Total pages in book: 58
Estimated words: 56875 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 284(@200wpm)___ 228(@250wpm)___ 190(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 56875 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 284(@200wpm)___ 228(@250wpm)___ 190(@300wpm)
And most of all, I wanted her to smile at me.
“I see you,” I repeated. “And I like what I see. You are not invisible to me, Anna. You never could be.”
Then because I was an idiot, I bent forward and kissed her.
It was just a soft press of our lips, but as I sat back, I felt as if I had just been branded.
Anna lifted her hand to her mouth, touching her lips against the soft pads.
And she smiled.
CHAPTER FOUR
ANNA
Subtle shadows played on the ceiling as I lay in Niall’s bed, the mattress conforming to my body in luxury and the comforter warm.
I was safe. I knew that, yet I couldn’t relax. Lifting my head, I could see the sofa where Niall slept, a silent guard between me and the door. So close, and yet, still too far away.
I didn’t understand my draw to him. Why his presence made me feel so safe.
I shut my eyes, reliving the past few weeks.
The moment I’d walked past a dark alley and had been grabbed. I had fought hard, but they were stronger, and in moments, I was tied up and thrown in a trunk. A needle pierced my arm, and when I woke up, I was chained in a dark, damp place, disoriented and terrified.
I lost track of time, unsure of the hour, the day, or anything. I heard noises from somewhere down a corridor I couldn’t see. Smelled chemicals that made me feel unwell. I caught murmurs of conversations of other women, but when I tried to call out to them, I was punished, so I knew not to do that.
And there was the man. Young, slim, evil-looking. Always smiling with an expression that made my blood run cold. When he was close enough, I could see the disconnect in his eyes. They were icy and lifeless. He taunted and touched. Pinched and hit. He liked to kick me. Keep me down on the ground. He whispered of the pain and humiliation I would endure.
How I would belong to him. Serve him.
I wanted to die.
And then one day, they carried in another woman. Una. She was the first person I had seen other than the man and an older version of him, whom he called “Uncle.” Somehow the older one scared me even more. His gaze was pure ice. Unfeeling and ugly. He laughed at my discomfort. Stared in fascination at this new woman, and with a sinking heart, I knew she would be facing the same horrific life I was now going to live.
When she woke, she was as terrified as I had been, but she had hope. She spoke of her Finn, firm in her faith he would find her. Rescue her. Rescue us.
She was the one who gave me the strength to keep going. Our whispered conversations were long, and we learned about each other. Depended on each other. After a visit from the men, we comforted each other. Juan, as I came to know he was called, was as evil as I feared. His uncle equally so. And when she confessed the redheaded man I had seen the day she was brought there was her brother and that he was the reason she was there, I was shocked. Her pain was so deep at his betrayal, and I had no words of comfort to offer. All I could do was hold her hand as she wept quietly.
She spoke of Finn the most. Her hero. She also talked about Niall, his cousin. How close the two of them were. Their shared traits and their differences. I felt as if I knew them, and I prayed she was right and we would be found.
Nothing prepared me for the day they rescued us. The way the room plunged into darkness. Just as I had given up hope. The sounds and smells. The men and guns.
Or how it felt when Niall lifted me into his arms, his strength and warmth surrounding me. How gently he held me while he carried me out of that horrible place.
How he cared for me after.
How he was still caring for me.
Earlier, he had informed me I wasn’t going anywhere. I was staying there in the hotel. With him. What it meant, I didn’t know, but I knew what I wanted it to mean. I was just too afraid to ask.
He had kissed me earlier. A soft, quick press of his mouth on mine. Meant to reassure and ease. Or, at least, that was what I told myself. It had felt like something different to me.
I slowly sat up, knowing I couldn’t sleep. When I shut my eyes, the memories came. Dark, twisted, scary. Sleeping, even with the pills the doctor gave me, only brought nightmares and screaming. I reached for the water glass, not surprised to find it empty. I was thirsty all the time—they’d never given us enough to drink or eat, and now I couldn’t get enough liquid, no matter how much I drank.