Page 11 of Depraved

Punching me…

I moved my jaw, the pain radiating down my neck and up to my temples.

Getting shoved into the trunk of a car…

Gunshots…

Oh, God. Gunshots. Icy steel pressed against my temple…

Blood.

Holy shit.

I tried to sit up, but my feet were tied too, making it nearly impossible to lift myself off the bed.

Moving my elbows in beneath me, I pushed myself up, my back complaining with pain.

“Oh, my God,” I whispered, narrowing my eyes to try to figure out where the hell I was. But it was too damn dark.

“I’m afraid God ain’t here.”

I jolted, my tied legs suppressing my need to run. I glanced over my shoulder at a man sitting in the corner, cloaked within the shadow where the sunrise hadn’t touched the room yet. “Who are you?”

“A friend.” The gruff, guttural voice was familiar, yet it made me shiver, and every hair at the back of my neck stood up.

“It’s you. I recognize your voice.” I turned my face halfway over my shoulder. “You were there.”

Silence.

I glanced down at my tied wrists. “Why am I tied up?” I didn’t turn to face him, cautioned by the warning that clung to my skin after the sound of his voice filled the emptiness around us.

“It’s a precaution. We weren’t sure how you’d react when you woke up.”

“We?”

“Well, me.”

I glanced down at my tied wrists. “Now that I’m awake, you can untie me, then?”

Silence ensued before I heard the slight screech of the chair. Then footsteps. Slow, heavy, threatening. My body shivered, my mind reeling with thoughts of unfathomable horrors.

“I think it’s safer to keep those ropes tied for now.”

A chill slowly penetrated my spine, and I knew he was standing right behind me. His presence mantled every inch of me, my heart nearly exploding inside my chest. “I don’t understand.” I tried to think back to those final moments. “I was being kidnapped, and you saved me. But why…where am I? Why am I still tied up?”

“What makes you think I saved you?”

A soft whimper left my lips, fear coursing through my veins, every inch of me going cold. My hands shook, my stomach burning with fear. “I…um.” I licked my lips, words refusing to come out as I struggled to find my voice. “I’m not sure what you mean.”

“I think you do.” Judging by the sound of his voice, he was standing close, and it made me shudder.

“What…why am I here?”

He remained still behind me, and every second that passed felt like a lifetime. I wanted to scream. I wanted to cry. I wanted to run. But I was too afraid to move. I couldn’t, not with this man standing behind me, his intimidating presence pinning me to the spot.

I heard him move, and I closed my eyes, the sound of his footsteps traveling around the room making my heart beat even faster. When his movement ceased, my eyelids twitched with the need to open. A part of me wanted to look at the man I knew was now standing right in front of me, yet another part of me didn’t—afraid it might be the devil I’d be looking in the eye.

“Open your eyes and look at me.” He didn’t raise his voice, but that didn’t mean it was less threatening. In fact, the low tone that wrapped around his words made it sound more intimidating, and it vibrated through my entire body.