Chapter One #3
She had never been taken to the dungeon, but she knew enough about what happened down there to understand why the mere mention of it was enough to make some of the women cry.
She had heard the screams coming from beneath the house.
She had seen women taken downstairs and returned days later looking like hollowed-out versions of themselves. Some never returned at all.
“No,” she whispered.
“Then do as you’re told.”
Willow swallowed the bile rising in her throat and reached for the buttons of her top. Her fingers trembled so badly that she fumbled the first one, and apparently that was enough to exhaust what little patience Chen had left.
He grabbed the front of the shirt and ripped it apart.
Willow gasped as buttons scattered across the floor and the torn fabric fell away, leaving her standing before him in her bra.
Hatred burned through her. God, she hated this man with every part of herself that he hadn’t managed to destroy over the last three years.
The belt struck her again before she could prepare herself. Willow cried out and stumbled sideways, her hip slamming painfully into the small desk. She grabbed the edge to keep herself upright, fighting through the burning pain while Chen moved behind her.
Her gaze landed on a bronze statue sitting on the desk. It was some Greek god Chen had purchased during one of his trips, although Willow couldn’t remember which one. She only remembered him bragging that it was old, expensive, and incredibly rare.
Right now, she didn’t care if it was Zeus himself.
Another strike landed across her back, and Willow’s knees nearly buckled as pain tore through her. Before she could recover, Chen grabbed the back of her shorts and tore at the fabric.
Understanding hit her immediately. He wasn’t going to stop with the belt.
Something inside Willow snapped. Maybe it was fear.
Maybe it was three years of anger and humiliation finally breaking through every wall she had built around it.
Or maybe it was the image of Lily sleeping peacefully upstairs while this monster had casually threatened to have her taken care of. Whatever it was, Willow was done.
As Chen raised the belt again, she grabbed the bronze statue with both hands. It was heavier than she expected, but the adrenaline gave her the strength she hadn’t known she possessed.
Willow spun around and swung with everything she had.
The statue struck the side of Chen’s head with a sickening thud. He dropped instantly, collapsing to the floor.
Willow dropped the statue as she staggered backward, staring at the man lying motionless at her feet. Blood trickled from his hairline.
Her hands began shaking uncontrollably. She covered her mouth, struggling to breathe as she stared at him.
Had she killed him?
The possibility should have horrified her more than it did.
Instead, all Willow could think about were the women she had watched disappear over the last three years, the terrified girls who had been brought through Chen’s homes like merchandise, and Riley, who had nearly suffered the same fate before Willow helped her escape.
Then there was Lily, the little girl he had just threatened so casually, as if her life meant nothing at all.
Willow stepped closer and nudged Chen’s shoe with her foot. He didn’t move.
“I hope you’re dead, you evil bastard,” she whispered. Her voice shook almost as badly as the rest of her.
Pain pulsed through her face where he had struck her, while her back felt as though someone had dragged fire across her skin. Her torn blouse hung uselessly from her shoulders, and she could feel blood beginning to soak into the fabric.
She needed medical attention, and she needed about a hundred other things she couldn’t have right now.
Willow looked at Chen again. She couldn’t just leave him there without knowing.
Slowly, she lowered herself onto the rug, her whole body shaking as she reached toward his neck.
Her fingers hovered for a moment before finally pressing against his skin, searching for a pulse she wasn’t sure she wanted to find.
Then she felt it. It was faint at first, almost easy to miss, before it steadied beneath her touch.
Chen moaned, and Willow jerked backward so quickly that she nearly fell. He was alive.
Now she had only one option. She had to run.
There was no way to talk her way out of this now, no pretending she hadn’t betrayed him, no fragile hope that he might ever forgive her.
When Chen woke up, everything would be over, and he would come for her without hesitation.
And worse than anything he could do to her, he would go after Lily.
Another low groan came from him, and Willow scrambled to her feet.
She yanked open a drawer on the nearby dresser where she knew Chen kept lengths of rope among several other things she preferred not to think about.
She grabbed two pieces and dropped beside him again, tying his wrists tightly behind his back before securing his ankles.
