Chapter 42
ELLIE
Vomit rose in my throat, and I had just enough time to roll over before I choked on my bile. I blinked heavily as the room swam around me. Dark shadows crept into the edges of my vision, ramping up the fear that was slowly seeping into my freezing skin.
The ceiling shifted above me, splitting into thirds, wavering in my vision.
My cracked lips parted to call out to someone, but a splitting pain in my head immediately squashed that idea.
I squeezed my eyes shut, desperate to calm the pounding in my head, and when I opened my lids again, the three ceilings converged into one.
“Help,” I croaked out, wincing as my lip cracked open.
Running my tongue along the corner of my mouth, I not only tasted blood, but felt the whole side of my mouth swollen and cracked. It was only when I tried to prod the damaged skin that I realized my hands were tugged over my head.
Twisting on the ground, I tried not to let panic overwhelm me when I saw my wrists tied to a pole.
That explained the lack of feeling in my arms. Squeezing my eyes closed again, I sucked in a deep breath, letting it out slowly, but it did nothing to calm the anxiety crawling under my skin, working its way into every cell of my body.
Tears pricked my eyes as the reality of my situation settled deep in my gut. I was trapped with no way to get out.
“Don’t freak out now, Ellie,” I whispered. “Keep it together.”
Taking several more deep breaths, I let my eyes adjust to the dark room, trying to figure out anything I could about where I was. There were poles all around the room.
Like in a basement. Support for the ceiling. On the far side of the room was a single window. A very small one, not even big enough to escape through. If there were any more windows down here, I couldn’t see them. There was a room to the left, closed off by a door.
I wasn’t sure I wanted to know what was in that room. Were there more people in there? Maybe tools or dead bodies?
“Don’t think about it,” I hissed, trying to stay calm.
What I needed was to make a plan. It might not work, but at least if I had something in mind, and the opportunity arose, I might be able to get out of here.
Scooting toward the pole, I struggled to raise the rope higher, and after a few good tries, the rope moved and I was able to sit up. It was uncomfortable as hell as I twisted so my arms were no longer above my head, but lowered to my side.
Leaning against the pole, I was out of breath and even more dizzy than when I was laying down. But at least I could curl up and keep as much of my body off the cold floor as possible.
“Ryder,” I whispered, wishing he was here right now to wrap his arms around me and keep me warm.
I sucked in a ragged breath as tears flooded my system. There was no holding them back as the reality of my situation hit me hard. I was trapped in a basement. No one knew where I was.
And Jeff…
Oh, God. He shot Jeff.
My head jerked up as a door opened above me. Boots stomped down the stairs, and I found myself staring at each step, waiting to see who emerged. My heart hammered hard in my chest as I watched the work boots descend the stairs until finally revealing the man who was holding me captive.
Terror ran rampant through my body as the man stepped closer, until finally, I could make out his features.
Tall. Muscular. Dark eyes and an evil grin that sent chills down my spine and made me want to throw up. Somehow, I held it together, refusing to look away from him even though all I wanted was to curl into a ball and hide as far away from this man as possible.
I didn’t dare open my mouth. I was too scared that I’d just start crying, and this did not look like a man who had a single sympathetic bone in his body. Very slowly, he stalked forward until he was right in front of me.
As he lowered to his haunches, I curled in on myself, pulling my knees tighter to my chest. His eyes flicked to my legs, to the dress that was probably revealing everything underneath it.
A smile curved his lips as he ran his hand along his jaw, chuckling darkly.
God, I was going to throw up.
“So fucking pretty,” he said, his voice low and gravelly as he slid his hand up my leg.
A whimper left my lips as I flinched away from him, but I had nowhere to go, no way to defend myself. I didn’t even have my shoes anymore.
“Go ahead,” he grinned. “Fight. I like my women when they’re not compliant. Makes me fucking hard.”
I didn’t even think as he sprang forward. My foot shot out, catching him in the face, but it did nothing to slow him down. His fingers dug into my hips as he dragged me down to the cold floor.
My wrists screamed in pain as the rope caught on the pole, dragging slowly to the base.
“No!” I screamed as loud as I could, kicking hard at anything I could make contact with.
His firm grip settled on my knee, pushing it to the side as he shifted, kneeling right beside it as his fingers yanked down the zipper on his jeans. This was my last chance, and I took it.
I quickly lifted my left leg and slammed my heel into his groin. A pained cry left his lips as he bent over, but I didn’t stop. Rearing back, I slammed my foot into his crotch over and over again until he laid on the ground, barely breathing as he held his junk.
I scrambled back, shifting into a new position, then went on the attack, slamming my foot into his face, breaking his nose. Whimpers and terrified, muffled screams left my lips with every hit, but I didn’t stop.
Not until he suddenly grabbed my ankle and twisted hard, contorting my body into a position where I could no longer attack him.
“Fucking bitch,” he wheezed, crawling over my body, pressing my chest against the floor. My scalp screamed in pain as he grabbed a fistful of hair and yanked hard. “You’ll fucking regret that.”
He torqued my head back, and it was only a second before he slammed my head against the concrete that I realized I was not getting out of here alive.