Page 34 of Lost in the Light

I looked to Asher who had answered the call and tensed even more at the look of panic that crossed his face.

“What? What is it?” I demanded impatiently. He dropped his cell from his ear and hit speaker, then held it between us.

“It’s been hours Ash. She won’t open the door and Adam can’t bust in because we think she’s right behind it. She won’t talk to any of us. We’ve tried,” Eli explained, sounding frantic and upset.

“What happened?” I asked, trying to keep my cool.

“Addy freaked when she found out we’d come here. She threw Adam out of her room. He let her be, thinking she just needed some space, but it’s been four hours and they can’t get her to respond or come out,” Asher explained quickly.

“I don’t know what to do, Ash,” Adam’s voice came over the line. “Jord and I have both tried taking the lock apart, but you got thehigh end security locks up here. I could try calling a locksmith, but a stranger could make things worse if she hears them. I’d force my way in but I can hear her breathing under the door. I think she’s right behind it, probably laid on the floor.”

“Can you get to her room from the roof terrace?” I asked.

“I’m not fucking spiderman!” Adam snapped.

“Fuck!” I roared. I could get to her room from the fucking roof if I were there! I never should have left her!

“Put the phone to the door, let me try talking to her,” Asher said, sounding way calmer than he appeared.

“Okay, Ash. I’ve turned it right up on speaker,” Eli explained a moment later.

“Addy? Can you hear me, sweetheart?” Asher began. “I’m here with Kane. We can both hear you. We’re safe. We raided the warehouse and the guards were all taken down without a fight. We saved thirty-six girls from those cages. They’re all being taken care of by EMT’s right now, then they’ll get to go back home. You did that, Addy. These girls will all be spared what you suffered because of the information you gave to me.”

“Addy? Can you hear, Asher, princess? You hear him tell you how many lives you saved today?” Jordan spoke up loudly, obviously calling through the closed door.

“Asher?” Her voice was quiet through the door, but even so I could hear the rasp to it. She sounded exhausted and I wondered what she had been putting herself through for those hours in her room, all alone with her suffocating thoughts.

“I’m here, little dot,” Asher cried, so much relief in his voice.

“I’m sorry,” she said. She sounded so fucking broken.

“What on Earth do you have to be sorry for?” he asked.

“Everything,” she said even more quietly.

“You have nothing to be sorry for, shortcake. You haven’t done anything wrong. Why don’t you open the door so Asher can hear you better, okay?” Eli encouraged.

“Addy? Can you do that? Can you open the door? We can video call then, so we can see each other. I miss you, sweetheart. I’d really like to see your face right now,” Asher added hopefully. We waited for several minutes, but there was just silence.

“Addy?” I tried when she didn’t respond. “Addy, answer me right now!” I snapped, terrified, and praying she’d respond to some command.

“Kane?” Christ! The relief at hearing her say my name almost took me off my feet. Asher handed me the cell so I could talk more directly into it.

“That’s right, Angel. Talk to me now. Tell me what’s going on.” I kept my voice on the firmer side, hoping she’d respond to it.

I had dabbled in some power dynamic stuff in the bedroom, when I was younger, with a couple of my girlfriends. While I wasn’t really into the whole thing, the idea of being in control suited my nature. Addy was submissive by nature, though she could give as good as she got when you pissed her off. I just hoped I could tap into her submissive side and talk her into opening that fucking door.

“It’s too loud, Kane…i-in my head…too much noise.” She sounded confused and dazed, which terrified me.

“What did we say you needed to do when it got too loud?” I asked firmly. I tried not to look at Asher, not wanting to see his reaction to the way I was being so tough with his fragile sister.

“I can’t,” she whimpered so quietly I could barely hear her.

“Why can’t you? Aren’t Eli, Adam, and Jordan all waiting right there? Won’t they help you make that noise stop?”

“They will, but I…I can’t do it anymore. I can’t keep h-hurting them all, and you. I can’t.”

“Addy, listen to me now,” I commanded as I tried not to let the pain in her words affect the voice I was using. The voice she seemed to need right now. “Remember when we talked about the darkness? Remember when I said that darkness would try to get a grip on you and pull you under?”

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