It wouldn’t hold him forever, and she knew that. It didn’t have to. All she needed was enough to get away before he came back to himself.
Her gaze landed on a ball gag in the drawer, and disgust rolled through her, but she grabbed it anyway and secured it in his mouth. If Chen regained consciousness before anyone checked on him, he wouldn’t be able to yell for help.
“Let’s see how you like being helpless,” she muttered.
Willow pushed herself upright and ran from the bedroom into the adjoining office, stopping abruptly when something caught her attention.
The safe beneath the television was already slightly open, and Willow stood there for a moment, staring at it, then back toward the bedroom as if waiting for some part of her to tell her to stop.
It didn’t. She didn’t hesitate. Crossing the office in a few quick steps, she pulled the safe door wider, and her breath caught when she saw the stacks of cash inside.
There was more money than she had ever seen in one place.
For three years, Chen had stolen everything from her. Tonight, she was taking something back.
She grabbed several bundles and shoved them beneath the waistband of her shorts and panties, arranging the torn fabric as best she could to conceal them. Walking through the house carrying stacks of Chen’s money would raise questions she couldn’t afford to answer.
Before leaving, Willow hurried back into the bedroom, locked the door from the inside, then pulled it closed behind her as she stepped back into the office.
She took a breath, then another, steadying herself as best she could, and finally walked out.
The two guards were still stationed in the hallway, both men turning their attention to her as she approached.
Willow wanted to cover herself, but she forced her arms to remain at her sides. They had seen women leave Chen’s rooms bruised and bleeding before. If anything, looking exactly as she did would make her story more believable.
“Boss says he doesn’t want to be disturbed,” she said, hoping they couldn’t hear how hard her heart was pounding.
One guard glanced at her torn blouse before giving her a knowing smirk.
“Looks like you kept him busy.”
Willow’s first instinct was to punch him, to wipe that smug expression off his face and make him feel even a fraction of what she was going through. But she forced herself to swallow it down, lowering her eyes instead, because anger wouldn’t get her out of this alive.
“He’s in a mood. I would stay out of his way if I were you.”
The smile disappeared from the guard’s face, and Willow felt a small, sharp flicker of satisfaction.
Willow forced herself to walk away at a steady pace, even though every instinct in her body was screaming at her to run.
She didn’t let herself breathe properly until she had finally rounded the corner and was out of sight.
Only then did she risk a glance at her watch.
She had about ten minutes, maybe fifteen.
If the routine hadn’t changed, the guards stationed near the side kitchen entrance would make their final sweep of the property before the shift change. That usually left the door unwatched for five to ten minutes.
It wasn’t much, but tonight it had to be enough. With that thought pressing hard in her chest, Willow hurried upstairs.
Every step sent pain radiating across her back, but she ignored it. She could hurt later. She could cry later. She could fall apart when Lily was somewhere Chen could never reach her. Right now she had to move.
She slipped into her bedroom and found Lily still fast asleep, her small body curled peacefully in the bed as if nothing in the world could touch her.
Willow quickly stripped off what remained of her top and shorts, biting down on her lip as the fabric brushed against the wounds across her back. She pulled on a loose T-shirt and lounge pants, then stepped into sneakers and grabbed a lightweight jacket.
There was no time to clean the blood from her face or inspect the damage Chen had done.
She grabbed Lily’s diaper backpack and checked it quickly. There were pull-ups, wipes, two changes of clothes, snacks, two books, and a small blanket. She walked over to Lily and carefully extracted Ellie from Lily’s small hands and shoved the stuffed elephant into the bag.
She tucked the bundles of cash beneath the diapers and clothes, zipped the backpack, and eased it over her shoulders.
Pain tore across her back, and Willow closed her eyes, forcing herself to breathe through it.
Then she went to Lily, who stirred when Willow lifted her from the bed, making a sleepy little sound before immediately settling against her chest.
“Shh.” Willow kissed her temple. “Go back to sleep, bug. Mommy’s got you.”
Lily tucked her face into Willow’s neck, still half-asleep, and Willow instinctively tightened her hold, as if she could somehow shield her from everything in the world just by holding her a little closer.
She checked her watch. She needed to move.