I stared into the darkness and tried to make sense of my situation. The man who put me in the cage definitely wasn’t one of the guys I ripped off. He was too young. I went after older guys—guys that could afford to spend money and would do so to make sure I kept their secret. I also took a lot of steps to protect myself. It would be almost impossible for someone to track me down—unless they wanted to spend a lot more money than what I asked for. After I got the money I was after, I disappeared from their lives. They never heard from me again. Everything associated with the identity that blackmailed them was deleted. I created new identities online constantly and it wasn’t uncommon for me to use dozens of them at one time until I found a mark. Neither of the guys who took me were old enough to land in my scope when I was looking for targets online.

If this isn’t about the people I blackmailed, what could it possibly be about?

The only thing that I could possibly imagine being serious enough to land me in the cage was my illicit online activities. If that was the case, I could easily confess to them—but what if it wasn’t? What if the guys who took me were just sick individuals and I would be giving them more ammunition to use against me? I was terrified of what they would do to me—or at least the one I had seen since I was locked in the cage. He resonated darkness—almost as dark as the room I was in when the light was turned out. There was something sinister in his stare—something behind those onyx-colored eyes that I didn’t understand. I had to figure it out. That was the key to my survival.

I waited in the darkness for what felt like another eternity. I was thirsty again. My shirt got me a glass of water, but it didn’t get to drink all of it. The water that soaked into my clothes had dried, so I knew hours had passed—possibly even another day. If he made me give up an article of clothing for water and food, it wasn’t going to be long until I was naked. Then what would he want? The thought of that terrified me. Would he make me desperate enough to consider it? I wasn’t even desperate enough to sell my body when I left home—not really. I just sold an illusion. I was positive that an illusion wasn’t going to get me out of the cage.

I wondered if the men I trapped in my lies felt like I was feeling in that moment—trapped—with no way out. I gave them one. I gave them a price. The man with onyx-colored eyes hadn’t named one yet. Or had he? Truth—confession—penance. How could I tell the truth when I didn’t know what truth he wanted to hear? How could I confess when doing so could expose things that could be used against me? How could I pay a penance if I didn’t know my sin? I felt myself sinking into the madness of the darkness again, my lips dry, my body weak—and then the door started to open. He was back—and it was time for me to bargain for something else because I hadn’t eaten in so long that my body was in dire need of sustenance.

“Sweet Lizzy.” He walked around to the back of the cage. “My, you’ve made a mess in your bucket.”

“I didn’t have a choice.” I swallowed hard.

“Would you like for me to empty it?” He tilted his head to the side.

“Yes.” I nodded, keeping my eyes focused on him.

“What price will you pay not to smell your own filth?” He leaned down and tapped the bucket. “I’ll even make it worth your while and agree to empty it every time I return—if you meet my price.”

“What price?” I exhaled sharply.

“Your shoes.” He motioned to my feet. “Give them to me.”

If I refuse, will I anger him? I don’t like the smell, but my shoes could get me food—water.

“One shoe…” I squeaked out and hesitated when I said the words, afraid of the repercussion.

“Now it is going to cost your shoes and your socks.” He responded without even blinking at my offer. “Do you want to keep negotiating?”

“I’d rather have food or water.” My shoulders slumped forward.

“Fine, I’ll give you food and water for your shoes, socks and blue jeans.” His jaw tightened. “Then we’ll see what price you have to pay for me to empty this bucket tomorrow.”

This is just getting worse… I better quit while I’m ahead.

I didn’t want to have to pay the price, but I realized it was my only choice. If I refused his offer, I was running out of things to bargain with. Food and water were necessities, even if he just threw them on me like he had the first glass of water. I removed my shoes, socks and blue jeans—which left me in nothing but my bra and panties. I felt more vulnerable without my jeans than I did without my shirt, but when he left the room and returned with a tray—I was no longer upset with his price. The tray was filled with food. Fruits, vegetables, cooked chicken, and there wasn’t just water—there was a can of soda as well. I was still distrustful though, even as my mouth salivated—he had tricked me once with the water. There was a chance he would trick me again. I held onto the bars as he got closer—and then he put the entire tray down in front of me.

