Shame floods me, choking my throat. I have never wished death on another person, but if I die…I hope these men die too.
Pinzon stares at my breasts with a hunger that frightens me. The other man mostly ignores me. Where have I seen him before? He is young. Thirty? His brown eyes flick to mine. No warmth. No sympathy. Only icy detachment.
Theywillkill me. I can identify them.
Leo, please…find me.
The van slows, and the driver—I have not been able to see his face—calls out, “Two minutes.”
The man with cold eyes reaches behind him for a roll of duct tape. The sound as he tears a strip makes me choke back a sob.
“No!” I scream when he approaches, but Pinzon grabs a fistful of my hair and slams my head against the floor of the van. Dazed, I fall silent. The tape seals my lips. The harsh scent of glue burns my nose.
Pinzon removes his tie, and I watch helplessly until he fastens the dark gray silk over my eyes. Unable to see, I scream again, though it’s so muffled, would anyone hear me?
A hand wraps around my throat, cutting off my air. “Last warning, bitch. Or I will make you bleed.”
My body convulses, desperate to breathe. I try to nod. He releases me, and I suck air through my nose.
The blindfold soaks with my tears. I have never felt so alone. So helpless.
Papa’s slurred voice runs on a loop through my mind.“You are worthless, Domina. If you cannot bring me a beer, get out of my sight!”
The van jerks to a stop. A moment later, sunlight warms my feet. Wherever we are, they aren’t worried about anyone seeing a bound, gagged, and blindfolded woman. But they don’t want me to scream. There must be people close by.
Focus. Leo will not do anything without knowing you are still alive. If you can talk to him…
Rough hands grab my legs and drag me toward the back of the van. I smell flowers. Gardenias. A gentle breeze kisses my cheeks as someone—Pinzon, I think—throws me over his shoulder.
I cannot fight. My wrists are bound so tightly, my fingers are numb.
A door opens and shuts. Then another. And another. Upside down, unable to see, I’m so disoriented.
How many times can they hit me before I get a concussion? Do I have one already? I cannot hold a thought in my head for more than a minute.
Stairs. Down. My head bounces against Pinzon’s back. Nausea crawls up my throat. If I vomit, I will choke and die. Swallowing hard, I try to stifle my whimper.
A slap to my ass shuts me upandquells the nausea. I never thought I would be grateful for someone hitting me.
Until I fall. A fresh scream wells up inside me. I thrash, desperate to use my hands, but the zip tie digs into my wrists.
Landing knocks the air from my lungs. My head cracks against hard tile. Every muscle in my body strains, desperate for air. Before I understand what is happening, fingers dig into my cheek, then tear the duct tape from my skin.
Burning pain jars me enough to draw in a wheezing breath. “Help me!” I scream. “Help!”
I do not care if they hurt me. I have to escape. Find a way back to Leo.
“Make all the noise you want,” Pinzon snaps. “No one will hear you.” He rips the blindfold away, and I blink up at him.
He looms over me, mouth open, that same, lecherous gleam in his eyes.
“You will die for this,” I rasp.
His laugh sends terror wrapping around my heart, squeezing so hard, I gasp for air. “We are the ones in charge now, bitch. Be good, and we’ll let you live. Otherwise…”
I have to find a way out of here. My head pounds as I scan the room. It’s small. Not much bigger than a closet. A dim bulb shines from a fancy, stained glass light fixture on the ceiling. Tile floors. Dark wood walls. No windows.
I start to wheeze when I find the door. It’s closed. No knob. Only a shiny, metal plate. No way out. Even if I weren’t bound, even if Pinzon weren’t here…I couldn’t escape.
