Page 6 of Wanted

I closed my eyes and kept telling myself it wasn’t real. None ofit. I wasn’t being kept chained in a smelly basement. I wasn’t hoping andpraying Samuel would kill me already and end it. I wasn’t praying the man Iloved would come and save me.

No…it’s all a dream.Iwas going to wake up any minute, nestled into the crook of his arm, our bodiestwisted around each other in his big, comfy bed.

“Baby,” the voice called out again. Warm breath brushed my cheek.

Then a familiar scent invaded my senses. But could I be sure Iwasn’t simply fantasizing, the deepest recesses of my mind overpowering mysense of logic, of what was real or not?

Opening my eyes proved futile because I still couldn’t make outanything except a looming form. Was it Samuel trying to trick me?Don’t say Alek’s name. He might become upsetand hurt you.

I held my breath as fingers caressed my hair. I was trying toremain strong, but my walls broke. A tear escaped and dripped to the mattressbelow. Then another. And another.

“Don’t cry, honey,” he said. “I’m here now. I’ve come to take youhome.”

Itwashim.

Alek was really there to rescue me.

Before I could respond, I heard someone else descend the steps. Fearwrapped around me again. “Please,” I begged. “Get me out of here.” My body shook,the chains above my head making a loud rattling noise.

Reaching out, he stilled the clinking with his hands. “Don’tmove, Sara. We can’t alert him. We can’t risk it. Not yet.”

Someone was moving closer to where we were. The door was pushedopen and another light shone into the darkness. “Devera, did you find her?”Kael?

“She’s over here. Help me find something to cut these chains.”

“Chains?” Kael asked, more in astonishment than anything.

“I’ll be right back, sweetheart,” he promised before moving awayfrom the bed to join his friend in the middle of the small room.

I knew better than to cry out, the fear ever-present Samuel woulddiscover they’d come to rescue me. I remained quiet, my breathing slowed so Icould listen for his footsteps. Alek and Kael moved about the room with thestealth of ninjas. I couldn’t see too well, but my ears pricked to the slightnoises they made. It was faint, but I heard the rustle of their shoes as theysearched the room for something to break my binds.

Finally, I heard Kael whisper, “I think I found something that’llwork.” Both men rushed to my side. Something took hold of the large chainsabove me, and within seconds I heard a loud clanking sound.

It scared me.

It thrilled me.

Alek made quick work of freeing both my arms and legs. I’d beenin the same position for what felt like forever, so when he tried to move me, Icried out. The blood rushed quickly to my limbs, the pain more than I thoughtit would be.

“Sorry, baby, but we have to get you up and moving. Breathethrough it.” He helped me to my feet and once I was steady, the pain in myhands and feet subsiding a little, I grabbed hold of his shoulders.

“I knew you would come for me.” I became dizzy, the air in theroom suddenly stifling. “You always come for me,” I mumbled before I passedout.

The next thing I knew, I was being lowered to my feet. Awarenessof my surroundings bombarded me like a heavy weight. “Are we still here?” Iasked, my confusion slowly waning.

“Unfortunately, yes. We’re on the main floor. We’ll be out ofhere soon.” Alek circled my waist and pulled me close, allowing me to restagainst him for support.

Kael came up behind us, startling me and making me jump. “Sorry,Sara. Didn’t mean to frighten you.”

“Well, it’s not hard to do.” I tried to laugh, but there wasn’tanything funny about what was going on around us.

“You ready?” Alek asked his friend, already moving in thedirection of the back door.

“Yeah. Let’s go,” he answered.

As we stepped toward freedom, our movements were halted whenSamuel walked directly in front of us. At first, he looked as if he wasconfused, glancing back and forth between the two men who had come to rescueme. Then his gaze fell on me.

He looked dejected, as if he couldn’t believe I was leaving him.

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