Page 123 of Master of My Heart

*****

How long has it been? Hours? Days? Weeks? Time had no meaning for Sabrina anymore. She knew only time of pain and time of blackness. Neil did unthinkable things to her any time she was awake. She bled. She screamed. And he laughed as he manipulated her body into orgasm. She watched it all on the screen of the computer, hoarsely whispering instructions to him to keep Jayson and Liz safe.

She told him how to beat her. How to stab her. How to burn her. On and on it went, her only comfort the numbing blackness that overtook her when the pain became too much.

How long will it last? How long will I remain in hell?

Hopelessness consumed her.

*****

Chase and his men crept slowly and silently through the trees toward the house where they believed Sabrina was being held. They stepped carefully, avoiding crunching on as much of the fallen leaves as possible. The cool air smelled like rain, and the wetness dampened the sound their boots made on the dead grass. To their left, the setting sun cast deep shadows through the trees, giving them cover for their approach.

In the muddy driveway sat a black van. It had the same license plate Corey had identified earlier in the afternoon.

They were well outside the city limits of Boston, which explained why Richard had stopped sensing Sabrina. The area was still forested, and according to property records, the structure they were aiming for was an abandoned house built over a century ago.

When the house came into view a few minutes later, Chase held up his fist to stop his team. A smaller building stood behind the larger one. He looked through his thermal camera to figure out which building contained heat signatures.

He motioned for his team to head to the smaller one. No one was outside, but through the camera, he saw two people inside. The movements looked to be of someone beating someone else. He clenched his teeth and pushed aside his emotions to concentrate on the mission at hand.

They positioned themselves around the smaller building. He knew it would be smarter to wait until full nightfall, when they had the advantage of their night-vision goggles, but there were only two people in there, one of whom seemed to be lying on a bed of some sort.

Sabrina.

He silently moved toward the building and counted down through the mic attached to his helmet. “Five... four...” He heard the other men’s breathing quicken as adrenaline prepared them for the fight ahead, “three... two... one... Go,” he said in a low, harsh tone, then headed for the door.

*****

Sabrina jerked out of her pain-induced haze. Neil had been beating her with a rod, then stopped suddenly.

There was a loud crash.

Men shouting.

Lights.

A sharp explosion.

A thud.

“Oh God! Sabrina!”

Who is that?

That sounds like Chase...

It can’t be...

Is it a dream? Has it all been a dream? Did I ever escape? Am I still in Arizona? But I hear Chase... Chase!

A gentle hand caressed her cheek and she opened her burning eyes. Gray, anxious eyes stared down at her. “Sabrina,” he whispered in a sad voice.

“Chase,” she exclaimed hoarsely. She immediately burst into tears and he kissed her head.

“You’re safe, Sabrina. You’re safe.” He looked up and pulled at the ropes that bound her hands above her head.

“Let me cut the ropes,” a voice said next to her.

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