Caught by Emma Louise

Chapter Thirty-Three

The zip tie digs at my wrists as I try to shift to a more comfortable position. It's pointless; the ache in my neck and shoulders isn't going anywhere. The first time I came around after being smashed in the head, I was in the back of a moving van. The van that I was too busy to notice parked right next to my car. I passed out again not long after, waking up here. I'm not sure exactly where here is because the place is pitch black. The air is damp and cold, the space feeling cavernous, and the only thing I can hear is the steady beat of rain hitting what must be a tin roof. I've been awake a little while now, and still my eyes haven't been able to adjust to the nothingness that I'm trapped in.

My feet are numb from them being tied together for hours, and my arms are screaming from being stuck behind my back for so long. I've worn myself out trying to find some way out of these restraints, but it's pointless. I'm exhausted, and all the effort I’ve expended has got me nowhere.

Giving up this last attempt to get free, I let my head drop to the cold, hard, concrete floor, my body now limp with exhaustion. Thick tears blur in my eyes as I allow the despair to win for a minute. My eyes overflow, and the hot tears trickle over my cheeks that are tight with dried saltiness from the last time I allowed myself to fall apart. I let the fear win over the tiny thread of hope I’ve been clinging to.

I'm powerless to stop the wave of grief and regret that hits me like a tsunami. My body heaves painfully as I sob. I'm never going to see my baby girl again. I'll never get to see her grow up. Never see her get married and have kids of her own. None of it.

As I lay on the dank, cold floor, I also realize that all of those things I imagined Cassidy doing, I saw Max being there with us. I saw him by my side for it all. And now, because of me, none of the life I dreamed of living with my beautiful little girl will happen. My daughter will grow up with no parents, and her memories of me will fade over time. Flash after flash flows through my mind of the scant years I had with her. It wasn't enough. A million lifetimes with her would never be enough.

The heavy sound of metal grinding on metal sounds through the otherwise silent space. I try to twist my head to see where it's coming from, but I can't quite get my body to move in the direction that the sound comes from. I think it’s a door opening, but there's no light coming from anywhere that I can see. My heart hammers so hard in my chest that whoever is out there must surely be able to hear it. It takes everything I have to try to calm my choppy breathing, desperate for whoever this is to think I'm still out of it. Maybe then they'll leave me alone long enough for me to find a way out of this mess.

There's a soft creak from behind me; it has to be a door opening. Surprisingly soft footsteps approach me, and every muscle in my body locks tight, readying itself for another blow when they stop nearby. I screw my eyes closed when I feel the presence at my back, bracing for whatever is to come next.

I can feel the weighty stare that lingers on me, but then there is ... nothing. I know they're still there; the presence is almost tangible. The hair on the back of my neck stands in stark relief as I hold myself still, straining to hear something that will help me work out who this is or what they want from me. But I can't hear anything over the sounds of my labored breaths.

A muffled commotion in the distance catches my attention, and the air around me shifts, becoming fraught with tension. I give up trying to stay still when I hear feet scuffling on the floor as whoever was just here turns and rushes out. I don't have time to try to get out of my bonds before the door is quickly slammed open once again.

This time a rusty groan echoes through the cavernous space.

This time whoever it is that comes in doesn't care that I can hear them.

Heavy footsteps pound on the concrete, hard enough that I can feel each of the quick steps as they approach where I'm curled up on the floor. I don't have time to try to escape because a huge hand wraps around my ankle, and somehow the zip tie snaps as I’m dragged across the concrete floor.

This isn't the same person who was just here. Whoever this is, they're a hell of a lot bigger. Instinct takes over, and I kick my legs out of their hold. My foot connects with something soft, and I hear a muted groan before my legs are dropped to the ground. Being in the dark works in my favor because I'm able to roll away from him when he lets go of me. My hands are still tied together, and pain shoots through my shoulders as I push myself across the unforgiving floor.

"Where are you, you fucking bitch?" I hear muttered from somewhere to my left, quickly followed by more thundering footsteps as he searches for me.

My mind races, desperately trying to find a way out of this mess. I continue shuffling back until my side hits the wall, where I curl myself up as tightly as I possibly can. Tears burn my eyes, and the urge to sob is almost overwhelming.

Endless seconds tick by as he continues looking for me. He passes by close enough for me to feel his boot skim right in front of my nose. Someone must be looking out for me because he doesn't stop long enough to realize I'm just inches away.

I finally let out the breath that has been choking me, but any relief I might have had soon evaporates when yet again, that distant door opens. This time whoever it is has a flashlight in their hand. The yellow beam of light cuts swathing arcs across the floor. I shrink back against the wall, trying to make myself as small as I possibly can.

"Get her so we can get the fuck out of here," a familiar, very feminine voice screeches from somewhere in the darkness.

"I'm fucking looking!" the guy booms back at her.

"I knew trusting you with this shit was a mistake," the woman says scathingly. The flashlight she's holding once again swings around. I try my best to shuffle my body along the wall, but I'm not fast enough to avoid the blinding light as it passes over me almost completely before coming back to stop directly on my face. Pain shoots through my head as I struggle to move out of the light.

"Grab her and move out. They're here," she barks, panic edging her commands.

I know that voice. I know I've heard it before, but I'm too dazed and confused to work out who it is. I'm braced, ready to fight him when he reaches for me, but it's pointless. Now he can see me, he has me up on his shoulder in no time at all. Turning on a booted foot, he jogs toward the door. The way my body is bounced has pain erupting through every inch of me, but that doesn’t stop me from trying my hardest to fight. Clasping my bindings together, I pound against the hard muscle of his back at the same time that viciously twists my body from side to side.

He's only feet away from the door when there is an almighty crash, and the wall a few feet away from us explodes with a boom so loud my ears ring. Concrete and glass rain down on me as the air vibrates with the aftermath of whatever it was that just detonated. I feel the sharp sting of the debris as it lands on my bare skin. Thick smoke fills my lungs and burns my eyes. I'm completely powerless to do anything as chaos erupts all around me.

Whoever is carrying me comes to a halt, his body jerking sharply as he lets out a low, guttural cry, the sickeningly familiar warmth of blood splashing across my face.

And then I'm flying through the smoky, acrid air, once again powerless to do anything to cushion the blow as I land on the floor. My head bounces against the concrete twice before the darkness comes for me once more.