Chapter 34 – Madeline
The sound of keys jangling snapped me out of my spiralling thoughts, and my body tensed as the trunk creaked open.
Cool night air rushed in, but it did little to ease the suffocating feeling in my chest.
Sean’s silhouette loomed over me, his face hidden by the blindfold over my eyes, but I could feel the smugness radiating off him.
“Rise and shine,” he drawled, reaching in and grabbing me by the arm. His grip was rough, yanking me out of the trunk like I was nothing more than luggage. My knees scraped against the edge as he hauled me upright, and I bit down on the gag to keep from crying out.
I twisted against him, testing his hold, my mind racing as I tried to make sense of my surroundings. I had to stay sharp, stay focused. Sean might think he had all the power right now, but he didn’t know me.
I froze, every muscle in my body screaming to keep going, to fight until I couldn’t anymore.
I stumbled on purpose, forcing him to adjust his grip. He cursed under his breath, yanking me harder, but I’d gained something — a sense of his pace, the way his movements gave just enough room to exploit if I timed it right.
The crunch of gravel underfoot changed, giving way to something harder — concrete? The shift in sound sent a spark of determination through me. A building meant walls, doors, something to use.
Sean’s grip tightened, and his voice turned cold. “Keep fighting, Maddie. I fucking dare you.”
I froze, not because I was afraid of him, but because I needed to think. Every movement, every step was a chance to gather information. I might not be able to fight him head-on, but I could outthink him.
I tilted my head slightly, letting the sounds around me fill the darkness behind the blindfold. Sean’s footsteps were heavy, deliberate, and his breath came quick with exertion. He was strong, sure, but even he had limits.
I just had to find mine — and push past them.
He dragged me forward again, his grip bruising as he muttered something under his breath.
I stumbled again, this time deliberately shifting my weight to the side. My shoulder brushed something solid — a doorframe? A corner?
My pulse quickened as I filed the information away. I couldn’t see, couldn’t scream, but I could feel.
With every step Sean took, I was getting closer to finding my opening.
This wasn’t over. Not even close.
Sean’s grip on my arm didn’t falter as he dragged me deeper into the building, his pace quick and impatient. My feet shuffled against the concrete floor, the sound loud in the otherwise silent space. Every step gave me more clues — about the layout, the terrain, the possible ways out.
His frustration was evident in the way his hand tightened around my arm. “You think you’re clever, don’t you?” he muttered, his voice dripping with contempt. “Poking around where you don’t belong, acting like you’ve got the whole world figured out.”
I stayed quiet, focusing on the rhythm of his steps, the occasional squeak of what sounded like a door opening in the distance.
The air changed slightly — cooler, maybe a bigger room — and I made a mental note of every detail. If I had a chance to escape, I wasn’t going to waste it.
“You don’t even realize what kind of trouble you’ve stirred up,” he continued, his voice growing harsher. “Calloway isn’t the kind of guy who likes loose ends. And thanks to you, sweetie, I’m stuck cleaning up your mess.”
He yanked me to a stop, and I heard the click of another door unlocking. My heart raced, but I forced myself to breathe evenly, to think.
Look for a weakness.
The door creaked open, and Sean pushed me forward, the sudden change in balance making me stumble. My hands were still tied behind my back, and I felt the cold, hard surface of the floor beneath me as I hit the ground.
The blindfold didn’t budge, but the air smelled damp, metallic — like an old storage room or basement. The sound of a chain rattling nearby made my stomach churn.
Sean crouched down, his voice low and mocking. “You like playing detective, don’t you? Let’s see how much you enjoy it when no one’s coming to bail you out.”
I clenched my teeth, my breath steadying as I let his words wash over me.
No one’s coming to bail me out?
Fine. Then I’d do it myself.
“Go ahead,” I said, my voice muffled behind the gag but clear enough to convey my defiance. “Keep underestimating me.”
Sean laughed, the sound sharp and humourless. “ Feisty . Cute even, but you don’t get it, do you? This isn’t some game you can win with a little attitude and a lot of luck. You’re in way over your head.”
I bit down on the gag, the pressure grounding me, keeping the terror from consuming me whole.
Stay quiet. Stay sharp. He wants you scared.
His footsteps stopped abruptly, the room falling into an unsettling silence save for the pounding of my heart. “You’ve caused me a lot of problems, Madeline,” he continued, his voice shifting to something colder. “I don’t take kindly to people screwing with my business. You could’ve walked away. You could’ve kept your pretty tight ass out of things. But no, you had to be the hero.”
