37. Mackenzie
My head hurts.It’s the only thought I can focus on for a long while. It’s splitting. My throat is dry, too. Where am I?
The hands grabbing me. The cloth around my head.
It all rushes back, and I suck in a panicked breath of pure terror. I clutch at my face, wanting the bag gone, so I can see.
There’s nothing there.
What the hell? It’s so dark where I am that I can’t see a thing. Still, at least the bag is gone. And I can breathe.
Paxton. He had to have taken me outside the spa.
Shit.
This is bad.
I reach blindly around me. The floor feels odd. So cold and smooth. Not like stone at all. Or wood. It’s more like metal.
I crawl on my hands and knees, and my arm bumps something. Cold water splashes me.
I cry out and freeze. What is this? Where the hell am I?
“Paxton?” I scream. “What are you doing?”
He’s insane and obsessed, but he knows about my epilepsy. Would he take me and do this to me? I don’t have any meds on me.
“I need my meds,” I shout.
There’s no reply at all.
“I can’t see anything. Please. Pleaaaaseeee.” I scream and scream, until my throat is raw.
Blinding white light hits my retinas, and I shrink back, covering my eyes. I blink and slowly move my arm. I glance around me as shapes take form.
I’m in a room, no natural light. The only lights are the floodlight style units in each corner, and God, they are harsh. I wipe at the tears in my eyes, needing to see what I can.
Bars.
What the actual fuck?
“A cage?” I scream. “You put me in a cage, you sick bastard!”
My fear battles with pure rage. Then the lights go out again, and cold, sticky terror takes hold.
Movement above has me straining to hear. Footsteps. Heavy. I realize as I listen there’s more than one set. They’re moving around different parts of the floor above me. The scraping of furniture and a bark of laughter.
Voices.
More than one.
I can’t make out what they are saying. There’s definitely more than one man up there. Why would Paxton bring help? Who would he bring? This makes no sense.
The voices are talking again. Quiet. More scraping and then a couple of shouts. I can’t make out words properly, as it is muffled, but they don’t sound American.
Has he hired men to come get me?
The terror sinks into every pore. I’ve been through a lot of shit, but right now, in this cage, in the middle of nowhere, I feel utter despair.
If I don’t get access to my meds, I could die here.
I’ll never see my mom again and make things right with her. I’ll never have babies of my own.
I’ll never see the Devils again. Tino, Dom, and Kirill.
Their faces dance in front of me as I curl up on the cold, hard floor and try to breathe.