“Move,” Todd says as we walk out of the elevator and into a big, open, empty office space.

It’s dark here, most of the people having gone home for the day. The only light comes from the big window of an enclosed office, presumably belonging to one of the higher-ups.

Cold, unyielding metal pokes me in the back, prodding me forward. I stumble on the carpet, but manage to keep myself upright.

Before this moment in my life, I never stopped to appreciate how much my arms and hands help to stabilize my entire body when I’m walking. Now, with my wrists tied together behind my back, I realize just how big of a role they play.

I wonder if I’ll ever walk freely again, without any restraints on my body. Maybe I’ll die just like this, with a length of rope around my torso. Maybe that gun Todd’s jabbing into me now will be the last thing that touches me—or, more accurately, not that gun itself but one of the bullets in its chamber.

“You know, you have a nice ass,” Todd says from behind me.

I stay quiet and focus on my steps. What am I supposed to say anyway? Thanks?

Tears prick my eyes. I try to be strong, but soon they roll down my cheeks.

My life has never been ideal, but I’ve never thought much about death.

Even though my mom’s live-in boyfriends were assholes, they never laid a hand on me and I was never in any grave danger.

I was always looking forward to a better future—a better job, better pay, better living conditions. That’s the way it should be. I’m twenty-one; my whole life is supposed to be ahead of me.

I think about never seeing Jack again, and it feels like I’m being stabbed right in the heart. Maybe I’ll die and lose all conscious thought within a matter of hours, so I’ll only feel this pain for a short while.

Poor Jack, though. He’s counting on me to give him a safe, stable place to live, and I’ve failed him. Who’s going to take care of him now?

Katie has her own life to live and I can’t expect her to take on that kind of responsibility for me. Jack’s probably going back to Mom’s, which makes me sad because it means he’ll have to deal with her drama, her selfishness, her verbal abuse.

I have to give her credit where credit is due, though. For all the shit she’s put us through, we’ve never had loan sharks or cold-blooded killers pounding on the door, demanding to come inside.

If it’s any consolation, maybe living with me is not much of an improvement for Jack after all.

Todd opens the door leading to the only bright room in the office. He notices the tears on my face and sticks out his lower lip, mocking me. “Aww… Don’t cry. Caine will join you very soon, then you can die together. That’s romantic, right? Like Romeo and Juliet. Girls are always into that kind of dumb shit.”

Caine’s coming here? But why?

I glower at Todd as best as I can through the veil of tears in my eyes, even as I stagger forward into the enclosed office.

I’ve stopped asking questions, now that I know Todd’s not just going to let me walk away out of pity. He wouldn’t know anyway why Caine would come, and it’s possible he’s just lying through his teeth.

This looks a lot like Caine’s office. It’s not surprising, considering it’s in the same building. It’s just on a different floor.

Inside, Todd’s father, Nathan, sits behind a big, modern desk made of steel and glass. He doesn't even acknowledge my presence. He’s focusing on the white mug in his hands, from which white steam rises. He looks zen, like he's in a cafe, or a park, just relaxing and enjoying a hot beverage.

Two big, brawny men in all-black outfits sit on the couch, playing with phones that look tiny in their hands. Each man has a gun holster around his waist, with the gun handle sticking out, ready for quick action.

“Sit there.” Todd waves his gun in the direction of the couch, so I join the two men, squeezing myself between the arm of the couch and one of them.

They turn their attention away from their gadgets and leer at me. The man sitting right next to me scoots closer and angles his body toward me. I wriggle away when he starts to touch my hair, but I only bump my head against the hard belly of the other man, who has stood up and walked around the couch. When he puts his hand on my chin, I notice his pinky finger is missing, leaving a stub in its place.

They both grin, knowing I can’t escape. One hand squeezes my breast. My thighs are wrenched apart. My crotch is grabbed over my jeans. I kick my legs, but they just flail helplessly in the air.

“No! Leave me alone!” I scream.

Todd laughs.

“Shut her up, will you?” Nathan says.

“You heard the man, boys,” Todd says. “Do whatever you want with her. Just keep her mouth shut.”

I wail at the top of my lungs, hoping the noise will annoy Nathan enough to order them to stop. They're not going to kill me now; they're waiting for Caine to show up. And if I’m about to die anyway, who cares if they beat me up? That would be better than having them rape me.

The other man bends down to grip my feet. I twist and wriggle, but he's much stronger than I am and he manages to pull my legs straight on the couch in no time.

The man settles between my legs. He undoes my fly, then tugs the waist of my jeans down. I put all my weight on my ass to make it harder for him to pull them down, but I’m fighting a losing battle.

“Let me go!” I cry out.

A big hand with one missing finger clamps over my nose and mouth, cutting off my air supply. I chomp down on the invasive palm and taste rust.

“Fucking whore!” He curses in pain and withdraws, leaving my mouth free to scream again, until a different metallic taste hits my tongue. I still, every part of my body buzzing with fear.

“That's right, bitch. You better shut up and cooperate,” the man says, shaking the gun he has just shoved into my mouth. He grins, his eyes glinting with pleasure. “I can think of one other thing that I can shove into that loud mouth. It will shut you up just the same.”

He climbs on top of the sofa and straddles my chest. With his free hand, he fumbles, unbuttoning and unzipping his pants.

“I’ll punch you in the gut if I feel any teeth,” he says as he pulls his cock out. I retch from the smell, which only makes him smile. “Oh, what’s that? You don’t like the smell? No problem. You don’t have to smell it. You just have to suck it.” He pinches my nose, blocking my nostrils and forcing me to open my mouth. “Yeah, open up for me like a whore.”

Just when I think I’m about to get violated by the two men, the door flies open.

