Page 58 of Echoes of Obsession

“You’re still breathing, ain't ya? Besides, it wasn’t even that good. Took ages to get started. Can’t even relax when you’re asleep. Muscles were clenched too tight.”

“I wasn’t asleep, asshole. I was unconscious and having a seizure.”

My words hitch as I fight the emotions going through me.

“Let me go,” I beg. “I won’t tell anyone about what happened. I even have a little money saved up that you can have.”

“How much?” he asks curiously.

“A couple grand,” I admit.

“Oh, please. I made more than that in the past hour. Nah, when I’m all done with you, I might just leave you here. Gotta go to work. I got you a loaf of bread. It’s in the bag by the pot. That’s for you to piss in. I’d rather you not shit. Don’t really want to have to smell it when I come back.”

“Hunter, please,” I beg again. “I have a child. Please, let me go.”

“I’m about to call that man of yours,” he says. “Using a voice modulator, of course. Smile.”

A bright flash blinds me as he snaps a picture. My already frayed brain rebels at the sudden flash. A migraine is fast approaching.

“Yeah, that’s a good one. I’ll send him this along with the one of my dick in your ass. That way, he knows you’re alive. Now, where did that boy go to send a fax? I might send these the same way. Hopefully, I can send it myself. I’d rather not have to explain these images.”

With that, he leaves and locks the door behind him.

I’ve always considered myself a strong person. I’ve always been able to take care of myself. Depend on myself. Love myself. I’m not a very social person, but I’ve always found solace in my independence. Now, though, I feel stripped of everything that made me strong.

I feel helpless. I feel used. I feel dirty. I feel weak.

I stare at the door, my mind reeling. Hunter’s cruelty knows no bounds, and the thought of him sending those photos toGhost makes me sick to my stomach. I need to get out of here. I need to find a way to escape, to survive.

Even as the thought of survival takes place, another thought, one less hopeful, bursts into life. Do I even want to survive after this? If Hunter plans to keep me here and abuse me on camera for sickos to see, why would I fight to stay alive? The next time he rapes me, I’ll be conscious. The thought of what he did to me sickens me to my core, but how will I feel when I’m awake and can feel and remember everything?

I force myself to stand, ignoring the dizziness and the pain. I walk over to the bag by the pot, finding the loaf of bread he mentioned. My stomach churns with hunger, but I can’t bring myself to eat just yet. I take a deep breath, trying to clear my head. I have to stay focused. I have to remember that surviving isn’t just about me. It’s about my daughter.

I have to find a way out of this nightmare.

Chapter Seventeen

Ghost

“Dove is asking for you,” Maddy says over the phone. “No one has said anything, but this little girl is so in tune with the people around her that she knows something is off. She’s worried about you and her mom. It’s hard to communicate with her to explain that everything is going to be fine. I don’t know what to do, Ghost.”

Fuck.

“When my family is together and safe again, every single one of us will be taking classes to learn to talk to my daughter. Is that clear?”

The room echoes with their approval.

“Good, now, Facetime me so she can see me.”

“Alright, one sec. And there. Just accept the call.”

I hit the green button and Maddy’s worried face fills the screen.

“Let me talk to her, sweetheart,” I say. “And Maddy.”

“Yeah?”

“We’re going to get her back.”

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