Someone took her. They took my Ellie, the sweet woman who had brightened my life when everything was so dark. And I couldn’t help but wonder if we got her back?—
No. When we got her back.
Because there was no fucking way the world would keep turning if we didn’t.
Whenwe got her back, would she still be the same Ellie?
God, I hoped we weren’t too late.
“We’ll find her, Ryder,” Mike rumbled.
“Before it’s too late?”
He glanced at me, then back to the road without another word. Because we both knew that shit like this happened every day. People got in accidents and lost their lives. Others were murdered.
And yet, the world kept turning.
Everyone else moved on, while those mourning the loss of their loved ones had to deal with the fallout.
For the first time, I was no longer on the sidelines. I was living it, and it was fucking hell.
I glanced out the window again at the horizon. “Stay strong, Ellie. I’ll find you.”
42
ELLIE
Vomit rose in my throat,and I had just enough time to roll over before I choked on my bile. I blinked heavily as the room swam around me. Dark shadows crept into the edges of my vision, ramping up the fear that was slowly seeping into my freezing skin.
The ceiling shifted above me, splitting into thirds, wavering in my vision. My cracked lips parted to call out to someone, but a splitting pain in my head immediately squashed that idea. I squeezed my eyes shut, desperate to calm the pounding in my head, and when I opened my lids again, the three ceilings converged into one.
“Help,” I croaked out, wincing as my lip cracked open.
Running my tongue along the corner of my mouth, I not only tasted blood, but felt the whole side of my mouth swollen and cracked. It was only when I tried to prod the damaged skin that I realized my hands were tugged over my head.
Twisting on the ground, I tried not to let panic overwhelm me when I saw my wrists tied to a pole. That explained the lack of feeling in my arms. Squeezing my eyes closed again, I sucked in a deep breath, letting it out slowly, but it did nothing to calm theanxiety crawling under my skin, working its way into every cell of my body.
Tears pricked my eyes as the reality of my situation settled deep in my gut. I was trapped with no way to get out.
“Don’t freak out now, Ellie,” I whispered. “Keep it together.”
Taking several more deep breaths, I let my eyes adjust to the dark room, trying to figure out anything I could about where I was. There were poles all around the room.
Like in a basement. Support for the ceiling. On the far side of the room was a single window. A very small one, not even big enough to escape through. If there were any more windows down here, I couldn’t see them. There was a room to the left, closed off by a door.
I wasn’t sure I wanted to know what was in that room. Were there more people in there? Maybe tools or dead bodies?
“Don’t think about it,” I hissed, trying to stay calm.
What I needed was to make a plan. It might not work, but at least if I had something in mind, and the opportunity arose, I might be able to get out of here.
Scooting toward the pole, I struggled to raise the rope higher, and after a few good tries, the rope moved and I was able to sit up. It was uncomfortable as hell as I twisted so my arms were no longer above my head, but lowered to my side.
Leaning against the pole, I was out of breath and even more dizzy than when I was laying down. But at least I could curl up and keep as much of my body off the cold floor as possible.
“Ryder,” I whispered, wishing he was here right now to wrap his arms around me and keep me warm.
I sucked in a ragged breath as tears flooded my system. There was no holding them back as the reality of my situation hit me hard. I was trapped in a basement. No one knew where I was.
