Page 76 of Finish Line

I let out a breath. “When I woke up in the basement, Cam was lying on a cot, injured, but he was out of my reach. He lied and said it was a cut.”

I glare at him. “That bastard Roger stabbed him, and after being in the damp, moldy basement without treatment, the wound became infected. Cam noticed I was wearing Nick’s jacket and told me a tracking device was hidden. But when no one showed up after the first day, we figured something blocked it. Despite that, I never took it off when I was in the first basement, hoping whatever was blocking the signal would be shut off or move far enough away.”

“He argued with himself and called himself Randell, Roger’s twin,” Cam says.

Nick pushed up his glass as he shakes his head. “I searched everywhere but could not find a twin.”

“He made the twin up. He hoped it would keep you busy.” I rub my eyes. “It made no sense to me.”

“It worked for a bit, then we thought that might have been his plan. Even if he were a twin, we would still be searching for where they were,” Nick says.

I tuck my hair behind my ear. “On my second full day, Cam wouldn’t wake up. Hannah was close enough to check on him. He was running a high fever, his breathing was shallow, and his wound was seeping. He needed to escape.”

A tear slides down my cheek as I glance at Cam, his eyes echoing the sad truth of what his freedom meant for me. “The next time Roger came to the basement, I traded myself for Cam.” I kick the ground.

“Traded yourself?” Luke asks.

I roll my shoulders back. I did the right thing, but when I glance at them, I expect anger. Instead, I find pride.

“Yes, I told Roger I wouldn’t fight him, no matter what.”

Mav shifts, his hand closing around Cam’s fist.

“Once he agreed to free Cam, he released Hannah’s ankle tie and demanded she carry Cam out of the basement.”

Nick scoffs. “Hannah’s not strong enough, full health or not.”

“Exactly. She could barely shift him. Her lack of strength disgusted Roger, so he picked Cam up and carried him out. Since she forgot to reconnect Hannah’s restraint, I helped her escape while Roger was gone. She promised to tell Nick where we were.” I pour myself some more whiskey, but this time, I sip it.

“I knew the minute Roger saw the broken window that he’d move me. He’d be furious when he returned and figured out Hannah was gone. He was so much more.” I shiver at the memory.

“He beat the shit out of me before he left. He was gone for several hours before he returned with a sandwich and water. I should have known better. But I hadn’t eaten since the night before Roger took me. I was halfway through the food before the drugs he laced everything with kicked in, and I blacked out.” I go to take another drink, but Luke stops me.

He hands me a bottle of water and ushers me into a chair. “You need some water. You’re drinking too much whiskey and swaying.”

Luke sits down beside me and runs his hand down my hair.

I take a drink of water. “When I came to, I was dangling from a chain tied to a beam in the ceiling of a different basement.” I take another sip of my water. “Naked.”

A collective intake of breath fills the air before my guys and Nick swear. Dom stands up and grabs the whiskey, pouring himself some and shooting it before refilling his glass. I set the water on the floor and run my hands up and down my leg.

If he thinks this is bad, he should wait.

“I’m not sure if he did anything other than remove my clothes and tie me up. He tried to hypnotize me again, and despite what I told him about not fighting, I still resisted. When his hypnosis didn’t work, it enraged him. He beat me to near unconsciousness. Before he left, he mentioned someone wanted to say hi but didn’t say who.

“Afterward, he left me alone for… well, I’m not sure for how long, exactly.” I stand because I need to pace. “Being alone, cold, hurt, and hungry, my mind went to a dark place.”

I shiver at those memories. “By the time he showed back up again, I was too tired to fight anymore. My attempts to block his hypnosis didn’t work. But, for some reason, it was different this time. My body wasn’t my own, but I was conscious of my actions and knew what was happening.” I glance at Mav and Dom. “He took me to your house.”

I explained everything to them, including why I couldn’t stay.

I grind out through my teeth harshly, sucking a breath in through my nose to calm myself. “Roger was pissed I botched the raid at your place. He punished me, beating me until I thought I wouldn’t make it. But I’d rather take a beating every day than what he planned for me. Two days after he beat me, Evan showed up.”

I lower my head as I jam my toe against the tan carpet. Tears fill my eyes.

I sniffle, take a deep breath in, and let it out. “The first thing Evan told me— No, he boasted about Cam being dead.”

My chest tightens, and I bend over and gasp for a breath. I crumble to the floor in sobs.

---