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They backtracked and located the basement door. Gunner nodded when Riggs opened the door and followed Riggs silently down the stairs. The stairwell was narrow, enclosed on both sides and relatively steep, ending on a narrow landing that created a turn to the right and three more stairs.
Once they made the turn, the interior of the basement was visible. Riggs reached the floor, stopped, and for a moment was astounded. "What the actual fuck?" Gunner whispered from behind him.
It was sure nothing Riggs expected to find. With wooden floors, walls, and ceilings, it was like being inside a big box. One filled with every kind of sexual apparatus imaginable.
Perhaps two seconds passed from the time his feet landed on the wooden floor until a sound had him bounding across the room.
Georgie heard someone walking above her. Was Josh back? She frantically inched along, desperate to reach her prosthesis. If she could get it on, at least she had something of a chance.
With her heart hammering, eyes burning from the sweat that dripped off her brow, and body screaming from every scrape and movement, she pushed herself forward.
It seemed like forever, but finally, she was almost within reaching distance. Just a few more seconds. Then she heard it. The basement door opened. She strained to hear. Were those footsteps?
She dared to roll onto her side and crane herself up as high as possible to see.Please don't let this be a dream,she prayed and a moment later screamed. "Riggs!"
His head turned in her direction, and a split second later, he ran across the room to her.
Shock had Riggs stopping short, three feet from Georgie. What the hell had that bastard done to her? Her once long red hair was chopped in clumps like someone had waged war on it; some places cut nearly to the scalp, and others ranged from a few inches to a foot.
That, however, was not the most shocking aspect. Naked and tied, her body was crisscrossed with what had to be whip welts, some bloody, and bruises and scrapes.
I'm going to kill that bastard.Riggs had never felt such a dark urge. He wanted to inflict pain so horrible that Josh would beg for death.
"Riggs?" Georgie's voice cracked.
That did it. His legs propelled him forward without conscious effort. One second, and he was kneeling beside her. Riggs pulled out his knife and cut away the ropes.
She was in his arms a second later, crying and clinging to him. He felt her tremble, then quake. "I got you. I got you."
"Get. Me. Out. Of. Here." Her words came between breaths and sobs.
"Where are your clothes?"
"Upstairs."
Riggs scooped her up in his arms. Gunner grabbed her prosthesis and followed. "He's a medic," Riggs said, placing her on the bed and yanking the spread loose to cover her. "Let him check and make sure nothing's broken."
She nodded, and as Gunner checked her out, Riggs looked through the closet and found a mid-length dress. Gunner left Georgie to speak quietly to Riggs. "She's been raped, man. Repeatedly and with more than a dick, I think. She needs a doctor."
"Let's get her dressed and get her out of here. I'll come back and deal with that bastard."
"I'll be right with you."
"I never doubted." He found undergarments in one of the dresser drawers. As he helped her to dress, he observed the injuries she'd sustained. Each scrape, bruise, cut, or welt intensified his anger.
Any man who'd do this to a woman deserved the same punishment. Riggs' first goal was to get Georgie to safety. After that, he'd hunt Josh down, and when they were finished, he doubted Josh would ever hurt another woman.
Once dressed, he helped her with her prosthesis. Her hands were raw with nails torn, the tips of her fingers bloody. They'd just reached the living room when a noise came at the front door. Gunner positioned himself against the wall two feet from the door.
When it opened, it revealed Josh holding a handgun. "You fucking cheating bitch." He pointed the gun at Georgie.
The words were no more out of his mouth than Gunner snatched the gun from his hand and bashed him in the side of the head with it. He then pointed the weapon at Josh.
Riggs wasn't about to let Gunner put Josh down and yelled, "He's mine!"
At the same time, Georgie shouted. "Get his phone! Gunner, the phone!"
Josh bolted like a rabbit, back the way he'd come. Gunner was out of the door in a split second after him. "Why do we need the phone?" Riggs looked at Georgie.