Sally had no idea what time it was. She hadn’t slept since waking up in the trunk, and even though her body begged for oblivion, she couldn’t get there. Her mind was too wired, the fear too raw to let any muscles relax.

They were going to kill her.

She’d listened to enough of Nate’s closed cases to understand the criminal mind.

If her father brought that money the way they wanted, they had no incentive to keep her alive. She was a liability. A risk.

Closing her eyes, her mind drifted to Nate. She couldn’t help thinking about the afterlife and what that really meant. Would she find him there? Could they still be together even after death?

In a weird way, the idea was a comfort.

But then she thought of her family.

They’d be devastated by her murder. She could picture each family member, imagining how they’d cope with it. It was horrible and she didn’t want them to suffer that way. She had to survive. Somehow, she had to make it.

“This is bullshit! I don’t like it!”

Sally tensed as the shouting voices rose in the adjacent room.

“I don’t give a shit what you like. We’re in it now and we’ll soon be driving away with a million dollars, so get the fuck over yourself.”

“We’ve never killed anyone before!”

“We easily could have. Where the hell is your spine? This, plus the money I already have, will set us up for years! We can disappear to wherever the hell we want! But not if we’re left with a witness.”

“I’m not comfortable with it. She’s done nothing to hurt us.”

“You are pathetic!” Oscar roared.

Sally could tell it was him. Although the voices were similar, she’d managed to pick them apart. Oscar was definitely the harsher of the two. He’d shed his British airs the second he shot Nate and since then, he’d been nothing but a hard ass. The other one seemed to at least have a soul.

She strained to hear the rest of the argument.

“What? What did you just say? She looks like her?” Oscar again, his voice sparked with disbelief. “How many years ago was that now? You lovesick fool. Get over it!”

“You are such a heartless prick!”

“You don’t like it? Walk away. I’ll take the money for myself, and you can get busted by the cops.”

“Hey! I showed up because you needed me to! You’re just gonna turn around and abandon me?”

“You abandoned me.”

“You told me to! You think I haven’t been haunted by the fact that you took the fall?

Sally held her breath as she waited for Oscar’s reply. She wondered who she looked like. Oscar’s brother must’ve loved someone in the past. Oscar, on the other hand, seemed to be fueled by a bitter rage that stopped him from feeling anything more than sick contempt and arrogant pride.

“Don’t look at me like that,” Oscar snapped. “I’ll kill her. Okay? You don’t even have to watch.”

“When?” The other guy sounded nervous.

“As soon as you get the money, give me a call. I’ll do it and dump her body in the woods. Then we’ll meet up where you suggested and take off from there.”

They’d stopped shouting at each other, but their voices grew louder as they left the room and stopped outside her door.

“I still don’t like this,” Oscar’s brother said.

“Look, I know it’s not perfect, but it was the best plan I had at the time and we have to go with it now. Harden up already. She’s just a woman.” The word was spat with pure contempt. “Think about the money.”

The door clicked open and Oscar walked into the room.

Sally tensed, squishing herself against the wall until she realized that it wasn’t Oscar. It was his double.

He crouched down in front of her with a soft smile. “Thought you might want another drink.”

Gently peeling back the tape, he lifted the straw to her lips and let her have a few sips. She took advantage and sucked down as much as she could. It could mean she’d have to pee, which was a pretty disgusting thought, but dehydration would only make things worse. She needed to stay alert if she wanted any chance at all.

When he pulled the straw away, she licked her lips and decided to play on her strengths.

“Thank you.” She smiled at him.

He paused, guilt flashing over his expression as he placed the water bottle down beside her. Pressing his lips together, he reached for the duct tape.

“Actually, do you mind not…?” She winced. “My lips are really hurting from the tape. I promise I won’t scream.”

He looked uncertain and glanced over his shoulder.

“Please,” Sally whispered. “Please, help me.”

His head whipped back to look at her and she stared him in the eye, silently begging for a little humanity.

“I can’t stop this now, but…” He yanked the rest of the tape off her face and scrunched it up in his hand. “It won’t matter if you scream. No one lives around here. August just didn’t want you saying anything on the video.”

Sally nodded, tucking the name away for later.

So Oscar was August.

She wondered what this man’s name was, but didn’t get a chance to ask, because Oscar…August…appeared in the doorway.

“She’s beautiful, I’ll give you that much.” He leaned against the doorframe, his arms crossed as he stared at her with those dark, heartless eyes. “Have her if you want to. We’ve got time.”

Sally’s insides pitched, revulsion spreading through her system like a virus.

Thankfully the man beside her let out a grunt of disgust and walked away from Sally, stopping to eyeball his brother at the door. “You’re sick. You know that?”

August smirked at his brother. “You can’t tell me you don’t enjoy a little ass every now and then.”

“Only if they’re willing,” the man gritted out.

August snickered. “They’re good for one thing, and one thing only, brother.” He turned his dark gaze back onto Sally and licked his lips like a hungry crocodile.

Sally’s insides curdled. Backing further up against the wall, she looked at the floor and prayed he’d walk away. The thought of that bastard touching her was too much to bear. She’d rather be shot in the head than have to endure that degradation.

Closing her eyes against the burn of tears, she kept her head down and wished for Nate. It was illogical. He wasn’t even a possibility anymore, but maybe he could help her from beyond. Her family and the AFPD would no doubt be working overtime to bring her home, but it was Nate’s arms she wanted to fall into. It was Nate’s determined face she wanted to see charging through the door. He was her true home. He always had been.