“Thank you.” I reached through the bars and grabbed a piece of chicken with my hand, immediately biting into it.

“Enjoy your meal, sweet Lizzy.” He started walking towards the door—but he didn’t turn off the light when he left.

I devoured everything on the tray, even the stuff I didn’t like—I didn’t even stop eating when the food made my stomach hurt. I didn’t know when I would get a chance to eat again. I couldn’t waste the food. The water was like sweet nirvana on my lips—and the soda—that was heaven. I hadn’t gone more than a couple of hours without caffeine since I was a kid unless I was sleeping and having a little bit in my system was like tasting an addiction, I didn’t realize had left a dull ache in the side of my head until it was gone.

Now what?

I started looking around the room, looking for any sign of where I was. I hadn’t had much of a chance to do it previously when he was in the room and I was so focused on what I needed at the moment. The room had plain white walls that were empty and a marble floor. There was no furniture in it except for three chairs and a small table. The cage itself had been bolted to the floor as I suspected, and the marble around the bolts was cracked. The most disturbing part was the fact it had no windows—just empty white walls all around me. I assumed it had to be some sort of interior room of a house, just based on what could see. The door started to open again, and I turned my attention towards the man with onyx-colored eyes as he entered the room.

“I trust it was a good meal?” He sat down in the chair closest it to my cage.

“Yes.” I nodded and looked up at him.

“Are you ready to confess one of your sins to find out if it’s the one that put you in the cage?” He chuckled under his breath.

“I—um…” I looked down at the floor.

Oh god. Think of something. Think of something fast.

“I’ve stolen money…” I swallowed hard and slowly lifted my head.

“Go on.” He leaned forward and narrowed his eyes.

“That’s—that’s my confession. I’ve stolen money.” I nodded quickly.

Maybe I’ll get a hint—something that tells me if I’m on the right track.

“Such a vague confession.” I heard a growl resonate from his throat. “I guess a vague answer is all your looking for—you’re in that cage because you’re a very bad girl.”

“How—how do I get out?” I had him talking—I prayed I could keep him talking—I had done that before with guys I talked to online.

“Confess all of your sins and atone for them—accept your penance.” He chuckled again. “But you’re not ready for that yet. You still have a glimmer of hope in your eyes—one that says you might get out of this without giving in. You won’t.”

“You’re just talking in riddles.” I sighed and shook my head. “If I have to atone for something, then tell me what I’ve done wrong. Give me a hint—something.”

“Fine.” He nodded. “Give me your bra and I’ll give you a hint.”

Oh god. I only have two pieces of clothing left on my body. But if I refuse—the price is going to go up. This may be my only shot at figuring it out with giving him more than my bra.

“Okay.” I reached behind my back and unsnapped it—then I let it fall around my arms before finally removing it and exposing my breasts.

Now the only thing I have left to bargain with is my panties.

“Good girl.” He nodded and picked my bra up off the floor once I tossed it outside of my cage. “So pretty—such a gorgeous body.”

“You promised me a hint.” I looked up and crossed my arms across my breasts.

“You’re in that cage—because you used your body to take things that didn’t belong to you.” He started to stand. “That’s all you get for now. I’m sure we’ll talk more tomorrow.”

“Wait!” I grabbed the front of the cage and rattled it. “Don’t go—I need more than that!”

He didn’t respond. He turned off the light and left me in the darkness like he had before. I had a hint, and it did give me enough information to piece together the reason I was in the cage—because I had only used my body to get what I wanted when I was online—blackmailing married men for money. But that left me with more questions. Who was the man with onyx-colored eyes? Who was the other man with him in the van? They weren’t targets—definitely not marks that I chose. I went after guys that would easily cave when a young girl started flirting with them online. I would have quickly passed if I saw either of them—I ignored guys that didn’t have the stench of desperation pouring through the screen.

If he isn’t one of the guys I stole from, why did he kidnap me? I’ve never stolen from anyone in New York before—I always make sure my targets are far away. But if one of those guys has found me—oh my god.