Page 5 of Protection for Asher (Safeguarded By The SEAL #4)

Asher wasn’t sure if she was better off today than she’d been the day before when she’d been trapped in the basement of some building.

Now she was in something that was metal that stank badly.

The floor was moving like she was on a ship.

At least she thought she was on a ship. It could be something else.

Would they feed her? They had when she'd been in the basement, but this was different. She was alone in this container, and they may not even check on her. Did the people on the ship know she was there? Were they aware there were humans being shipped to whatever port they were going to next?

She’d cried, screamed, bargained, prayed, and screamed again. Nothing helped. She would die in here.

Eventually, when her stomach cramped, and she felt like she might pass out from starvation and thirst, a loud bang followed by a horrendous squeak interrupted her thoughts. She jumped, then plastered herself against the side of the container.

Light spilled in, piercing the back of her eyes. She lifted her bound hands and slammed her eyes shut. It took a few seconds to crack open her eyes even a little. The pain was almost too much to bear, but she needed to see what was coming in after her.

“Ah, you’re still with us. Good. I have water and food. There’s a bucket over there.”

“I need light. Leave the door open.”

The man threw back his head, laughter spilling out. “You Americans are too funny. Look now because you'll be in the dark in a bit. You need to wash. Come with me.”

She stood on shaky legs, pain shooting up her left leg to her side. Had they beaten her? Maybe. Or was the pain from sitting for so long?

“Hurry.”

She shuffled over, trying not to cause too much pain to herself as she walked, but that was almost impossible.

The pain seemed to overshadow everything.

Once she was out of the container, she had to shield her eyes to keep the white brightness from overwhelming her.

It was like a bomb had exploded right in front of her, making it where she couldn’t see anything.

“Shit, that’s bright.”

The guy chuckled as he walked ahead of her. Once her eyes adjusted, she glanced around. They weren't on a huge boat, and she wasn't in one of those huge shipping containers. The space they'd had her in was small, like a walk-in closet or something.

“This isn’t a huge ship.”

“Nope.”

She took a long look to the right, then the left, searching for land. There wasn’t any. She could swim, but she didn’t know which direction to go. They could be anywhere.

“Where are you taking me?”

“Doesn’t matter.”

“It matters to me.”

The man stopped and turned to her. “It doesn't. Nothing matters other than doing what you're told. You'll be offloaded and shipped to who knows where. I don't care where you go or what happens. They pay me. That's all I care about.”

Anger surged. “You’re just going to let them do that? Where is your compassion?”

He shrugged. “I have none. This is your life now.”

She glanced at the side of the boat. “I could jump and swim away.”

Laughter was the last thing she expected. Her lips pressed together as anger built.

“Good luck, sweetie. Your hands are bound, or did you forget that? You won't get far, and then you'll be dead. Half of these guys aren't so bad. They will keep you on a short leash, but they provide rooms and food. Hell, some of you get to live in the lap of luxury. It might even be an upgrade.”

His words sank in, making her heart ache. She was stuck. There was no easy escape. He was right. She wouldn't make it with her hands bound in front of her. It was either death or do what this guy wanted.