“Ethan,” she sobbed. “Sir, please.”
He ignored her calls, reasoning they weren’t loud enough to attract any unwelcome attention, and knowing he’d have her in place soon at any rate. As he reached the car, he placed Lily back down on her feet, trapping her in place with his huge frame as he reached into his pocket for rope.
“Turn around,” he instructed, hoping his voice betrayed his don’t fuck with me attitude.
Lily bit her lip, her breaths coming out in short, sharp gasps as she turned to comply. Ethan worked the ropes around her wrists immediately, keeping them loose as he’d promised, but ensuring she wouldn’t have the use of her hands again until he deemed it appropriate. She was crying silently again as he spun her body back to face him.
“You brought this on yourself, little one,” he told her as he produced the ball gag from his inside pocket.
“I’m sorry,” she pleaded. “I was so scared, I… I didn’t know what else to do.”
Ethan reached for her chin, propping it north to meet his gaze. “As you’re told,” he reminded her. “That’s all you ever have to do.”
She nodded, yet still the tears came, falling for him as wonderfully as they always did.
“That’s enough of that,” he muttered, wiping them away with his thumbs. “You’re going to give yourself a headache.”
Lily swallowed, eyeing the plastic ball warily.
“Open up,” he commanded. “Let’s not make this any harder than it has been already.”
Her jaw opened, though Ethan could see there was reluctance in the act. Not that it mattered, of course, and he shoved the ball inside her mouth before he fastened the strap behind her head. It didn’t have to be tight, either. There was no way Lily was going to be able to remove it without the use of her hands.
“In you get now.”
Ethan was weary as he gave the order, and without waiting to see what she would do, he lifted her up and into the large trunk space.
“Lie down and get comfy,” he said as soothingly as he could muster. “You’re going to be there for a while.”
How long? Lily’s thoughts demanded as she shifted onto her left side in some sort of fetal position. How long will I be here?
Ethan smiled. “Don’t worry, I’ll stop for a break at some point, and I’ll let you get some fresh air.”
The last thing he saw was the wide eyes of his wife blinking at him as he slammed the lid of the trunk shut.
Lily
The first thing was the darkness, every inch as suffocating as she’d feared it would be. The black seemed to envelop her, cradling her body with grim satisfaction, and the reality sent Lily’s mind reeling. Not that she’d ever been particularly afraid of the dark, but this wasn’t just dark, it was pitch black, and worse, it was pitch black in a confined space. Lily tried to reason with herself, recalling how the outside of the trunk looked and reminding her panicky brain where she was. She wasn’t being buried alive—not yet, at least—she was in a car. She was alive.
The sound of the engine from somewhere beneath her scattered her thoughts again, and by the time the car began to move, Lily was panting around the gag, dread and fury pulsing through her in equal measure.
She replayed the last few minutes of her life through her mind again—the way Ethan’s strong arms had felt like cold steel as they seized her, the way each kick she’d landed against him had seemed as futile as the next, and the way that, in the end, his so-called deal had been struck. She snorted in the darkness. That was Ethan all over. He had a way of presenting her with the basest suggestion, and yet dressing it up to be a good deal, and somehow, she fell for it every time. Not that she ever had much choice.
Or, any choice.
Lily leaned her head back against the interior of the trunk. The place had a noxious odor about it that seemed to be crawling down the back of her throat, despite the plastic loaded between her lips.
Not for the first time in recent weeks, Lily wondered how on earth she found herself in this position. A part of her was furious with Ethan for expecting this of her, and even more pissed off with herself for accepting it. She should have run faster. She should have screamed louder. She should never have married him.
But none of those thoughts helped her now. None of them made any difference. Lily was where she was, and despite Ethan’s reassurances about forgiving her once they returned to the evil little house, Lily remained unconvinced. Her husband wasn’t great at forgiveness at the best of times, but after she had tried to run, she dreaded to think what he would do. Whatever he had in mind, Lily knew it wouldn’t be good. It never was. It would likely include high levels of pain, frustration and discomfort for her, as he toyed with her as much—or as little—as he wanted.
