Chapter One
Sage watched her fiancé, or she should sayex-fiancé, and her father, walk out of the room. She knew she should feel something, but after the last few months, her family rejecting her because she was somehow dirty, now wasn’t the worst that had happened.
The worst thing she’d ever had to deal with was how the men she never met had hurt her and the other women with her in the dank room they’d been locked in.
She’d never forget that one small choice had turned her life into a nightmare, and she would never be able to forgive herself because she felt it was her fault. She got off late one night and decided to go to the store instead of waiting till morning. She knew it wasn’t the best decision because at night the wackos came out, but the next day was Saturday, and she didn’t want to leave the apartment if she didn’t have to. Her fiancé was out of town for a week, so she had some peace and quiet.
She’d made it through the store just fine and had been putting her groceries away in her car when she felt someone behind her. Before she could turn, they had a hand over her mouth and the other arm around her waist, quickly pulling her toward a van. It didn’t matter how much she fought. The man knew how to subdue her.
She was thrown in the side door, and they took off. Sage grabbed onto the back of the seat as they turned corners. She glanced at the one guy in the back with her. A shiver ran down her spine when the bastard grinned and licked his lips as his eyes roamed over her body.
She curled into a ball and tried to rest and calm herself because she was afraid of hyperventilating or vomiting. She didn’t think either would help her predicament.
“Aren’t you going to ask any questions?” the guy next to her asked.
She looked at him and narrowed her eyes. “Would it matter?”
The guy laughed. “Fuck, you’re a wild one. The boss is going to love you.” He tapped on one of the guys’ shoulders in the front seat. “Can’t I have a little taste? The bitch has some fight in her.”
The thought of that man touching her made her fight for calmness seem impossible. She’d freak out, and then they’d have to touch her.
The guy in the front passenger seat grunted. “Fuck, no. I guess she’s special for some reason.”
The driver snickered. “Maybe it’s because she was targeted.”
“What does that mean?” she asked.
The man turned his head to look at her. “You were brought to our attention. This was deliberate. Someone wants you gone or wants to hurt you.”
Her mind went over his words, and she didn’t understand.
Her attention was moved to the large warehouse doors being pulled open. The van drove in, and they shut quickly. This was when she knew she would never be able to fight them and that her world had changed forever.
The scumbag that had pulled her into the van opened the side door, got out, and lifted his hand toward her.
“Come on, whore.”
She gritted her teeth and moved his way. She paused for a moment and looked for any of the other guys and then up at him. “You realize you’re going to Hell when you die, right?”
The man snorted. “Fuck. I don’t believe in that shit.”
“I didn’t either until I died on the operating table.”
The guy’s eyes widened. “What do you mean?”
“I felt myself rise above the table and look down at my body. It was surreal. I turned and saw the light that everyone talked about, but there was a shadowy figure between me and the light.”
“Come on,” the guy said. He grabbed her arm and yanked her out of the van. “What was the black shit?”
“It was Hell. Just looking at the shadow made me feel like I was going to burn up. It terrified me.”
“Shut her up and bring her in here,” another man said.
He led her in and closed the door behind them, put his back to it, and crossed his arms.
She turned to what she guessed was the boss that sat behind a desk.
He smiled. “You made it too easy, Sage.”