“Fear, Lissy. Fear wins every time.”
I sat on the stool, fearing I would fall.
This was too much for me.
“How could you do that to them?” I wanted to cry. My legs felt weak like they’d give out anytime.
“They belittled me. They made me feel like I was less of a person. I swore that would never happen again.”
“But what about the girls you have trapped with Gregory?They’ve done nothing to you. You’re just hurting them for no reason. You’re a sadist, Malcolm.”
“You know what your problem is, Alyssa? You’re too gullible. Life isn’t all rainbows and sunshine, you know.”
“Is that your excuse, Malcolm, for being this evil?”
He laughed, and at that moment, I wished for nothing more than his life.
“Let’s discuss this over dinner tomorrow night, shall we? Maybe I can make you see things differently.”
I highly doubted that. I left the kitchen and ran up to my bedroom, locking the door behind me.
A few minutes later, Malcolm tried the door, then chuckled as he shouted, “If I were going to hurt you, Lissy, I would have already done it.”
ChapterForty-One
Alyssa
Present Day
They led me down a short passage, passing several closed doors. There was movement behind some of them and sometimes the faint sound of a sob. I knew there were captives behind those doors hoping for an escape and even death. Anything but this.
As we approached each new one, I prayed Gracie would be behind one of them. The guard’s nails dug into my inner arm. He stopped in front of a door, and my mouth went dry. I could hear my heart beating loudly in my ears. I was afraid for a second I might pass out. He unlocked the door with a key from a keychain on his belt, then, pushing it open, he shoved me inside. The lock clicked into place behind me.
I turned around and noticed a small figure huddled in the corner of a bed. Gracie didn’t have to look at me for me to know it was her. That raven hair, those slight shoulders. It was my girl. She didn’t turn, just crawled into a smaller ball and huddled closer to the wall.
“Gracie,” her name fell from my lips in a whisper. I saw the moment her head moved, but she crawled back into a ball, then I heard small whimpers.
“Gracie, it’s me. It’s Mom.”
She spun around, her eyes wide. Her hand flew to her chest, her mouth agape as she looked at me in disbelief.
“I’m here, honey,” I assured her, walking forward slowly. I didn’t want to overwhelm her. Everything in me wanted to run and wrap my arms around her, but I had to approach this with caution. I had no idea what she’d been through.
“Mom.” She squinted her eyes as if the light hurt them. “Is it really you?”
The tears started welling up as I took the last few steps toward my daughter. She flew off the bed and into my arms, and we both wept. I ran my hands through her matted hair and tried to feel every inch of her thin frame. I kissed her face, then her hair.
“You’re really here,” she said in disbelief as she cried.
I nodded. “Yes, baby, I’m really here.”
I held her closer, kissing her forehead and cheeks again. “I’ve missed you, Gracie, so much.”
I don’t know how long we simply stood like that.
Eventually, we sat on the bed, shoulders touching, her hands entwined in mine. I felt like if I let her go for a second, I would lose her, and I was not about to do that again.
“I thought I’d never see you again.” Her voice was shaky, uncertain.
