by Tia Siren
I know it's insane. I know I shouldn't move any closer to him, but I can't stop myself. And Evan still isn't trying to stop me at all as I bring my lips closer to his.
When our lips meet there are thousands of stars exploding inside my head. I can't believe how amazing it feels to be this close to him. Everything about Evan is forceful and masculine and fills my body with an incredible jolt of tingly electricity. No guy has ever made me feel this way. I've never felt a kiss travel throughout my entire body like this before.
All I can think is how badly I want him. I feel his hands gripping my body and his tongue touching mine and I melt into his arms.
"Oh God, Evan," I whisper into his ear as his lips make their way to my neck. "I've wanted this for so long."
"Well, isn't this cozy?"
I jump and look over at the doorway, and Max is standing there. I'm terrified that he's going to shut both of us inside this horrible room, but then I see another man step out from behind him; the one from that sexy reality show. I remember that he was with Evan the day he ordered me to leave The Daddy Games. He was in the hotel room where Evan was waiting, and I remember that this man had a gun.
He steps around Max, and he's got his gun out again, only this time it's pointed at Max.
"Awesome!" The way he talks to Evan almost makes me laugh. He sounds more like a friendly, laid-back dude than a thug with a gun. "You found Zoe!"
Evan lunges at Max and grabs his collar, then slams him up against the wall. "What the hell is going on here?" he yells as his hands close around Max's throat.
"I might ask you the same question." Max doesn't seem afraid of Evan at all. In fact, he has a smirk on his face the entire time Evan has him pushed up against the concrete wall. "You seem to have brought a lot of friends with you. And I use the term friends loosely."
"What is he talking about, Kyle?" Evan asks, looking over at him but holding Max firmly around the neck.
"I think those guys are here. I saw a couple of them out front, skulking around in the bushes. They must have followed my car."
"Fuck! How the hell are we going to get out of here," Evan yells, his hands still gripping Max's throat.
Max winces and coughs, then speaks in a very strained voice. "If you let go of me, I can get you out of here."
Evan gives Max's throat one final push, then backs up a step. "How the hell do you expect me to trust you after what you did with Zoe? What the hell were you planning on doing with her, you sick fuck!"
Evan is still just inches from Max and looks like he's about to go for his throat again when Max puts his hands up in front of him. "Look, I really don't care if you trust me or not. But if you're willing to make a deal, I can get the three of you out of here without those men up there seeing you."
"What kind of deal?" Evan asks, still just inches from Max.
Max looks at me, then back at Evan. "If you want to get your precious daughter out of here—"
"She's not my goddamned daughter, you sick piece of shit—"
"Oh sorry, god-daughter. You're going to have to calm yourself. If I'm not mistaken, I have the upper hand here. I can give all three of you over to your friends outside in the blink of an eye. And if he shoots me, you'll never find the passageway out of the basement."
"Okay," Evan says, gritting his teeth and clenching his fists. "What's the deal?"
"Like I said, if you want to get Zoe safely away from this house, I can show you a way out. In return, you don't ever mention anything you've seen down here. Not to anyone."
"So, let you go on drugging and holding girls captive in this dungeon of yours, you mean?"
"Whatever you want to call it is up to you. I don't expect someone like you to understand."
"There's nothing to understand! You're a psychopath and you're using young girls for your own sick—"
"Hey, Evan, let's just get the hell out of here," Kyle says. "He's giving us a way out." He stares at Evan for a moment, then looks over at me. "We can get Zoe out of here, and away from those guys."
"But he's just going to keep doing this."
"Dude, you can't save the whole fucking world. Let's just start here, with Zoe."
Evan looks at me and I smile at him. "Let's just go," I say.
"All right," Evan says, his arms folded. "How do we get out of here?"
