This had to be a nightmare and I would wake up in Reid’s arms any minute. But with each passing second, I realized that wasn’t going to happen.
A moan gave way to a low echo against the concrete walls. “Help me.”
My eyes had adjusted a little and while there wasn’t much light coming from the corridor outside of our cell, I could see a shadow lying in the corner.
Water dripped from some unknown source nearby and I could hear muffled voices coming from somewhere up above but my own breath sounded like it was being amplified as it rushed in and out of my lungs, pounding through my ears.
“Is someone there?” I whispered.
“Help.” The woman said again and my spine tingled with awareness. I rolled to my knees, inching across the dirty floor. “I’m here.” Getting closer. “What’s your name? What happened to you?” I asked, finally coming to a rest next to her. I wasn’t quite sure how I could help with my hands tied behind my back but I would do what I could to offer her comfort.
“Cassidy?” The timid voice replied back to me, and I stopped breathing all together.
NO!
“Max?Oh God, please no. Not you, too,” I cried.
“It’s me,” she moaned, the pain in her voice stabbing at my heart.
“What happened? What have they done to you?”
“I—I don’t remember much. I went back to the house to pick up some more clothes and when I walked in someone grabbed me.” Every word she spoke had to be forced from her mouth but none had been wasted. “I keep telling them I don’t know where you are but they don’t believe me.”
This is all my fault.
She was here because of me.
“I’m so sorry, Max,” I cried, drowning in guilt.
“Don’t you dare blame yourself,” she murmured between chattering teeth. “I wouldn’t tell the bastards even if I knew.”
An involuntary laugh escaped. At least they hadn’t broken her spirit.
I sniffled, trying to see through my blurry eyes and the cruel shadows. “Where are you hurt?”
“I think my rib is broken. It hurts like hell to move and talk.”
“Then stop talking,” I said through a bout of watery tears.
“You know that’s impossible for me.”
My knees were beginning to ache so I rolled to sit on my bottom scooting up next to Max’s head.
“He’ll come for us,” she said, grunting out the last word.
I didn’t want to ask who because I knew talking was painful for her, but I couldn’t resist.
“Who?”
“Diablo.”
My brows bunched in confusion. “Uh, Max, you do realize we’ve been kidnapped, right? Now is not the time to go making up stories.”
“Oh God, please don’t make me laugh. Now’s not the time to be clever.”
The agony in her voice was too much to bear. “I’m sorry, Max. So, so sorry,” I whispered, breaking down, wishing it were me lying on that floor and not her. She didn’t deserve this.
Neither one of us did.
