Page 36 of Free

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

“He basically just set you free, Addison.”

“What do you mean?”

“He gave you an out. You didn’t take it. Why?”

“He just let me go outside. No big deal.”

“No. It is a big deal. He turned off your monitor. You could have run, Addison. Why didn’t you run?” She looks serious as she talks to me, and that confuses me a little more.

“Why would I? Free has been good to me.” Her eyes widen as she looks between Free and me.

“You care about him. It’s not uncommon to fall for your captor,” she says. I giggle, then.

“I don’t think it’s exactly like that.”

“He bought you. He kept you here. It’s the same thing,” she tells me.

“I don’t feel that way.”

“What do you feel?”

“I honestly don’t know, Bunny. I mean, I like it here. I love the family bond they all have. I love seeing how happy everyone is.”

“You haven’t seen the bad stuff yet.”

“What’s the bad stuff?”

“When the guys come home bloody from a fight. When they’re forced to kill someone, you haven’t seen all there is to see, Addison. You should have run,” she says before turning and walking away as if she’s mad at me for not running away. I look to Free, where his eyes are still boring into me, and wonder if he’s thinking the same thing. Maybe I should have run. Just as I think about it, sounds ricochet through the room. Glass breaks, and the guys all duck, pulling their guns. My heart leaps into my throat when Free comes barreling toward me, taking me to the ground. He covers my body with his as the doors are kicked open. I hear screaming, shouting, and shots being fired. I have no idea what’s happening, and now I’m afraid after what Bunny just said.

My heart hammers in my chest as Free fires his gun, causing my ears to ring. Then he’s being ripped off me, and I’m being tugged from the floor. I don’t know who has me, but my instinct is to fight, so I do. I thrash around, trying to break free of whoever has a hold of me.

“Get off me!” I roar as I try to struggle with the guy. He’s stronger and bigger than me, and there’s no use, but I don’t stop. He doesn’t say a word as he tugs me around and toward the door.

“Free!” I scream his name as I try to fight the man again. I don’t know where he’s taking me. I don’t know what the fuck is happening. As I’m pulled out the front door, I hear Free calling my name, and I scream once more.

“Addison?” Free calls out right before I’m tossed into the back of a van with Bunny and several other girls. My head is spinning as Bunny scoots toward me and sits as close as she can.

“It’ll be okay. They’ll come for us,” she tells me. Is she insane? Someone just kidnapped us! They took us, and she has the balls to be this calm?

“What the hell is happening?”

“I don’t know. Just keep your mouth shut and don’t answer any questions they ask you.” I nod my head as the van speeds out of the parking lot, jostling us around.

Bunny and I hold onto each other as Nails and Kelly cling to each other. A few of the other girls sit still as statues, looking afraid even to move. I don’t know them as well as Bunny, but they look scared to death. Not that I blame them. I understand that fully. I’m right there with them.

The van jolts us around as they drive. I have no idea where we’re going. No idea if anyone will come looking for us. Maybe for the others, they will, but not me. I’m just a lost investment to Free. That’s all I am, right? An investment? I shake my head because I’m wrong. He admitted that to me. He wanted to keep me. He wanted me to be there.

“Don’t overthink things right now. The guys will come for us,” Bunny says once more.

“How can you be so sure?”

“They protect what’s theirs. We belong to them, so they’ll come.”

“Couldn’t they just find new girls?”

“They won’t. You said it. We’re like family. They’ll find us,” she repeats.

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