7
Evan
I hate this guy. I fucking hate his goddamned face and every inch of his filthy guts. I'm following him through his goddamned basement, and I'm trying as hard as I can to kill him with my mind while I stare at the back of his head. If he can actually get us out of here and past those goons outside—completely off the property and away from them—I'll consider not ripping his face off and shoving my boot down his throat. Honoring his fucking agreement, though? Not a chance in hell. But if he tries anything on the way out—
"Go down this passageway a mile or two. You'll know you're at the end when you come to a metal door—"
"Wait a minute," I say, staring into a black hole in the wall that looks like it was dug into the earth with shovels. "There's no way in hell we're gonna go in there and let you lock us in. I have no idea what's in there and I sure as hell don't trust you. Deal's off."
That smug douchebag is standing in front of a metal door at the entrance of a black abyss. It would be really easy for him to close it and lock it behind us, and so like him.
"You're wasting valuable time, Mr. Peterson, and those men up there don't seem like the patient type to me. I assure you, the door at the other end isn't locked. I only keep this door—"
"I said no deal."
He's trying to psych me out, staring at me without blinking or looking away, but I'm not even remotely scared of this piece of shit. "What exactly do you propose, then?" he asks, that superior look still glued to his face. He continues to surprise me. I half expect him to send us packing outside, but I have a feeling he doesn't want Zoe to wind up in their hands either.
"You first. You're taking us all the way down to the end of the tunnel and you're going to make sure we all get out. Then you can lock it or leave it or whatever the hell you want. But you're going in there first."
"Fine." The psycho doctor pulls his phone out of his pocket and flips on the flashlight, then enters the dark passageway.
After a few minutes, I hear Kyle's voice behind me. "Was this tunnel here when you bought the place?" I can't even believe he's making chitchat with this lunatic. Then up ahead of me I hear the other end of the conversation.
"Actually, it was. I think it was originally some sort of slave tunnel. I was pretty excited when I found it."
"I'll bet you were," I say, dodging a large rock and almost hitting my head on a low section of the tunnel.
"The history is fascinating. In the late 1800s, there was a big coolie liberation movement. Lots of Chinese slaves were freed."
I laugh at the irony. "Some people have all the luck."
I'm so sick of hearing this guy's voice. I just want to get out of the tunnel and the hell away from him.
I can feel Zoe grip my hand. I wish I could wrap my arms around her right now and carry her out of here. The overwhelming anger I have for Max is the only thing keeping me from going crazy over that kiss. I still can't believe it happened. I don't want to think about it, though, because if I do I'm not going to be able to stop myself from taking Zoe in my arms again. And, right now, I need to get her to safety.
When I feel like I'm just about to lose my mind, the doctor stops short in front of me. "Here we are."
I hear the scraping of metal, then bright light floods my field of vision.
"I told you it wasn't locked … seems like someone has trust issues."
I'm temporarily blind and grateful that I don't have to see the idiotic smirk I know is on that asshole's face. As soon as my eyes adjust to the outside light, I make my way over a pile of leaves and branches that have built up in front of the exit and help Zoe out of the tunnel. I see the way Max looks at her as she
passes by, and it takes every ounce of control I have not to knock him on his ass.
"Hey," Kyle says as he locks eyes with me and stands in front of Max, blocking my view of him. "We're out! We made it!"
"We're not safe yet," I say. "How the hell are we going to get back to the city? We're out in the middle of nowhere. Your car is two miles back that way," I point over my shoulder in the direction we just came from.
"If you walk straight through those trees for maybe a half hour, you'll come to a well-traveled road." The asshole is pointing at a forest that looks like it goes on forever. "You should have a good enough cell signal to call for a car and have it meet you out there."
"That's how we're supposed to get out of here? You gotta be kidding!"
"I promised you a way out of the house, not all the way back to where you came from. I got you out. The rest is up to you." He glances at Zoe. "I'm sorry we didn't have more time together, Zoe."
With that, he slams the metal door shut and I hear a metal scraping sound again. I reach out and give the door a hard yank. The bastard locked it.
