Page 6

J uliette

“You came to save me,” I muttered, crawling toward the man in the uniform. He seemed like a hero, standing well over six and a half feet tall, green eyes that would shame emeralds. Broad shoulders and huge arms covered in tattoos.

The man was a badass.

“I did, sweetheart, and I won’t leave without you.” He swept my broken body into his arms, immediately taking me through the darkened cave.

As I clung to him, I knew I was going to survive.

Pain.

Mmm…

I opened my eyes, trying to focus, but there was barely any light.

Reaching out, I prayed my fingers would touch something warm.

There was nothing. A sob rose up from my chest. My mouth and throat were dry, my tongue slightly swollen.

I did my best to lick my lips and pushed up from the hard ground.

Instantly, a tear slipped down my cheek.

The dream had seemed so real. I’d had it twice, now able to memorize every crevice in the huge man’s face.

He was so strong and handsome, so determined to keep me safe.

And he wasn’t real. An ugly laugh pushed up into my dry throat. What a way to die. But the wretched, slimy walls would make for a great ending on my Instagram account. Travel influencer dies of being a dumbass. If I had my phone, I could secretly record videos for TikTok. Wouldn’t that be a hoot.

Just moving created waves of agony, especially as the nervous laugh bubbled to the surface.

“Help… me…”

The whisper was one I’d issued several times. By now, my voice was barely audible. Even making a single sound was pure agony. I pressed my face against the cool stone, clawing my fingers on the grooves as I tried to control my breathing.

No one was coming to help me.

At first, the men who’d taken me had yelled at me to stop screaming, but I’d refused, praying that someone would hear me and help. One of them had taken away my water as punishment, never bringing another.

No one had come.

So I’d finally stopped screaming.

My spirit was strong, but my instincts told me wherever I’d been taken was far away from anyone who’d hear my cries and come to my assistance.

With almost no light, I was no longer certain if it was night or day or how long I’d been here. I’d tried to keep count. I’d done my best to stay alert, but I’d become too tired to move or think but so much.

Every muscle ached, but at least I was no longer foggy from whatever they’d drugged me with.

No water. No food. At first there’d been a few drops of moisture oozing between the blocks I’d captured, but my mouth was so dry.

Even those had dried up. And it was fucking hot in here. The air was stifling.

What did they want?

Why was I here?

They’d found my phone. That’s the first thing I’d checked. Images of my former life rushed into my mind. Oh, God. I’d never see my friends again. My family.

“Fuck you!” I yelled as loud as possible. This was crazy. I’d been left here like an animal.

No. I couldn’t stand it. I wasn’t going to do this. There had to be a way out.

I slapped my hand on the stone, fighting with myself so I wouldn’t surrender to the despair. By now, my friends knew I was missing. They would have called the Bermuda police. They were looking for me.

But what if I’d been taken off the island?

A sharp, woeful cry rushed up from my throat. I couldn’t think this way. I had to stay alert to remain alive. Pay attention to my surroundings. Memorize every detail of the kidnappers and the location where I was being kept.

Yes, that’s what I’d do.

My father had taught me that a long time ago. He’d done so in case anything like this happened. This had to be about ransom. My father would pay whatever amount they asked and more.

A nagging thought in my mind remained.

Kidnap victims were rarely found alive.

Oh, God. Oh, God…

I struggled to stand, fighting the nausea and the terror.

The stones were haphazardly put together, which meant that the building I was being held in was likely used for storage.

The floor was dirt and when the door was opened the one time and light had flooded the room, I’d quickly scanned the room.

Maybe twelve by twelve. The walls were higher than normal and there was a tiny window, not large enough to crawl through.

But it was shadowed, as if surrounded by thick trees.

There was a cot with a very thin mattress and nothing else.

When I was on my feet, I held my stomach and took a few steps forward. My legs almost gave out. The whispered scuttles were insects. I’d felt them crawling all over me. My shriek had brought laughter.

The one prize I’d found was a rock. I’d already scratched a few things in the wall behind the cot, barely finding the strength to move it, but at least I’d documented the fact I’d been here. My name. My address. My father’s name.

Maybe one day the men responsible would be prosecuted.

When I laughed, I felt a dull ache in my stomach, bile in my throat. A sudden clanging noise immediately drew my attention.

One of the bastards was coming.

I refused to stay here. I would not play the victim.

With the rock still in my hand, I moved as quickly as possible to the hinged side of the door.

Voices. There were at least two of them.

When one disengaged the lock, slowly opening the door, I sucked in my breath, scrounging whatever strength I had left.

One man stepped in and as soon as he did, I smashed the rock against his forehead.

He went down and I lunged forward, kicking the second, but my muscles had obviously atrophied, the second kidnapper barely moving from my kick.

That didn’t stop me. I threw myself at him, smashing the rock against his cheek.

He howled and I took off sprinting, yet every step and every ragged breath seemed in slow motion. There was no warning, no explosive sound. But I knew someone was behind me. I went face down onto the ground. Hard. With the force used, my entire body skidded several inches.

Pain tore through me and I instantly tasted blood.

“You little bitch.” Within seconds, I was hoisted over the man’s shoulders.

My vision was blurry once again. I tried fighting him, pummeling my fists against his back.

“No. No. No!”

“You’re not going anywhere. Not until you’re ready.”

Within seconds, I was back inside my prison, placed against the wall. Woozy, I licked my lip. The stench of blood rose into my nostrils.

“I should fucking take the whip to you,” the man growled, his heavy breathing tainted with exasperation.

I winced as the first man rushed toward me, lifting his leg in preparation of kicking me with his boot. Whatever he was yelling at me was in a language I didn’t understand.

The second guy caught him, yanking him back. “No. She isn’t to be harmed. You’ve already done enough. They’ll be coming for her by morning. Until then, we babysit.”

“Please,” I sputtered. “Let me go.”

Snarling, the first man glared at me with murderous intent and held the gash on the side of his head. He stormed out seconds later.

The second crouched down far enough away I couldn’t grab him.

His dark eyes bored into mine as he shook his head. “You’re not going anywhere. Make it easy on yourself and don’t try and escape again. Next time, I won’t be able to save you.”

He stood, standing over me for a little while before turning abruptly and heading to the door.

Stopping short, he reached into his pocket, yanking something into his hand.

Whatever it was, he tossed in my direction.

A water bottle thumped to the floor, rolling toward me and there was something else.

A candy bar or granola.

I looked up at him, memorizing his face. A part of me wanted to thank him for his kindness. Oh, God. I was losing my mind.

When he left, the sharp click of the lock engaging forced a shudder. I crawled toward the food, snatching and ripping the paper. Only then did I realize I’d dropped my rock.

My only weapon.

My only method of protection.