“Your name is obviously Samantha Young!” one of the men sneered.
“Yeah, boss,” another chimed in. “She probably just has some weird obsession with Ethan and fantasizes about being his girl.”
“That’s disgusting,” the first man spat. “Do you even know who Ethan Leland is? And who the hell are you to think he’d ever look at you?”
“I’m Celeste Moore!” I protested, my voice trembling with desperation. “Samantha was a name I used later! If you don’t believe me, call Ethan. He’ll tell you I’m not lying!”
“Call Ethan?” the leader barked out a laugh. “You’re delusional.”
Before I could respond, the man grabbed a fistful of my hair and yanked me forward. Pain shot through my scalp as he dragged me into a small, dimly lit room.
“In this place, you either do what you’re told or you face the consequences,” he growled, grabbing a thick chain from the corner of the room. He swung it and the first strike sent a searing pain across my back.
“I told you to obey me!” he roared.
Every lash of the chain was agony, each strike forcing a scream from my throat. Tears blurred my vision, but I still glared at him with fury. “I want to see Ethan!” I cried. “If he finds out what you’ve done to me, he’ll kill you!”
The men erupted in mocking laughter. “Beat her harder!” one shouted. “Let’s see if she still has the energy to keep screaming about Ethan!”
The beating continued until I collapsed on the floor, unable to move. Every inch of my body burned and I struggled just to keep my eyes open.
“She’s a good-looking girl,” the leader mused, crouching down and grabbing my chin. “But telemarketing is such a waste for someone like her. Why don’t we send her to a casino? She can deal cards instead.”
A cold wave of panic swept through me. “No!” I gasped. “I’ll do the telemarketing! Please, don’t send me to a casino!”
I didn’t know exactly what “dealing cards” entailed, but I was certain it wasn’t good.
The man smirked cruelly and yanked me to my feet by my collar. “You don’t get to decide, sweetheart. Around here, we make the choices.”
“Take her away!” he ordered.
Two men grabbed me by the arms and dragged me out of the room. As they hauled me through the compound, I thought I heard a familiar voice.
“Clara?” I called out weakly, my heart pounding. “Clara, is that you? Clara!”
The men ignored me, but panic overtook me. “Did you bring my roommate here too? Her boyfriend works with you, doesn’t he? Did you sell her out too?”
I had been counting on Clara to call the police, to help me escape. If she was trapped here as well, then I had no hope left.
My struggles were useless against their grip. The men were too strong and my body was too weak from the beating. Just as I felt myself giving up, a shout rang out.
“The boss is here for inspection! He’ll be here any second. Clean this place up!”
Chaos erupted around us. People scurried to tidy up and the men holding me froze, clearly panicked.
“If we take her out now and the boss sees, we’re screwed,” one of them muttered. “Let’s toss her back in the room and deal with her after he leaves.”
The mention of their boss sent a jolt through me. Could it really be Ethan? If it was, this might be my only chance to escape.
Summoning every ounce of strength, I bit down hard on the arm of the man holding me. He yelped in pain and I used the momentary distraction to kick the other man square in the groin. He crumpled with a grunt and I broke free.
I bolted down the hallway, my vision swimming with desperation. Through the haze, I saw a sleek black Lincoln pulling up outside the compound. It had to be Ethan’s car—it had to be!
“Ethan!” I screamed, my voice hoarse and desperate.
The cry barely escaped my lips before a hand clamped over my mouth. One of the men had caught up to me, dragging me back with brute force.
“Damn bitch!” he snarled. “You’re lucky we didn’t beat you harder the first time!”
I clawed at his hand, digging my nails into his skin until he loosened his grip. Then I bit down again, harder this time.
“You little—” He grabbed a heavy ashtray from a nearby table and swung it at my head.
The world went black.
When I came to, my head throbbed with pain and my face was sticky with blood. I blinked, trying to focus, but all I could see was the dim, oppressive darkness of the room they’d thrown me back into. My heart sank. They’d locked me up again.
Outside, I could hear muffled voices. My pulse quickened as I recognized Ethan’s deep, commanding tone.
“What’s that noise?” he asked.
One of the men stammered, “Just… just one of the company’s dogs, sir. We locked it up to make sure it wouldn’t disturb you.”
I stumbled to the door and pounded on it with all my strength.
“Help!” I shouted, my voice raw. “Ethan, it’s me! Save me!”
But outside, the men laughed nervously, brushing off the noise.
I was running out of time.
