Page 130 of Ruthless Secrets
The air in here is thick and suffocating. Every breath I take is a challenge, and my legs are starting to cramp.
I have no idea how long I’ve been in this trunk for at this point. It could be minutes, or it could be hours.
My body is on high alert, knowing that death likely waits for me the moment the trunk opens.
I squeeze my eyes shut as footsteps crunch against gravel followed by low, muffled voices, but I can’t make out the words over the pounding of my heartbeat in my ears.
Suddenly, the trunk flies open, and I wince as the sunlight blinds my eyes.
One of the men from the cabin grips my arm so hard my shoulder protests and yanks me out of the trunk as if I weigh nothing.
My feet hit the ground so hard that my knees buckle, but I don’t get the chance to steady myself before a hand fists in my hair.
I bite back a cry as he pulls on my hair, his hot breath tickling my skin.
“Move,” he growls in my ear before releasing me so that my head lolls forward. “I saidmove.”
I don’t see the hit coming, but my head snaps to the side as pain explodes along my cheekbone.
The skin burns but still, I don’t make a sound. I won’t let them break me.
“Put the fucking blindfold on!” the other one orders.
Before I have a chance to take in my surroundings, a thick musty cloth is pulled over my eyes, and my world plummets into darkness.
The blindfold is painfully tight, and I start to panic.
I try my best to force it down, to stay calm, but then a gun clicks, and a sob starts to build in my throat.
“Let’s go.”
My feet trip over loose gravel, the sharp edges digging into my bare feet as I’m forced forward.
A calloused hand is wrapped around my upper arm, gripping it so tightly that I know there’s be a bruise starting to blossom beneath the skin.
I try to focus on my surroundings, listening out for any familiar sounds that might give me clues to where I am. The gravel beneath my feet soon shifts to something harder, like concrete, and a faint smell of gasoline hits my nose.
Where the hell am I?
I strain my ears, but the only sound I ger is the heavy breathing of the man behind me. His breath smells of stale cigarettes, and I fight the urge to gag every time I breathe.
“Put her in here,” the other one barks.
In where?
A door creaks open and suddenly I’m thrown forwards.
I hit the ground hard, landing on my knees and this time, I can’t hold back my cry as pain shoots up my legs.
I roll onto my side, clutching my aching knees as I try to breathe through the pain.
Someone approaches me, and then the blindfold is ripped away, and I squint against the dim light.
“Strip down to your underwear.”
I jerk my head up, my pulse spiking.
One of the men from the cabin stands over me, his muscular arms folded across his chest as he blocks the door frame.
