Page 41 of Trapped

“Tempting…”

I bit back on the snigger rising at my cellmate’s mumbled quip, flinching when the door slammed shut behind me.“Has he gone?”

I hoped to God he had.

“Yeah.”

“Thanks for helping him on his way.”Wiggling my fingers, I wished the asshole had at least uncuffed me before he left, but I supposed that was too much to ask for.Beaten, bound, and hooded, I was supposed to be humiliated.Mission accomplished.“It’s been one hell of a ride!”

I attempted to sound upbeat, but my thoughts instantly returned to Erin and what she was enduring while I sat making small talk.

It had all happened so fast that, sitting on the hard floor, I could scarcely recall the events that saw us in Hawkins’ custody.One moment, I’d been tucked up in bed with Erin’s clothed, soft curves, and the next, Hawkins’ platoon of morons had invaded.The anger rising in waves inside me tightened my jaw, provoking a new rushing pain from the beaten area.

If he so much as lays a finger on her, I’ll fucking cut out his—

“Do I know you, friend?”The stranger’s question interrupted my miserable monologue.“It’s just, you seem familiar.”

I laughed dryly.“I was thinking the same thing.”Though how he could ascertain anything about me with a hood over my head was anyone’s guess.“I thought I recognized your voice, but it’s difficult to tell with this fucking hood.”

“If you shift over here, I might be able to tug it from your head.”He sounded doubtful.“The bastard has my hands tied to the sides of a chair, but I have a few inches of slack.”

“It’s worth a go.”Being able to see wouldn’t resolve all of my problems, but it would be a start.“Where are you?”

“Can you move?”

“Sure.”I winced as I twisted my legs and forced myself to my knees.“Which direction?”

“To your left.”

The conversation had steered naturally away from our identities, but edging in the direction he’d indicated, I decided to press the issue again.

“So, who are you, then?”

“Stop,” he ordered.“Turn ninety degrees left and then come forward.”

Brow rising, I complied.His instructions were pretty specific, which made me wonder if he was another company man.Civilians didn’t tend to use such explicit vocabulary, but then,noncombatants didn’t generally find themselves in such shitty places as the one I sensed confined us.“Did we meet at work?”

“Maybe.”He sighed.“Look, I’m not thrilled about divulging my details…” He hesitated.“I’ve been trained not to, but since it seems we’re stuck in this together, I guess there’s nothing to lose.”

“I’ll say.”My knees ached for rest, but the idea of being liberated from the hood compelled me to stay upright on them.“Where to now?”

“Can you lower to your haunches?”He chuckled.“You’re a little taller than the chair.”

“Sure.”I wouldn’t normally kneel for any man, but I was running out of options, and the familiarity of his voice lulled me into a false sense of security that perhaps I could trust him.“Is this better?”

“Yes, hang on…”

The fabric tugged at the side of my head, easing up inch by inch.My heart sped up at its progress, vain hope building on its incremental gains until I dared to believe he might actually rid me of the thing.

“It’s moving.”

I could hear the effort in his voice.

“Shuffle in the opposite direction and see if you can duck out of it.They put one on me when I came here too.Seems they’re keen that no one knows where they are.”

“It’s working!”I pulled back against his grip, my pulse accelerating as the infernal hood slipped away.“Keep tugging!”

Lowering my head and easing backward, I gasped as the black cover finally fell from my head and landed on the floor by my knees.I pulled in a lungful of air, regretting the deed immediately.

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