I didn’t even have the energy to cry out for help any longer. It wasn’t as if I were surrounded by anyone with any decency.
Or heart, for that matter.
“Good,” Ranger glowered, “see you soon.”
And when he hung up the phone, I watched with watery eyes as he disassembled the phone. Piece by piece, just like Trooper had.
Before dropping them to the tiled floor and crushing them beneath his boot.
7
NAOMI
“Dutch!” Ranger barked. “With me. Trooper.”
I heard thethwipof a blade being exposed before I felt the binds around my wrists and ankles fall away.
“Jesus, thank you,” I said breathlessly.
“Take her back downstairs,” Ranger commanded.
I whipped my head up. “No, please. I-I-I’ll be good.”
Trooper chuckled as he gripped my hair. “I bet you will be.”
“No, no, no, no, no! Please!” I exclaimed as I fought against his grasp. “You said I could roam around the house! You said so! Trooper told me!”
The shadow of a grin ticked Ranger’s cheeks. “Enjoy your evening, Naomi.”
My skin crawled at the way he said my name. Trooper dragged me back to the basement door, and I flailed as hard as I could. I slammed myself into walls and kicked my legs out at him, trying to throw him off balance enough to get his hand out of my fucking hair. But, the harder I fought him, the tighter his grip grew.
Until I felt strands of hair popping away from the top of my scalp.
“Let. Me. Go,” I grunted as I struggled down the steps.
“You’re a little tease, aren’t ya?” Trooper growled.
“Ah!”
He tossed me toward the bed, and I slammed onto the mattress, face first. My trembling hands attempted to push me up, but before I caught my bearings, someone grabbed my ankles. Head over heels I went, my body being tossed around as if I weighed nothing. As if I were nothing but a hackysack ball bouncing off the sides of people’s feet.
Then, I heard the clinking of chains.
“What are you doing?” I glowered as I sat up.
Trooper stood to his feet, holding what looked like a chain with something red attached to the end of it. I squinted my eyes, my body frozen as he knelt on the mattress at the foot of the bed.
Before he snatched my ankle right out from beneath me.
“Fucking hell!” I exclaimed.
“The first one is always the…ugh… hardest,” he grunted as I flailed around.
I kicked so hard that I damn near caught his jawline. He wrapped what I thought was a red piece of fabric around my ankle, but as he went to attach it, I felt the rough sensation of leather against my skin. And as he reached below the bed, brandishing yet another chain, I knew what was happening.
“Oh, hell no, you don’t,” I hissed.
I scurried along the bed, giving chase to the man attempting to chain me to it. I clamored off the bed and took off, wondering how far the chain would get me. But, as it halted me dead in my tracks, I fell to the ground and slammed my nose right into the carpet.
