Page 26 of Ruthless Chaos

If this moment in my life were a movie, what happened between us would make him the villain. So, I need to treat him, andeveryone else here, like the criminals they are.

If I do that, I’ll be able to survive this place without blowing my cover.

The sound of rustling outside the bathroom door pulls me out of my thoughts. A glance at my phone reveals it’s 3AM.

That must be Tara getting into bed.

I don’t want to face her. Especially now I’m covered in bruises. Though she would probably tease me that I’m a virgin, I also don’t want her to think I had sex.

Something tells me she might know the lake guy.

Yet, I can’t stay locked in the bathroom forever.

All my clean clothes are in the bedroom. I would prefer the warmth of a bed over spending the night on a cold marble floor. Anxiety thrums in my throat as I weigh my options.

You can do this. Think of the promise you just made to yourself.

I can be brave.

So, I towel off the rest of my body and take a deep breath. My fingers are a little shaky around the doorknob. I swing the door open, expecting to see Tara passed out on her bed from too many vodka limes.

Instead, I glimpse two masked faces right before they force a thick blindfold over my eyes. A hand stuffs something in my mouth just as I’m about to scream. Hands seize me, lifting me off the ground. I scramble to both fight them off and keep the towel from falling off me.

I fail at both. Panic sets in.

I squirm, but their grip on me only tightens. Every time I struggle, they restrict me more. A coarse rope snakes around my ankles. Finally, my towel is ripped from my body. I’m awash with sweat, and I feel like I’m going to pass out.

This is it.

This is the end.

They’ve found me.

My kidnappers lift me off the ground and take me to my death.

EIGHT

ALLIE

I hita hard surface with a thud, pain shuddering through my shoulder and hip.

The blindfold and gag are ripped from my face.

I scramble to cover my nakedness with my hands, still trying to piece together what’s happening. We walked in circles for hours, it felt like.

We didn’t get into a car or anything.

I’m still on campus, I think.

Adrenaline courses through my blood.

They’re going to kill me.

Wherever I am is dimly lit by a flickering light. I can’t see much. The air is damp and smells like old clothes in the back of a dusty closet. It’s stuffy too, like the windows haven’t been opened in a long time.

My eyes are wet. No matter how many deep breaths I take, my lungs aren’t satisfied.

My kidnappers are still around.