Chapter 25
The coolness of a hard wall seeped through the back of Evelyn’s shirt and pain sliced through her head.
She squeezed her eyelids, wanting to hold onto the darkness and silence she’d escaped into before, but an insistent buzzing thumped against her skull.
When she cracked one eye open, a strobing fluorescent light plastered in the center of the ceiling seeped into the narrow slit, and she retreated against the glare.
One tiny movement, one small shaft of light, was enough to make her stomach heave.
The buzzing stopped, and she said a silent prayer of gratitude.
Floorboards squeaked, and apprehension danced along her spine.
Footsteps echoed around her, coming closer and closer with every beat of her heart.
She wanted to expel the scent of dirt and decay from her lungs, but moving her breath through her nose caused her head to throb.
The footsteps stopped and warmth pressed down on her. Moist breath skimmed her cheek.
Fear blocked the suffocating smell around her. Something brushed against her jawline and she fought the instinct to flinch away. She needed to remain in the dark— remain in the quiet until she could figure out where the hell she was and how to escape.
“Wake up, my little mousie. It’s time to play.”
Gabriel.
Tears filled the corners of her still-closed eyes and fell down her cheeks. Something swept across her face to wipe them away.
“It’s about time you woke up. I’m making something special for you. It will be the most magnificent beauty I’ve ever made.” Lips pressed against her temple and traveled to her ear. “All for you.”
The whispered words were like bullets to her brain. A whimper slipped from her lips.
“You can’t hide from me, mousie.”
Nausea rolled in her stomach. She wanted to sink into the cool wall, disappear into the darkness of her mind— the darkness that kept the monsters far away. The same as when she’d been a frightened child trying to escape the ugly nightmare of her life.
“Please. You don’t have to do this.” Her voice shook and she slowly opened her eyes, squinting against the light.
He cupped the back of her head in his hand and grazed the side of her neck with his thumb.
His face invaded her space and blocked out the room behind him.
“Oh, you cute little mouse. It’s too late to go back now.
Everything’s almost ready. I knew that stupid cop wouldn’t leave you by yourself.
I needed to dangle a golden fucking carrot in his face to get my hands on you.
I had to make a stop to say goodbye to someone very special to me, then I’ll take you far away—so far no one will ever find you.
But maybe I’ll leave a piece of you here. ”
Evelyn tried to concentrate on his words, but the pain at her temple muffled his voice, the syllables dragging out as if he spoke in slow motion. “Goodbye? What are you talking about?”
Gabriel closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. “My love. I had to visit her one last time.”
Her mind spun. Gabriel didn’t make any sense.
He pressed his face close to hers, and she reared back, the motion spiking the pain in her head. She lifted her arm to push him away, but her hands were tied together with rope. She scooted to the side, and bits and pieces of God- knew-what poked through the thin material of her pants.
“There’s nowhere for you to run.” He smirked, and his eyes narrowed into slits.
She tried to create space between her hands but the rope bit into her wrists. Panic burrowed inside her, and beads of sweat clung to the back of her neck.
Gabriel wound the long hair of her ponytail around his hand and pulled her to him. He pressed his forehead to hers and inhaled again. “Now I smell your fear,” he whispered.
A raw terror she hadn’t experienced in years lodged in her throat, making it hard to breathe.
She couldn’t do this again, couldn’t endure seconds or minutes or hours of torture and abuse. She couldn’t retreat into her mind and lose herself until it was over.
An image of Connor’s sapphire eyes flashed in her mind.
Warmth battled against the icy fingers of dread gripping her heart.
He had brought her so much joy and happiness in the last few days.
He’d brought her love, and dammit, she wasn’t ready to lose him.
Connor had shown her what she was capable of, not only to fight the battles in front of her, but the ones in the past as well.
She stared straight into Gabriel’s amused eyes. “I’m not afraid of you.” She might be terrified of the hellhole she’d found herself in, but she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of seeing that fear.
His grin spread wider. “We’ll see about that.
” He rubbed the tip of his nose into her hair, and she refused to flinch.
He released his grip on her ponytail and skimmed his knuckles against her cheek.
“My goodbyes have been said, and now I have work to finish. We’ll play later.
” He pressed his lips to her forehead then turned toward a set of stairs at the end of the room.
He disappeared, and a door slammed shut.
Finally able to take stock of the space, Evelyn scanned her prison.
The fluorescent light cast an eerie glow on the room, the constant sputtering and hum of the bulb heightening her panic.
Unfinished wooden planks lined the ceiling, and a long line of wooden birdhouses were scattered along a shelf.
Long rectangular boxes nestled together by the stairs. Nothing else filled the suffocating space. She yanked at her hands again, but the rope refused to budge. Her muscles strained and she grunted into the silence, pushing her back against the concrete wall.
Something sharp bit into the small of her back.
Evelyn shimmied her bound feet so her knees butted against her chest, and she used her core to push herself to her feet.
Turning, she crouched to get a better look at what had scraped her back.
A three-inch galvanized nail was set among the dirt and pebbles on the floor.
She grabbed it and held it in her hands. What the hell would someone need such a big nail for? She tested the tip with the pad of her thumb, and it pierced her skin. It wasn’t the sharpest thing in the world, but it might be just enough.
The buzz of a saw sounded from overhead, and the boards that made up the ceiling rattled. She didn’t have much time. She needed to unwrap her hands. Then she’d make Gabriel regret underestimating her.