Page 123 of Cavern of Silence
When we get to the front of the line, the woman scans our tickets and motions for us to go through the door. We walk into the jetway. Ryker has his hand on my ass, and I tilt my head up, and he kisses me.
The last thing I remember is the happy light in his eyes and smile on his face before everything goes black.
20
Ryker
It'spitch black and a musty odor flares in my nostrils.
Open your eyes.
They are.
What is on my face?
Where am I?
Where is Julieta?
I try to move, but my arms are restrained above my head. My legs are weak, and the pressure on my shoulder is enough to make me hold myself up.
"Julieta," I call out, but the only response is a dripping sound.
A chill runs through me.
Where are my clothes?
"Julieta," I scream, loudly this time, and a door slams. Someone claps and shouts in English but with a Belizean accent, "Bravo!"
The blindfold is yanked off me, and cold, evil eyes stare, sizing me up in a challenging way. But they are also laced with red, as if he's high. Before he says his name, I already know who he is.
Jonas Torres.
He has a slicked-back, greasy ponytail, and a gold chain hangs around his neck. He steps closer, so he's face-to-face with me. "You stole my property."
"Where is she?" I yell, but it's futile.
"She's waiting for you."
Dread fills my stomach. "What have you done to her?"
"Nothing, yet. She'll have her turn to choose, but first, you have to."
"What are you talking about?"
"Do you want to live, or should she?"
"Don't touch her," I seethe.
A sinister laugh echoes throughout the room, and he spits in my face. "She is not yours. I own her. But pick. Your life or hers?"
"Let her go," I say through clenched teeth.
"Does that mean you're choosing for her to live?"
I stand as straight as I can. "Yes. Let her go. Do what you want with me, but she lives."
But the problem when you make a deal with the devil is, it's never clear cut on what the details of your agreement are.
