Page 22 of Playing For Keeps
The blood in my veins turns to ice. Reality hits me like a sharp knife slicing away at my soul. These guys are human traffickers.
Holy shit!
My heart pounds hard in my ribs, and my skin heats.
I need to get out of here.
I clamor to my feet and scan every inch of my confined space. My gaze comes to a hook bolted to the floor. The chains attached to the metal cuffs that bind my wrists connect to it. I rush over and tug, but I’m securely imprisoned by my restraints.
Heavy footsteps echo toward us. I back up against the wall. No one here is my advocate.
There’s a bit of movement in Sasha’s area.
“This is the best I could do,” a man says.
“Thank you.”
She’s talking to the guy whose accent changes. His footsteps come my way. The opening in the curtain flips, and he appears with something in his hands.
He steps closer. “It’s only a little water and some crackers, but it’s better than nothing.”
I nod, fearing the worst. My eyes must give my suspicion away.
“Relax, Red. It’s not drugged. The water bottle is unopened, and so is the bag of crackers.” He places them at my feet.
I glance at them and then snap my gaze to his. “Why are you helping us?”
He grits his teeth. After a moment, he inches so close to me I can smell his woodsy cologne. “Like I said, Red. I’m not here to hurt you.”
“Then why are you here?”
His blue eyes penetrate mine. “Just trust me.”
“I will if you tell me your name.”
His shadowed gaze scrolls over my face. His eyes narrow in on me, analyzing me hard. A moment passes.
“Alexander.”
I shift to hide my tremble. “Alexander. That’s a nice name. Thanks.”
“Where are you from?”
“Denver.”
He needs to see I’ve given him some of my trust because he’s my only hope of getting out of here.
He side-eyes me. “Denver is far away. Why did they bring you here?”
“Where’s here?”
With that, he steps away. He shakes his head and begins to leave.
He looks over his shoulder at me. “I’ll be in the office with the guys for a while. You two should be safe for at least twenty minutes. Try to get some rest.”
He disappears through the dark-blue drapes that make up my walls. His heavy steps grow quieter the farther he gets from us. When the space is silent, Sasha tears into her bag.
She crunches on her crackers like she’s starving. Maybe she is.