I couldn’t see through the blindfold, but the noise painted a picture in my mind, one that only added to the suffocating tension. My fingers twitched behind my back, straining against the bindings.
Find a way.
“I could end this right now,” Sean mused, the thought rolling off his tongue like he was savouring it. “But Calloway? He’s got bigger plans for nosy little bitches like you. Lucky for me, I’m not done cleaning up your mess just yet.”
I heard the scrape of something heavy being dragged across the floor, the faint vibration traveling up through my knees where I knelt. My breaths came faster, and I pressed my lips harder against the gag to keep the rising panic in check.
He crouched down again, close enough that I could feel the heat of his breath against my cheek. “You think you’re tough,” he whispered, his voice a venomous hiss. “Let’s see how tough you are after a few hours down here. Alone. Forgotten.”
He stood abruptly, his boots retreating toward the door. I heard the hinges creak again, the heavy thud of the door slamming shut behind him, followed by the ominous scrape of the lock sliding into place.
The silence that followed was deafening.
I forced myself to breathe, the sound of my own ragged breaths filling the void. The blindfold still clung to my face, the damp, metallic smell of the room seeping into my senses.
I pressed my shoulder against the wall, twisting my head until the fabric of the blindfold began to scrape against the surface. The brick biting into the skin at my temple.
It took everything in me not to cry out in frustration as it resisted, the knot too tight. I pushed harder, biting down on the gag as the blindfold began to shift.
It took minutes — or maybe hours — but eventually, the fabric slipped free, and the dim light in the room hit me like a slap. I blinked rapidly, adjusting to the space around me. The room was small, bare, with exposed pipes running along the walls and a damp, musty smell hanging heavy in the air. It wasn’t a dungeon — it was a forgotten storage area, probably part of an old industrial building. Rusted tools and scraps of metal were scattered across the floor, the kind of debris people ignored when they abandoned a place.
This is where he brought me?
I rubbed my wrists, my fingers brushing over the raw marks left by the restraints. My hands trembled, but I steadied them, forcing myself to focus.
I wasn’t out yet. I needed a plan.
The pipes on the wall caught my attention, one of them jagged where time and neglect had eaten through the metal. I crawled over, running my fingers along its edge until I found what I needed — a sharp, uneven point.
Perfect for cutting through the plastic.
Hands still bound behind my back, I sawed against the jagged pipe with as much force as I could muster. Sweat beaded on my brow as the plastic began to fray. My arms ached, but I kept going, the sound of each scrape a reminder that I was getting closer.
This place was suffocating, but it was nothing compared to the crushing weight in my chest. Every scrape of the plastic against the jagged edge of the pipe felt like a battle — small and frustrating — but it kept me moving, kept me from succumbing into the kind of terror that would paralyze me.
If I stopped, if I gave in to the fear, Sean would win, and I refused to let that happen.
The faint snap of the zip ties breaking sent a jolt of relief through me, but it was fleeting. I rubbed my wrists, the sting a sharp reminder of how close I was to losing everything. My breaths came fast and shallow, the dim light of the room doing little to chase away the darkness clawing at the edges of my mind.
I wasn’t safe, but I could be. If I kept moving. If I stayed smart.
My fingers brushed over the floor, rough and uneven in some places, slick with grime in others. I grabbed a shard of rusted metal, its jagged edge fitting awkwardly in my hand. My knuckles ached from how tightly I gripped it, but I didn’t care. It was something — anything — to defend myself.
The grime-covered wall caught my eye, its surface dull and forgotten. A flash of determination cut through the panic, and I lifted myself on shaky legs and started toward it, gripping the shard like it was the only lifeline I had.
I pressed it into the surface and began to carve, the metal screeching as I etched each letter. The sound was grating, but it was mine . Each stroke of the jagged shard steadied me, reminded me who I was — who this fucker had underestimated.
Scout’s Honor.
The fear was still there, pressing down on me like a vice, but something else burned beneath it:
Spite.
Sean thought he had me cornered, helpless. He thought I was weak.
He was wrong.
I clutched the shard tighter, my jaw clenching. My knees wobbled, but I steadied myself against the wall, forcing my body to move despite the ache in my muscles.
My fingers trembled as I reached behind my back, carefully tucking the shard away into my waistband for safekeeping.
The metal pressed into my skin, cold and biting, but I welcomed the discomfort — it kept me grounded. Kept me focused.
The sound of a distant door slamming sent a spike of adrenaline through me. Sean was coming back. My window was closing fast, but I wasn’t done. Not by a long shot.
I can find a way out. I will.
When I did, Sean would regret the day he ever thought he could fuck with me.