Page 146 of Sunrise

He doesn’t respond.

I take a small step to the left, which puts him on alert. “Would you like a reward for saving me, Animal?”

He tips his head to the side as if silently asking,What kind of reward?

I take another step, and he pivots with me.

I’ve got one fucking shot at this. I can’t mess it up. All the training I’ve had with Dmitri and the guys, in one form or another, distills into this one. Fucking. Moment.

“Crawl to me, Animal. Smell what you made me do. You’ve earned it.”

He pitches forward and crawls on his hands andknees towards me, untrusting but too desperate to stay away. I let him shove his nose into my crotch and inhale deeply.

“Your dress is still wet,” he groans, taking another inhale of the urine-soaked fabric.

I knee him in the chin, snapping his head back and making him topple backwards. Raising my hands over my head, I thrust them downwards, breaking through the zip tie, and free myself.

Two steps are all I get before he tackles me to the ground. I claw at the carpet, kicking out like a madwoman. He hits the back of my head but misses the mark that would have knocked me out. I scream and squirm away, scrambling for the dog cage. Gripping the bars, I throw it at him and race to the kitchen door next.

The deadbolt frees but the door won’t open.

Shit! There’s a padlock at the top!

Christopher slams into me. I scream as he spins me around and tosses me against the counter. Pain explodes in my ribs, stealing my breath. I grasp for anything to use as a weapon. There’s no knife. No appliance. There’s nothing I can use to protect myself with.

Before he can snatch me again, I run to the front door.

He’s playing with me, I realize. He’s not chasing after me at all.

And this door is padlocked, too.

I’m locked in a massive cage with a psychopath.

Chapter 46

Knox

Where are you? Where are you? Where are you?

This mission is impossible, but I can’t stop searching for her. I’ve gone down every main road, flying through traffic a million times faster than the cars can move. If she was here, I’d find her.

Vault’s called the cops, I’m sure. I don’t know where he is or how long I’ve been looking.

I’m never going to find her.

I’m never…

A bike rushes up behind me and gets next to mine, keeping my breakneck pace with me.

It’s Dmitri.

For some reason, his arrival makes me feel worse. He signals for me to pull over and I shake my head, refusing. He does it again, more urgently, and almost loses control of his bike at the speed we’re moving. It’s the only reason I obey and pull off to the side. I can’t have him crash and die. I can’t lose someone else.

D rips his helmet off, and his bike falls to its side. Storming over, he clamps his hands against the side of my face and lifts my visor. He’s livid. Terrified. And it’s all my fault. I just put him in danger by making him almost wreck.

“They’ve got her,” he yells at me.

“What?” I don’t think I comprehend words anymore. “Who?”

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