Page 19

“If you don’t move now,” he says, his voice a low, measured threat. “That girl in the other room will die.”
My breath catches in my throat, and for a moment, I stop breathing entirely.
I feel my lungs burn with the need to breathe, but I can’t inhale, nor can I exhale. His awful words echo all around my head, becoming louder and louder until they drown out every other single thought.
Tamana.
One of my closest friends, the girl I now consider my sister. Her smiles, and her laughter. The way she always keeps me happy, always excited to show me around the city, and how she’s so ambitious and brave.
I blink rapidly, feeling fat drops of tears rolling down my cheeks.
I want to scream—want to do as my brother and father have always told me to do—but I can’t.
I can’t make any noise, and I can’t waste their time.
But if I do, then maybe Dario will realise that something is wrong, and maybe he’ll come bursting through my door with Papa hot on his heels.
They both said they would protect me, always, and I know that it’s true.
But the thought of Tamana being harmed…
Her life is in my hands, and if I do anything reckless—she’s gone.
I can’t be the reason behind another person’s death…another person’smurder.
A broken sound escapes me, part sob, part whimper, as I squeeze my eyes shut.
“Okay.” I whisper, my voice trembling as my hands begin to shake too. “Okay, I’ll move.”
The man crouched low in front of me looks behind me, and the man holding the gun at my back releases a pleased hum, the sound of it rumbling deep as though my surrender is everything he’s wanted to hear.
“Good girl.” He says, his voice curling all around the words like smoke. “Let’s get moving now.”
My stomach twists as I clench my hands into fists in my lap.
Standing back up to his full length, the man in front of me rises, reaching into his pocket. When he pulls away, my chest tightens as I see the strip of fabric between his fingers, and I already know what’s coming next.
“No!”
It’s a cry, a plea, but it’s barely audible, and it makes no difference.
He doesn't care to hear me.
Wrapping the blindfold over my eyes, he thrusts me into darkness, forcing more sobs to leave me. The world closes in around me, and all I can focus on is the sound of my own ragged breathing, and the soft scuffle of their movements.
Something cold snaps around my wrists, and I flinch as I realise that handcuffs are being locked into place. As soon as they’re on, the man behind me moves, his hand coming up to cover my mouth. His palm feels rough against the soft skin of my face, and his grip is firm as he forces his hand even tighter around me, trying to stop me from breathing altogether.
I jerk against him, becoming desperate to be able to breathe properly, but he doesn’t care.
“Shush.”
The man behind me murmurs quietly, his voice filled with dark amusement.
As quickly as his hand is moved away, something replaces it, silencing me completely. It’s invasive, and it cuts off any chance of being able to call for help.
A gag, I realise, as my tongue is forced further into my mouth, bile rising in my throat as the urge to throw up only grows.
My mind spirals into a panic, and my breathing is short and choppy, my chest feeling tight.