Page 4 of Sinful Embers

I glance back at the cuff, my fingers brushing over the seam. It’s smooth, seamless, but there’s always a way out. The question is whether I can find it before Radomir or one of his goons comes back.

The thought sends a jolt of fear through me, but I shove it aside. Panic won’t help me now.

I shuffle back to the cot, the chain dragging against the floor. Each step is a reminder of my captivity, but it only fuels the fire burning in my chest.

Radomir thinks he’s got me cornered. He thinks he’s in control.

But he doesn’t know me.

I sit down, the cot creaking under my weight, and tug the blanket around my shoulders. The cuff is cold against my skin, a constant presence, but it doesn’t scare me anymore. If anything, it pisses me off.

I may not have the tools to break this chain yet, but I have something just as powerful.

Determination.

Leaning back, I let my eyes drift shut, my mind racing with plans. I’ll get out of here, chain or no chain. And when I do, Radomir will learn the hard way that Leigh Dalton isn’t someone you can trap and forget.

He wants to play games?

Fine.

But he’s about to find out that I’m the one who always wins.

A distorted voice suddenly cuts through the silence.

“Hello, Leigh. Nice to see you’re awake and have taken the aspirin.”

My eyes snap open, and I bolt upright instantly searching for the source, my gaze darts to the small glass window in the door—it’s empty.

I scan the rest of the room, my heart hammering in my chest.

Jesus, I’m being watched.

My skin prickles and I try to find where a camera or speaker could be hidden but there is no obvious signs—not even on the roof.

The voice comes again, distorted, a chilling rasp that slithers through the silence.

“If you need light reading, try one of the books I left for you. It might bring back some memories… memories you lost ten years ago. Wouldn’t it be nice to fill in the holes about your past?”

A shiver runs through me, leaving my blood ice-cold. The thought of regaining those lost memories hits harder than I expect, twisting in my gut as fleeting images of darkness and pain flash before me. My pulse races, and dizziness washes over me, drowning out the unsettling sense of being watched. The idea of reaching into those memories terrifies me for reasons I can’t quite place.

I try to steady myself, as thoughts turn over in my head:Why would Radomir or his men bother disguising their voices? What could they gain by me regaining my memory?

But then, another thought hits me like a punch to the stomach—what if the person who has me here, isn’t Radomir?

My eyes widen.Oh my God—have I been kidnapped?

Panic surges through me, and my head spins as confusion clouds my mind. The room tilts, and the cold fingers of oblivion begin to creep toward me.

I pinch the bridge of my nose, squeeze my eyes shut, and force myself to take slow, deep breaths, trying to push throughthe overwhelming sensation that my body is melting into the air around me. I can’t let myself pass out—not now.

If this isn’t Radomir holding me captive, then who the hell is it?Fear grips my chest, setting every nerve on edge.How could they have taken me?Each new question only makes my heart race faster.

“Oh, no…” I whisper, my voice trembling. “Has something happened to Radomir?”

I fight for control, trying to calm myself, to think of another explanation—maybe Radomir was drugged, and that’s how I was taken. But my attempts to rationalize only fuel the panic, which rises up inside me, mingling with my fear. The cold hands of darkness grab me, pulling me under.

As my body turns limp, a faint, mocking laugh echoes through my mind. Then, a voice that has haunted my nightmares whispers in the depths of my consciousness, “I told you I’d come for you, Leigh.”

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