"Well, we can't go back."
"Dude, we don't want to go back," Kyle says, patting me on the shoulder. "We'll get home, I promise."
"How?"
"Like he said, we walk."
"So you're cool with leaving your Lamborghini back there?"
Kyle shrugs. "I don't think I have much choice."
I look down at Zoe. She's still gripping my hand and seems so small and fragile. I can tell she's incredibly tired. "Are you okay? Can you walk?"
"Yeah, I can totally walk. Let's go. I want to crawl into the back of whatever car comes to get us and crash out, though."
"If you get too tired, let me know. I'll carry you. Okay?"
She looks up at me with her sleepy eyes and smiles. "Okay."
We step away from the hillside where the door to the tunnel was hidden, and head through an open area toward the thick forest. My stomach drops into my shoes when I hear a voice from off to the right.
"Drop your weapons!" he yells. "Now!"
The voice is coming from behind me so I can't see how many men there are. I hear Kyle's gun hit the ground on my left. I push Zoe around my left side and behind me.
My head starts spinning. That fucking doctor set us up and I followed him right into their trap. All I can think about is Zoe's sweet eyes when she told me that she'd never felt safer in her life. I feel sick to my stomach with the thought of what they want to do to her, and disgusted with myself that I might not be able to stop them. That I fell for that psycho bastard's trick.
I don't give a shit if they kill me, but I can't let them take her. I swear I'll kill these men with my bare hands before I let them get her.
An enormous, heavily armed man walks around me on my right side. "You too," the man says, nudging my chest with the end of a very large rifle. "Empty your pockets."
I slowly reach down, pull my gun and my phone out of my jacket pockets, and throw them on the ground. I can feel Kyle moving around me on my left and I glance over at him. I can't figure out what he's doing, why he's moving toward the man with the gun. But he is. I wonder if Kyle's lost his mind or knows some martial arts moves that can knock a guy twice his size on his ass.
"Brandon?" Kyle says. "Brandon Lewis?"
The man with the gun looks at Kyle, and all color leaves his face. His mouth opens, then moves like he's trying to say something but nothing comes out. I'm astounded that Kyle seems to have completely disarmed this giant man, even though he's still carrying a very deadly weapon. He even lowers the gun a little when he sees who's talking to him.
"Kyle. What the hell are you doing here?"
"I'm helping my friend. What the hell are you doing here? What's with the giant gun, dude?"
Brandon rubs the back of his neck and just stares at the ground for a minute. I can't believe this is happening. I don't even understand what's going on.
"I'm here to do a job, man. That's all."
"Are you gonna kill someone? Is that the job you're here to do? Or is your job to sell this girl to some sick piece of shit? Is that the job you're talking about?"
I've never seen Kyle like this. He's clearly pissed at this guy and doesn't seem to care that he's holding a very large gun. I want to know what the hell is going on, but I have no interest in butting in.
"Look, Kyle, it's just a job."
"Like hell it is! What about all that consent stuff you're always talking about? I can't even believe you!"
The Brandon guy looks really uncomfortable now. Like he's embarrassed and is trying to come up with a good enough explanation for Kyle. "I was hired to do a job. I don't know what else to tell you."
"So that's it? That's all you have to say? Jesus, Brandon. Do you have any idea how much I've looked up to you? How many people all over the world look up to you? This is bullshit. I … I don't even know what to say."
By this point, Brandon's gun is pointing at the ground. It's clear he's not going to shoot us. Not while Kyle is tearing into him anyway.
"You know what? If you want her? If you want to do your goddamned job? You're going to have to shoot me."
"Come on, Kyle," Brandon says.
"No, I'm serious. This is one of my oldest friends, and she's ... you know, it doesn't even matter who she is. I would do this for any girl. I would make you kill me before you took any person on this planet and sold them off for some debt."
