Pain explodes through me.
“That’s for the knee to my gut, you little bitch.”
He spits at my feet before disappearing upstairs.
The door slams shut.
I fold over immediately, fighting for air before my stomach lurches and I vomit onto the concrete. Every part of me hurts, but none of it matters.
Finn.
I force myself onto my knees and crawl across the floor one painful movement at a time until I reach him.
“Finn.”
My voice barely exists anymore.
I lower my face beside his, waiting.
One second.
Two.
Then warm air brushes my cheek.
A breath.
A sob escapes before I can stop it.
I rest my forehead against his shoulder, letting myself stay there for one precious moment. He’s alive. Bruised. Unconscious. But alive.
The sound of footsteps instantly tears me away.
* * *
The door opens again.
The same man walks back in carrying another black hood.
“No.”
The word leaves me automatically.
He grabs my arm and hauls me to my feet. I fight him, twisting against his grip, but it makes no difference. He forces me onto my knees before dragging the hood over my head again. Darkness crashes down as he tightens the cord beneath my chin.
“Let’s go.”
My pulse pounds so hard it hurts.
“Where?”
He laughs.
“You’ve got a visitor.”
Ice floods my veins.
No.
