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Nina

B ANG! BANG! BANG!

Mr. M jumps away from me and my panties, looking frantic for the first time. "Fuck!" Then he grins down at me. "No need to worry. I don't match the description. You stay here."

He chuckles and stands, still assuming I'm paralyzed. What the monster doesn't realize, though, is I'm filled with enough horrified adrenaline that I might be able to follow him out the metal door. Which, in his attempt to rush out of here quietly, he left slightly ajar.

BANG! BANG! BANG! "OPEN UP!"

Kai?!

Another rush of energy zaps through me now that I know my men are right outside. He's been living next door this entire time?

Revulsion sends me rolling onto my side. Ignoring the painful tingles of my body waking up is hard, but I don't have much time. If Mr. M can convince them I'm not here, I'm screwed. I bet he has a whole plan once the investigation outside dies down.

I can't let him win again!

With that motivation rooted firmly in my brain, I force my legs to cooperate with sheer will. I get my knees under my first, and my head swims. Come on, I got this .

Crawling seems like the safest option since my feet definitely won't be able to keep me balanced. My wrists wobble, and my knees scrape on the hard ground, but I keep moving.

One dragging inch at a time, I make it to the hefty door and open it enough to squeeze through. My breath stutters in disappointment and worry when I see a steep wooden staircase waiting for me.

The muffled voices coming from the top of the stairs push me forward and encourage me to ignore the obvious struggle in my drugged body.

Climb! The voice is familiar and is saving me again. Soft and throaty, Henry gives me the first push.

CLIMB! Frantic and energized, the sound of Kai in my head pushes me up the next five steps.

CLIMB, NINA! Ridge's fear and challenge whip through my mind. I'm almost there.

FUCKING CLIMB! At the harsh demand of Trevor, I groan and pull myself up onto the tile floor in what seems to be a kitchen.

"Mind if we take a look around?" RIDGE. God, I almost forgot they're actually here this time.

Stand! This voice urging me up is my own. My men have gotten me this far; the rest is up to me.

"Can I see your badge?" Mr. M sounds bored, putting his acting skills to the test.

STAND! Wobbly, and completely unbalanced, I get my feet under me and collapse against the clean countertop. Please tell me he doesn't have another person he's abusing to clean his house.

Henry responds to Mr. M sounding calm and much closer as I continue to stumble toward them. "Is there a reason your friendly neighbors can't come inside?"

"Are you accusing me of something?" Mr. M continues to play the bored victim card, annoying me. That annoyance gives me another boost, just like the flood of light around the corner does.

WOOF!

RUN!