I was transported back to the quiet room outside Detroit, the quivering man I’d purchased online in the cage. His curls fell over his forehead, eyes dark beneath thick lashes and perfectly shaped brows.
Broken glass crunched beneath Gabe’s heavy work boots, snapping me back to reality. I blinked hard to clear my foggy vision. Gabe was watching me, his head tilted with concern. I opened the door behind the driver’s seat, and Gabe rushed forward. He let Jillian roll out of his arms onto the seat, and I closed the door so she didn’t fall back out. This time, I got into the driver’s seat.
Confused, Gabe took half a beat to react, then ran around the car to the passenger side.
“Hurry,” I ground out when Gabe paused with the door open as sirens shrieked in the distance. I couldn’t chance anyone seeing us leave the scene.
Gabe jumped in, and I sped off before he could get his belt buckled. Jillian moaned from the back seat, and Gabe turned, frowning. “Is she going to be okay?”
I glared at Gabe. “It doesn’t matter. I needed her phone more than I need her.” I glanced in the mirror at her crumpled form, shrugging. “She’ll probably be fine.”
“Why her?”
It was the second time he’d asked. “Why not?” I said with a laugh.
He didn’t respond. Sitting back in the passenger seat, his leg shook as fingers tapped on his slacks. I blinked, and he was the young man in the cage, holding on to the bars and staring out at me.
Cowering.
His hair, so soft-looking, complemented deep brown eyes that reminded me of…
“Gabe,” I whispered. He opened his mouth to speak, but I held up my hand. “Your name is Gabe.”
Tears sprung into his eyes, but he nodded. His mouth clamped shut, his jaw tightening even as he trembled. He was angelic, his brown skin radiant. Flawless.
My heart clenched, and my body stirred against my zipper. I wanted to reach out and squeeze the life out of him with my bare hands.
Soft whimpering from the back seat yanked me out of the memory. I glared at the woman’s reflection in the rearview mirror, my mouth dry. Why was she back there? Who was she?
Ellie.
The name floated through my mind like an arctic breeze. The girl who’d escaped and nearly killed my Ernest. She should’ve killed him. My eyes went back to the unconscious woman in the back seat. Ellie had been rigid, her blood coursing with Ketamine, but the blonde in the back was soft and pliant, head wound oozing blood.
The damp streets glistened like oil in the night, the labored breathing of the fiery redhead in the back drawing my gaze. Each time we passed under a streetlamp, a bar of light ran across her face. Green eyes glared at me, her anger keeping her conscious though her body was frozen by the drugs racing through her veins. My pulse quickened, and I glanced at Ernest. His face was pinched, but when my eyes trailed down his body and settled on the crotch of his pants, I knew he was just as excited as I.
His eyes darted in my direction, then back on the road. “Why are her eyes still open?”
I shrugged. “She’s paralyzed. That’s all that matters.” I chuckled, a thrill running through me. “Sleep is too merciful for what I have in mind.”
A slow smile spread across his face. He licked his lips and sighed.
My hand went to his thigh, giving him a reassuring squeeze. “Soon, my pet. Be patient.”
“Are you okay?”
I shook my head, blinking rapidly at the sound of Gabe’s voice. “Of course.”
“Where are we going?”
“The warehouse, Ernest.”
He sucked in a startled breath, air whistling through clenched teeth. “Who is Ernest?”
A low buzzing filled my head, my eyes focusing an instant before the street ahead snapped me back to reality. I jerked the wheel just in time to avoid a parked car. Taking the next turn much slower, I smiled at a bewildered Gabe. “My old assistant. He’s nobody now. Now that I have you.”
“What happened to him?”
“He grew obsolete.”
Gabe drew in another sharp breath, his brows furrowing in concern. “Is he alive?”
I shrugged. “Probably. I don’t keep close tabs on him like I did before.” I smiled, licking my lower lip. “He bores me.”
Gabe nodded.
“I was excited to find someone who looked so much like you.” My chest swelled with pride. “I was so lucky he was available when he was. The whim of fate is such a wonderous thing.”
“I look like Ernest?”
I scoffed. “Hardly.” Tearing my eyes away from the road, I looked at him in question. “What do you know about Ernest?”
“You said he bores you, and that he looked like me.”
“I didn’t say that.” Did I? Gabe’s fingers grazed the side of my head, and I hissed in pain. “Don’t do that.”
“I think you hit your head.”
I pushed his hand away, scowling at him. “I’m fine.”
“Maybe I should drive.”
I stepped hard on the brake, screeching to a halt in the middle of a brick-lined street. “Fine, drive. I’m not feeling so good.” I slid across the seat as he ran around the front and settled in behind the wheel. “Turn left up here and get on the highway.”
He put the car in gear, glancing at me every few moments. “Maybe we should get you to a doctor.”
I shook my head, regretting it instantly. “I’ll be fine. Just a little bump.”
“You called me Ernest. I think it’s more than a little bump.”
“If I called you my bitch, you’d answer, wouldn’t you? Who cares what I call you?”
He turned his attention back to the road as he merged onto the highway, and I reclined the seat. “Get off on Clements Ferry Road, and I’ll direct you from there.”
“Of course, sir.”
I closed my eyes, my ears homing in on the labored breathing of the woman in the back seat. Where did she come from? I wondered