I can still hear you, you know.
She started at the sound of Ethan’s voice in her head, her breathing accelerating around the gag again.
He could hear her? From here?
Of course. The fucker actually sounded amused. Did you think our connection would be broken just because I have you nicely tied up in the trunk, little one?
Lily stared into the darkness. Yes, she supposed she had.
You underestimate it, then, his thoughts assured her. It takes a bit more than a few yards distance to break what we have, Lily.
Silence resonated in the darkness as that thought faded, and Lily had nothing to offer in return.
Are you sulking?
She rolled her eyes. Even now, he was mocking her?
Sir?
Is that why you’re not replying?
What is there to say? You have me where you want me.
Mmmm, yes, I do. The thought was like a purr around her head, and Lily turned her head away, though of course, there was no escaping what was inside her mind.
Just sit tight back there, he continued. Have a sleep. We’ll be home before you know it.
Lily curled her fingers into a fist behind her back.
Go to sleep? Had he seriously suggested that?
A moment later the dull thud of the radio started from the inside of the car, its relentless tone like a drum in Lily’s head. How the hell was she going to be able sleep with his music blaring—even if she did want to?
She stretched out her legs in defiance, kicking against the interior in disgust, and that’s when it happened. One of Lily’s feet landed against something else. It wasn’t the dark interior the first kick had found. The impact sounded different. Hollow, somehow, or fragile… like glass.
She blinked into the darkness, her heart rate increasing as the rush of excitement washed over her.
The tail light.
It had to be!
Lily wasn’t sure, but the notion of the glass gave her hope.
Glass could be broken after all, and if she was lucky, maybe she could force a foot out of the back. Lily was wearing trousers, so she’d be pretty well protected from any hazardous shards, and anyway, at this point, she was willing to contemplate anything. Any way of getting out of this fucking trunk.
Tentatively, she moved her foot back and then kicked out in the same place again. She just about heard the thud of her boot against the glass, though she swore the music had got louder since she’d first tried. Lily tried again—harder this time—doing her best to empty her mind even as her legs and feet went to work. Ethan would be listening into her thoughts—that much was obvious now—and she couldn’t leave any trace of her plan for him to find. It would be hours until he stopped. Fucking hours. Surely in that time, someone had to see her foot sticking out of the back of his trunk. Someone had to see that and call the emergency services? That might just be enough to get her out of this hell hole.
She had no other thoughts as she prepared to assault the tail light. Lily wasn’t thinking about Ethan. She wasn’t thinking about what he would think if he discovered the broken light before someone else, and she wasn’t even thinking about the likely repercussions if the authorities did find her. All she wanted was to be out
of the trunk.
To be free.
But Lily couldn’t let him know, so she directed her thoughts back toward the encompassing darkness, focusing on its depth as she moved her legs back and then sent them both crashing forward again. One foot after the other came flying in the direction of the light, a relentless attack on the glass until finally it gave way. She couldn’t say she heard it crack, but Lily was definitely aware that something beneath her boot gave way, and then, as she lifted her foot, she felt the rush of cool air enter the vehicle.
Cold air!
Her heart leapt at the realization.
That cold air was her ticket out of this trunk, and she pulled her foot back and kicked forward at it again with even more aggression.
The End.
Thank you for reading this Felicity Brandon e-book.
Missed the first in the trilogy?
Grab Flawed—A Dark Necessities Prequel #1 and see where Ethan and Lily began!
Devour the beginning of The Dark Necessities in Molly and Connor’s dark romance, the Amazon bestseller, Taken (Book One in The Dark Necessities trilogy).
Molly and Connor’s irresistible attraction continues in the scintillating
Tamed (Book Two in The Dark Necessities trilogy), and concludes in the hotly anticipated, Entwined (Book Three in The Dark Necessities trilogy).
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