"Kyle, you don't understand. This is—"
"No, you don't understand! I'm not going anywhere. You are going to have to kill me, Brandon." Kyle says each word slowly and clearly and Brandon just stares at him. "In fact, you'd better fucking kill me, because if you don't, the minute I get back to the city I'm going straight to that organization of yours and I'm telling them exactly what kind of person they've got running it."
In the long silence that follows, my eyes dart back and forth between Kyle and Brandon and all I can think is what fucking organization?
8
Zoe
This is insane. I'm listening to these two guys go back and forth, and I don't have the slightest idea what's going on. I barely know one of them and don't know the other guy at all and they're arguing over me. But the more I listen to the words they're saying—about taking me against my will and selling me—the sicker I feel.
I want to wrap my arms around Evan, and I want him to carry me away from here like he said earlier. I grip his hand tight and it helps, but I'm still so scared.
I can't believe I'm the cause of all of this—that I brought him here, and they might kill him because of me. I wouldn't blame him if he hated me, not after everything I've done.
"Are you okay?" Evan asks.
There's that sweet look in his eyes that I saw down in Max's cellar.
"Yeah I'm okay—" I stop short and take in a deep breath and Evan furrows his eyebrows at me.
"Are you sure?"
I look down. I'm scared to look into his eyes. I'm afraid if I say what I'm feeling out loud that the anger will be back, and I'll never see the kindness again. "I'm okay as long as you're not mad at me," I say.
Evan pulls me close to him and I bury my face in his chest. The men are still arguing, so the one with the gun isn't really paying attention to us. A warm feeling envelops me when I hear Evan's voice in my ear, and what he says makes me smile.
"I'm not mad. I've never been mad at you, Zoe. I—"
I'm still so groggy and spacey from whatever drug Max gave me that I'm having a hard time standing up straight. But even through the haze, I hear Kyle yell at the man.
"You're going to have to kill me if you plan on taking her with you!"
There's a long pause, and what comes next sends me into a panic.
"That goes for me too," I hear Evan say. "You're going to have to kill me."
"No!" I scream. "You can't do this! I don't want anything else to happen to you because of me, Evan! I've caused you enough trouble!"
Evan
grabs both of my arms and pulls me to him. "None of this has been your fault at all, Zoe. None of it. And I'm not letting him take you anywhere. Do you understand what they want from you? You'll be worse off than if they just killed us all right now."
I look up at the man with the gun, tears streaming down my face. "What do you want? Isn't there anything that will put a stop to this? Anything at all?" I don't know if it's the tears or all the things that Kyle said to him, but there's a definite change in his eyes. He looks down at the ground for a moment, then back up at Evan. "He'll let her go if he gets all of the money that's owed him."
"I gave you almost everything I had," Evan says. "I kept enough to make sure that Zoe was safe. That's it."
"How much?"
"I don't know; maybe twenty grand."
"That's not enough, Peterson." The man raises his gun to Evan's chest. "I'm sorry."
"Wait a minute!" Kyle yells. "Just hold on, man! I honestly didn't think you'd have it in you to go through with this. Jesus Christ, Brandon. Whatever your boss thinks he's owed, I'll pay it."
The man with the gun raises his eyebrows and looks at Kyle for a long moment. "Seriously? Do you have any idea how much is left on this debt?"
"No, but I don't give a shit. This is one of my best friends. I'm not gonna let you do this to him. I don't even understand how you can be part of this whole creepy thing in the first place. I thought I knew you but, obviously, I was really wrong. Even if I have to sell everything—the company, my condo, everything I own—I'll pay off whatever it is your boss wants so you get the hell off his back and leave her alone."
I can't believe what's happening. I didn't even know who Kyle was when I auditioned for The Daddy Games, and now I find out he was Evan's best friend all along. I also can't believe that these two men are going so far to protect me. Especially considering that my own dad is the reason I'm here. Both Evan and Kyle really care about what happens to me.
