Where am I?What happened?
Something's wrong.The surface beneath me isn't my bed.I push myself up, my arms trembling with the effort, and find myself on a bare mattress covered in yellowish and brown-orange stains.Bile rises in my throat.Disgusting.
As the haze lifts from my mind, memory crashes back like a tidal wave.Fear strikes me with the force of a cannonball, stealing my breath.
No!Please, no!
My breathing explodes into rapid gasps.I run trembling hands through my tangled hair as the scene replays with horrifying clarity.
The text from Cole.Relief flooding through me as I pulled into my usual parking spot.That moment of hesitation as I noticed how dark the area had become, but the need to see Cole, to fix things, pushed me forward.
I had just locked my BMW when it happened – that skin-chilling humming sound behind me.Then his voice, the one that's haunted my nightmares, slithered out of the shadows:
"Hello, doll face."
Three simple words that awakened a primal, bone-deep terror.Fight-or-flight instinct kicked in as I spun toward my car, frantically pressing the key fob.But I was too late.Strong hands yanked at my clothing, sending me stumbling backward.The moment my body hit his chest, an arm snaked around my neck while his other hand clamped something over my nose and mouth.The cloth reeked of chemicals.
I thrashed against his hold, but he only tightened his grip.Panic exploded through me as my lungs screamed for oxygen.Black spots danced in my vision.Then my muscles turned to water, and darkness swallowed me whole.
What is this place?
I squint against harsh fluorescent light, forcing my eyes to focus.Plain concrete walls stretch up to a high ceiling, everything cold and industrial.When I slide off the mattress, something heavy drags at my ankles.My heart stutters as I look down.
What the hell?Steel shackles.
I shuffle forward, feeling light-headed, then come to an abrupt stop as my surroundings finally register.My heart rate spikes.Through clearing vision, I see thick glass panels secured to the concrete wall, complete with a door.Another glass panel spans the ceiling above me.A black curtain hangs ominously to one side, hiding whatever lies beyond.
Oh my god.This is a cell!
My gaze sweeps the space, lips twisting in disgust at the sight of an old worn-out toilet in the far corner.But what's beyond the glass makes my breath catch in my throat.A beige carpet.Two armchairs and a couch arranged like a living room.A wooden dining table with chairs.And on the concrete walls – my blood turns to ice – life-sized photos of me.
It wasn't my imagination.He's been following me.
The images are everywhere.Me and Amanda laughing in the parking lot.Me walking hand in hand with Cole – but Cole's face has been violently cut out of every photo.The obsession evident in the sheer number of pictures makes my stomach roll.
I stumble to the glass door, pushing against it with trembling hands.Locked.Of course it's locked.My fists slam against the surface as panic claws up my throat."Please, anyone?Hello!"
Nothing.Just the hollow echo of my voice bouncing off concrete walls.Tears prick at my eyes as I rest my forehead against the cold glass.The reality of my situation hits me full force – I'm trapped in what amounts to a human terrarium, put on display like some exotic creature.
A weak, muffled sound breaks the silence.
My head snaps up.The noise comes again – someone humming with their mouth closed.It's coming from behind that black curtain.My heart pounds against my ribs as I make my way toward it, the shackles forcing me to take small, shuffling steps.
I reach out toward the curtain, but footsteps approaching from behind freeze me in place.
"Good morning."
My head whips around, and pure terror shoots through my veins as I finally see my captor.
"You're beautiful when you sleep," he says, walking up to the glass panel with practiced ease, like he's done this a thousand times before.
I stumble backward until my spine hits concrete, finally getting a good look at him.He's wearing a neat grey business suit with a white v-neck shirt underneath, like he just stepped out of a board meeting.His face is clean-shaven, dark cocoa brown hair styled in a messy fade.But it's his eyes that stop my breath – grey orbs swirling with lust and pride, the same eyes that have haunted my dreams since that night in the alley.
"Did you sleep well, my doll face?"
An icy shiver races down my spine.He's been watching me sleep.To hide my trembling hands, I cross my arms, tucking them tight against my body.
Don't freak out.Don't show him you're terrified.
