around my eyes. His hands took a detour around my body as he wrestled me to the ground and fastened my hands and legs with ropes.
“I still think she would have been good as one of Eleni’s girls,” he muttered as he lifted me off the ground. “But this suits me.”
Jorge hurled me over his shoulder. He began hurrying down the staircase, each bump bringing me closer to throwing up. A part of me hoped that I did, because it was the only way I could retaliate now that I was bound.
We’d been walking for what felt like ten minutes when keys clinked against metal, then a heavy door swung open. Jorge lowered me off his shoulder and placed me on the ground. A car door clicked open and he picked me up again. Laying me down horizontally on a row of seats, he slammed the door shut again. Jorge and Marisa took seats in front of me and the engine started. I almost rolled off the seat as the vehicle lurched forward.
I lost count of how much time passed by. I was barely paying attention to the conversation any more as my mind fixed on Caleb. He was somewhere aboard Camilo’s ship. Likely still in that armored truck, where he would spend his final breath, alone in the dark. Tears welled in my eyes.
The vehicle slowed to a stop and the front doors opened again as Marisa and Jorge stepped out. Jorge reached for me and pulled me out. A cool breeze touched my skin as the car doors slammed shut. I heard the sound of ocean waves and the distant humming of a generator.
Gravel crunched beneath Jorge and Marisa’s feet. I heard keys, then the drawing of a heavy bolt. It was suddenly hot and stuffy. Gone was the cool night breeze. The stench of perfumes clashing in the air invaded my nostrils.
Jorge carried me up yet more stairs, and finally I felt a hard bed beneath me. The sheets smelled of strong detergent. Jorge loosened my blindfold as Marisa closed the door.
I looked around. The room was hardly bigger than the basement room I’d first been trapped in with Brody. There was a small dressing table in the corner, a stool, a sink, and a cracked mirror. There was only one door—the door we had entered through. Which meant there was no bathroom. Marisa and Jorge began untying my wrists and ankles. As I shook the ropes away from me, Marisa pulled out a gun from her belt, holding it on me.
“You listen,” she said in her thick accent. “There won’t be more misbehaving from you, understand? You do as we say.”
I huddled against the wall, as far away from the two of them as possible. “You can’t force me to work for you,” I croaked.
“We can, actually,” Jorge said, a thin smile spreading across his face as he inched closer to me on the mattress. “Our methods are quite foolproof… But we’ll leave you alone for now. Tomorrow will be your first day, and you’ll need to be alert.”
Jorge reached out and tucked my hair behind my ear before standing up and walking out of the room, followed closely by Marisa. I rushed to the door after them, but they’d locked it already by the time I slammed up against it.
“Wait,” I called. “I need to use the bathroom.”
“There’s a bucket beneath the bed, and you have a sink,” Jorge said. “Using the bathroom is a privilege you will earn.”
Chapter 16: Rhys
M icah and I had much time to make up for. It could be as much as twelve hours. There was also the possibility that the witch might have gotten hold of my prey already. But I doubted it. If my guess about her identity was correct, her contact with me would have drained her. She’d need more time to recover before going back after a speeding truck.
Micah and I needed to make sure that we got to Rose and Caleb—if indeed the vampire was still alive—before she recovered, because we couldn’t afford more delays. I wondered if she would actually be foolish enough to come after us again. She should know better than that. I wouldn’t hesitate to kill her this time, now that I was wiser. I supposed it depended just
“I still think she would have been good as one of Eleni’s girls,” he muttered as he lifted me off the ground. “But this suits me.”
Jorge hurled me over his shoulder. He began hurrying down the staircase, each bump bringing me closer to throwing up. A part of me hoped that I did, because it was the only way I could retaliate now that I was bound.
We’d been walking for what felt like ten minutes when keys clinked against metal, then a heavy door swung open. Jorge lowered me off his shoulder and placed me on the ground. A car door clicked open and he picked me up again. Laying me down horizontally on a row of seats, he slammed the door shut again. Jorge and Marisa took seats in front of me and the engine started. I almost rolled off the seat as the vehicle lurched forward.
I lost count of how much time passed by. I was barely paying attention to the conversation any more as my mind fixed on Caleb. He was somewhere aboard Camilo’s ship. Likely still in that armored truck, where he would spend his final breath, alone in the dark. Tears welled in my eyes.
The vehicle slowed to a stop and the front doors opened again as Marisa and Jorge stepped out. Jorge reached for me and pulled me out. A cool breeze touched my skin as the car doors slammed shut. I heard the sound of ocean waves and the distant humming of a generator.
Gravel crunched beneath Jorge and Marisa’s feet. I heard keys, then the drawing of a heavy bolt. It was suddenly hot and stuffy. Gone was the cool night breeze. The stench of perfumes clashing in the air invaded my nostrils.
Jorge carried me up yet more stairs, and finally I felt a hard bed beneath me. The sheets smelled of strong detergent. Jorge loosened my blindfold as Marisa closed the door.
I looked around. The room was hardly bigger than the basement room I’d first been trapped in with Brody. There was a small dressing table in the corner, a stool, a sink, and a cracked mirror. There was only one door—the door we had entered through. Which meant there was no bathroom. Marisa and Jorge began untying my wrists and ankles. As I shook the ropes away from me, Marisa pulled out a gun from her belt, holding it on me.
“You listen,” she said in her thick accent. “There won’t be more misbehaving from you, understand? You do as we say.”
I huddled against the wall, as far away from the two of them as possible. “You can’t force me to work for you,” I croaked.
“We can, actually,” Jorge said, a thin smile spreading across his face as he inched closer to me on the mattress. “Our methods are quite foolproof… But we’ll leave you alone for now. Tomorrow will be your first day, and you’ll need to be alert.”
Jorge reached out and tucked my hair behind my ear before standing up and walking out of the room, followed closely by Marisa. I rushed to the door after them, but they’d locked it already by the time I slammed up against it.
“Wait,” I called. “I need to use the bathroom.”
“There’s a bucket beneath the bed, and you have a sink,” Jorge said. “Using the bathroom is a privilege you will earn.”
Chapter 16: Rhys
M icah and I had much time to make up for. It could be as much as twelve hours. There was also the possibility that the witch might have gotten hold of my prey already. But I doubted it. If my guess about her identity was correct, her contact with me would have drained her. She’d need more time to recover before going back after a speeding truck.
Micah and I needed to make sure that we got to Rose and Caleb—if indeed the vampire was still alive—before she recovered, because we couldn’t afford more delays. I wondered if she would actually be foolish enough to come after us again. She should know better than that. I wouldn’t hesitate to kill her this time, now that I was wiser. I supposed it depended just
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