, casting shadows that make everything look worse.
Flint's pacing in front of the cage.
He's been talking for ten minutes straight.
Taunting. Gloating. Enjoying this.
"Your husband isn't coming," he says, his voice smug. "He doesn't even know where you are. Could be anywhere between Vegas and the Mexican border. Could be in Arizona for all he knows. By the time he figures it out, you'll be long gone."
I don't respond. Haven't said a word since I woke up and found myself locked in here.
Silence pisses him off more than arguing would.
Two other Copperhead Kings brothers are in the barn with us.
One—I heard Flint call him Snake—is sitting on a hay bale near the door, smoking a cigarette, watching me like I'm entertainment.
The other, Rattler, is standing guard by the barn door, gun visible in his waistband.
Only three of them here.
Where are the other seven who took me?
Doesn't matter right now.
I need to focus on surviving. On staying strong. On not letting Flint see fear.
"You know what the best part is?" Flint stops pacing, crouches down in front of the cage so we're eye level. His smile is cruel. "That tattoo on your ribs. Shadow's name. Claiming. Like he owns you." He laughs. "But you're not his property, sweetheart. You're mine. You were always mine. That four million bought you for my family all those years ago, and marriage doesn't change a debt."
My hands are working on the zip ties.
Subtly. Carefully. Rubbing them against the metal bars of the cage where he can't see.
They're loosening. Slowly. Not broken yet, but loosening.
"You're mine now," Flint continues. "And this cage? This is temporary. Once I'm done making my point, once your father and your husband understand that Copperhead Kings don't backdown, I'm taking you to Houston. A real cage. One you'll never leave. One where you'll learn what it means to be property."
I meet his eyes. Finally speak. "Shadow will kill you."
Flint's smile widens. "Will he? Seems like he's not here. Seems like he failed to protect you."
"He'll come. And when he does, you're dead."
"Big talk from a woman in a cage."
I lean forward slightly, as much as the small space allows. "My father will kill you. My brother will kill you. Shadow will kill you. You're already dead, Flint. You just don't know it yet."
His face darkens, hand twitching toward his gun.
Snake laughs from his hay bale. "She's got spirit. That's gonna be fun to break."