Everything stops. Everyone turns toward the doorway, where Caine is standing. He’s panting, like he’s been running. I wonder if he heard my screaming.

Immediately, his eyes focus on me, lying on the couch with one man between my legs and another one over my chest with his cock out.

“Get the fuck off her.” Caine sounds almost normal, except for the slight undercurrent of anger underneath his outer calm.

“You hear him, boys. Fun’s over,” Todd says, smiling crookedly, mockingly. He points his gun at Caine now.

Caine watches the men, stabbing daggers with his eyes. They adjust their clothes and get up off the couch, off my prostrate, vulnerable body.

“What the hell is happening here?” Caine turns his attention to Nathan. His breathing is erratic, his hands balled into fists.

“Pat him down,” Todd orders, ignoring Caine’s question.

The man with the missing finger spreads Caine’s arms wide, while the other one runs his hands along Caine’s body. He smiles when he reaches Caine’s waist. He reaches underneath his suit jacket and pulls out a handgun.

“What’s going on, Uncle Nathan?” Caine asks as he stares at the man still sitting passively behind his desk.

We’re both screwed, I realize with a chill.

Caine just doesn’t know it yet. That’s why he’s still so composed, still acts like he’s in charge.

He thinks he knows these men, he thinks they’re on his side, but they want to take everything he has and destroy him.

“What’s going on, Caine, is we’re going back to the old way,” Nathan finally says. His baritone conveys authority. He knows he’s got the upper hand. “The way things should be. The way your grandfather would’ve wanted it.”

“My father will not approve.”

“Of course he won’t.” Nathan chuckles. “But I don’t care. He’s been running the show long enough. He doesn’t have what it takes to continue your grandfather’s legacy.”

“And you do?”

“Well, look around you. I know you were too young to know how things used to be run, but this whole scene happening in this room right now, this is exactly how things used to be. This is how your grandfather used to run things.”

“You mean, with violence.”

“Ah, I don’t like that word.” Nathan scrunches his nose up in disgust. “Only the weak use that word. I prefer to say that we use our strength. Life is a jungle, Caine. The strong thrive, and the weak serve. We can be strong, but we’ve been acting like weaklings for too long.”

“Is that what you call strong? You think it’s strong to bully the weak?” Caine glances at me, crouching on the couch to hide the exposed parts of my body from view.

Nathan shrugs. “Life isn’t fair.”

“What do you want from us?” Caine’s jaw clenches, his muscles tense.

“Oh, we don’t want anything from your girlfriend.” Nathan pauses. “Well, I don’t want anything from her, but the men need their fun, you know? Some kind of reward for their good work. To put it in terms you’d understand, she’s incentive to encourage the staff to reach their goals, like a bonus.”

“What do you want from me?”

“Not much. It’s simple, really. It will only take you a few seconds. Everything’s already prepared and all you have to do is sign some papers.”

Caine pauses, the gears turning in his head. “You want me to sign away everything?”

“Oh, no. Not everything. Just the corporation. Your father can keep his mansion. You can keep your apartment.”

“He’s lying, Caine,” I croak, my voice hoarse from all the screaming. “He’s going to kill you. He’s going to kill us all. Don’t do it.”

“I told you, boys, you need to shut her up.” With one look, Nathan orders one of the men to move to my side and clamp a hand over me. He turns his gaze back to Caine. “Your girlfriend here has an overactive imagination. If you sign, we’d have no need for a…show of strength.”

“But you’d use violence if I don’t sign, is that it?”

“I don’t want to hurt you. You’re like family to me. You know that,” Nathan says. “Your girlfriend right here, though, she’s just a stranger to me. We’ll start with her.”

“You’re going to order your men to rape her?”

“I don’t have to order them to do anything.” Nathan chuckles again, the sound grating against my eardrums. “I’m just not going to stop them from doing whatever they want to do.”

“Okay, I’ll sign.”

My jaw slackens. I can’t believe Caine is going to give up just like that.

No! I want to scream. They’re going to kill us both, and your whole family, too! But no words come out. The hand over my mouth muffles any sound I make.

“Smart boy,” Nathan says. “Just sign, and then we can all move on with our lives.”

“I’ll sign your papers, but there’s no need for violence. Tell your men to leave, and tell Todd to put away his gun.”

“You think I’m stupid? I’m an old man. I know my limits. I’m not going to win in a fist fight with you.”

“I’m not going to fight you, Uncle Nathan.” Caine walks toward the desk and puts his palms on the glass surface. “But fine, the men can stay. Just put all the guns away so I know you won’t just put a hole in my head as soon as I sign. I’m not stupid either. I know I’ve lost this battle. I just need some insurance. I need to know we’ll walk out of this building alive.”

Nathan pauses to think. After a few long, tense seconds, he says, “Alright. Boys, put away your weapons. Todd, lock all the guns in the safe, will you?”

“Yes, Dad,” Todd says as he collects all the weapons.

I jump at the metallic clang of the safe door, my coiled muscles springing to action at the noise. Still, there’s nothing I can do, with the burly man behind me holding me down. Todd puts the guns in the safe and shuts the door.

All eyes are on Nathan as he slides a stack of paper across the desk toward Caine.

“So, let’s get a few things straight before I sign, Uncle Nathan. Just so everything’s clear.” Caine pulls the seat across the desk from Nathan.

The tension is so thick you could cut it with a butter knife, but Caine’s movements are as smooth and graceful as usual when he sits down.

“You want me to sign away the business to you,” Caine says.

“Yes.”

“If I don’t sign, you’ll use violence—excuse me, strength—against me and Daisy here, as well as my father, presumably.”

“Yes.”

Caine pauses. I can only see his broad back from where I’m sitting, but the office is so quiet I can hear it when he takes his next deep breath.

In a loud voice, Caine yells, “Did you get that, Paul?”