Page 17 of Ravaged
But when I didn’t come back in the morning, or the next evening, Iris would know.
The door clicked open.
“Welcome to our home, little one,” Ethan said.
I refrained from saying anything. Fighting would only make it worse. But once his hands were on me, hoisting me to the edge of the van, my heart rattled in my chest. What was I going to do? He lifted me in his arms.
“Down this way,” Wil said, directing him. So this place was new to Ethan. Wil was a born-and-raised in Sage City mob-child-turned-adult. He was ushering Ethan in.
What did that mean for me?
At least it was only the two of them now. There was no sign of the third man.
We descended, the shift of his weight pulling me down, and down, and down. A light switch buzzed on, and the stale scent of musty concrete filtered through the hood. He set me on the hard ground and ripped off the hood.
The harsh fluorescent lights made me squint. The two of them stood in front of me, peering down like vultures, as if I was a carcass. Ethan made eye contact with Wil, and Wil held my legs and arms while Ethan cut the ropes. While he hovered above me to get the tie around the wrists, I snapped my teeth at him. He gave an evil grin.
“If you want to be bitten, keep gritting your teeth like that,” he warned, his teeth bared.
A chill ran down my spine, remembering the spikes of his canines in my shoulder. Damn it. Why had that thought crossed my mind? I had just been abducted, and I was thinking about fucking him?
Untied, I scrambled to my feet. Ethan removed the cattle prod from his suit jacket. I shivered at the thought. I hated that fucking thing. There was nothing pleasurable about it, only the loss of control.
“I’m afraid you’re stuck here,” Ethan said. “If you try to escape, I’ll be behind you with this. But my brother here,” he nodded at Wil, “and the others? They won’t be so nice. Either way, you won’t escape.”
I narrowed my eyes, not daring to say anything. I had to keep calm. To look for an opening.
“Take off your clothes,” Ethan said in a low voice.
I glanced over at Wil, then back to Ethan. “Right here?”
“It’s not like we haven’t seen you naked before,” Wil said. I rolled my eyes. Asshole. I had performed on stage in a thong a few times in front of him and the other Adlers, but that wasn’t the same as stripping down from my street clothes into nothingness. Being ordered to. Having no choice.
Ethan flicked the trigger for the cattle prod, the tight electric snip cutting through the air.
“Empty your pockets. Everything off,” he said again.
I sucked in a breath, then took off my black cardigan, folding it over my arm. Kept my eyes down. Why was it so much more awkward to be naked like this?
Because I knew not to underestimate the Adlers. And I had made the stupid mistake of sleeping with one. Of believing in him.
My top. My thin bra. The jeans. The socks. The shoes.
“The panties, too,” he said.
I let out a long breath and took them off as quickly as possible, shoving them into his hands.
“Your phone is in here?” I nodded. “The necklace too.”
I held it in my palm, keeping it flat against my chest. Damn it, Dad. The necklace too? What had he done now that was so messed up that the Adlers were willing to remove me from the Dahlia District? I unclasped the hook and gave the necklace to him.
“That wasn’t so bad, was it?” Ethan said, a gleam in his eye.
“Fuck off,” I said.
“Remember, don’t do anything stupid, little one.” They turned to leave. Their weight creaked on the stairs, then the door shut behind them. One lock turned, then another bolted shut.
I surveyed my surroundings. The basement was filled with boxes, most of which were unlabeled. Random cleaning supplies were spread throughout. A large dog kennel was off to the side with a puppy pad, but I didn’t see any dog, or any evidence of a dog, anywhere.
