He shakes his head.
“Bradley found her. She’s breathing.” He’s careful of how he says the words.
I snap the ring box closed in my fist and pocket it.
“Take me to her!” I demand, trying to get past him, but he stops me.
“It’s not pretty. She’s badly hurt and on her way to the ICU. They -” he stops and swallows hard.
“WHAT!” Every moment we waste here is another I have to spend without her, and that is unacceptable.
“Red, the medics think she’s been raped.”
Chapter Twenty-One
CAMILA
Cold and pain. That has become my new norm. After a while, it all just went numb. I welcome the blackouts now more than fear them like I did when this whole nightmare started.
I’m not sure how long I’ve been here. Wherever here is.
I’ve stopped reacting with fear to their appearances. They were enjoying that way too much for my liking. The screaming died out soon after. The tears, though, those I could not stop until dehydration took hold.
When I wasn’t the frightened little woman begging for them to stop, they seemed to lose interest. All but Cyrus. No, he found new ways to get what he wanted.
He set up a tablet and streamed the news in my face of the search parties looking for me. He whispered how they were never going to find me ‘cause I was nowhere near them. Then he’s forcing water down my throat.
No one wants to fuck a dry whore.
Shouting makes me open my good eye. It’s pitch black, and I can only see a sliver of light from under the closed door, but I can hear the raised voices clearly.
“We need to get rid of her. The longer she’s missing, the more suspicious the Justices will get.” That was Elijah.
“She’s got too much of our DNA on her. We need to dispose of her body carefully.” Cyrus’s words confirm what I’ve known for a while now.
I’m not making it out alive.
How can any human discuss the cold-blooded murder of another so callously? Like I’m just another piece of garbage to throw away. As if my life no longer matters. It’s beyond insane, and the final thought I have before the door flies open and my nightmare starts anew.
I think I’m bleeding again. I feel wet.
“Dump her here.”
I’m itchy but warm. That’s nice.
“Rest in peace, bitch.”
I hear birds. Is this heaven? Why do I still hurt here?
“CAMI!”
I blink my eye at the new voice.
“Red,” I croak before I pass out again.
BEEP,BEEP, BEEP
“Why isn’t she waking up?”That’s Red’s voice.