“Does this look like the place?" I glance over at Kyle, who’s crouched down next to me in the bushes outside a huge, isolated house in the middle of nowhere. “This is the property that belongs to Maximilian Devereaux according to what came up in the search I did.” 

“Yeah, this totally looks familiar,” Kyle says, squinting at an enormous house that’s about fifty yards away. “Jesus, what a name. Was this guy born on the Titanic or something?"  

"Yeah, I bet he has one of those old-fashioned accents that make him sound vaguely British, right?" As I talk, I realize how nice it is to go back and forth with Kyle like this again. I'd been preoccupied with Zoe for so long I hadn't hung out with him for months. I look back at Kyle when I notice he hasn't responded to me, and now he’s the one staring. "What?" I ask.  

"I don't know. I'd be lying if I said I hadn't noticed that you've been different for a while now. Graham even mentioned it to me a while back. That you'd become more … I don't know … intense about things. And you never seemed to have time for either of us. I had no idea you were going through all this, man. It really sucks.“ 

Just hearing those words come out of Kyle's mouth brings my anxiety down a couple of notches. I hated the idea that I'd probably lost my two best friends over all this bullshit. I don’t know why I felt like I had to choose between Zoe or them, though. I should have never tried to do all of this on my own.

"So what did he do that freaked you out so bad?" I ask. 

"Who? The doctor in there? I don't even know where to start." Kyle's gaze drifts back to the house. "I met him through a group that I found online … a local BDSM organization. He told me he specialized in alternate sexuality in his psych practice and … well, I had some old issues I wanted to talk over with someone. Someone that I didn't know and who didn’t know me. Know what I mean?" 

"Yeah." 

"It turns out this guy has a very loose definition of what consent means, especially when it comes to some of his female patients. I guess he thought I'd be into it, seeing as how we met and the stuff I’d told him about my past. Anyway, he offered one of them up to me."  "One of what?" 

"One of the girls he had in his private dungeon. He said he had a sub in his basement that would do whatever I wanted.”  "Did you do it?"

Kyle looks at me, and for a long moment I’m not sure if he’s going to answer. “Yeah, I did. I came here and I went downstairs and he got on one end and told me to get on the other. I started to … I mean, I tried. But I just couldn’t get it up. The girl was clearly drugged. I mean, I may be into some kinky shit, but that was way too fucked up for me. I got the hell out of there and never went back to see him again." 

"Jesus, you should have reported him." 

"Well, I didn't have much to report. He could probably play anything he told me off as just some kinky, consensual shit. But, yeah, I've thought about it a lot since then. That’s one of the many things in my past I’m not very proud of.” 

“So you think he keeps girls in his house against their will or something?" 

"I don't know. He never said it outright, but that's the vibe I got. We gotta get in there. The sooner the better.” Kyle looks around a little more, then stands up. “Look, I'll go up to the front door. Act like I broke down on the main road and that I'm surprised to run into him after all this time. He'll recognize me and hopefully invite me in."  "You think he'll buy that?" 

"I have no idea, but hopefully I can at least get in the front door with that story. Then maybe bring up his offer, see if he remembers telling me. I’ll tell him I’ve thought about it a lot since then. I'll just try to keep him talking for as long as I can. When you see me go in, head around back and find out if there's any way to get inside. A window, anything." 

"What if Zoe's not even in there?" I ask. 

"I don't know. But I have a feeling she is. She's just his type." "What's that?" 

"Young. Submissive. Not much family or people who would come looking for her." 

"Well, that’s where he made a big mistake. Okay. You got your gun?" I ask, feeling for the one I carry on me all the time now. 

"This wasn't even the part where the guns were supposed to come into play," Kyle says, laughing at the ludicrous situation. "What is up with all these fucked-up dudes, anyway?“ 

"No kidding," I say. "Be careful, Kyle." 

"Don't worry, I will."  

I watch him walk down the long driveway, then ring the doorbell. When the man who answers the door sees who it is, they shake hands and he lets Kyle in. So far so good. Now I just need to find out if this is the same Max that Zoe was talking about.  

I make my way around the house behind clumps of bushes and trees, and when I’m finally there, I notice that one of the small, basement windows that sits close to the ground is cracked. I tap on it a little and knock a few shards free, then pull the rest out gently until all the glass has been removed. I stick my head inside to see how far the drop is, then lower myself down feet first.  

It’s an old house, but everything in the basement is incredibly clean. It looks like it might have been renovated recently, with new drywall and paint, but as I walk further into the basement, I come to a section that looks older, part of the original foundation. One whole wall is made of concrete and has a metal door embedded in it. It looks like the wall continues on for a ways, but I can’t find a light switch so everything remains pitch-black.  

I walk toward the door and my foot kicks something on the floor. I look down to see what it is and a reflection catches my eye. I bend down to see what it is and realize there’s a phone laying on the floor next to my foot. I pick it up and press the button at the bottom and the screen lights up. I’m holding Zoe's phone in my hand. 

"That fucking bastard." 

I try the metal door but it’s locked. I mess with the phone a little and get the flashlight to turn on so I can at least see what’s around me. I look up and down the hall, but don't see any other doors or exits except the metal one in front of me and the passageway I just came through. I head back out into the renovated part of the basement and look for a crowbar, or some keys if I’m really lucky. I quietly creep up a staircase and at the very top I find exactly what I’m looking for; a set of old keys on a hook. 

I grab them and make my way back to the metal door. I figure there has to be a reason it’s so secure. Either Zoe is in there or I’m about to free some other girl from this psycho’s dungeon. I slip the biggest key into the lock and it turns with a click. The metal hinge creaks a little as I push the door open. 

"Max?" 

"Zoe? Is that you?"  

I feel around the inside of the door for a light switch but can’t find anything. I take a step back and look around the outside of the door and there it is. He has it set up so only he can control the lights in this room. When I look back in, Zoe is sitting on a small bed in a room that looks like a prison cell. She has her hands up shielding her eyes from the light.  

"Yes! Oh my God, Evan it’s me! What are you doing? What's going on?" 

I run over to where Zoe is sitting and put my arms around her. "Jesus, Zoe. What did he do to you? Are you okay?" I can feel her shaking as I press her body to mine. 

"I don't know. I don't even know how I got in this room. Am I still at Max's house?" 

"Yes, you're still in his house. Did he do anything to you?" "No, I don't think so.” Zoe looks down at her body like she’s checking for wounds, then looks up at me. “But, how did you find me? How did you get here?" 

"I have a friend with me. You know him—Kyle—from that daddy show you were on." 

"What's he doing here?" 

"It's a long story. Look, we need to get out of here. Now. Can you walk?”

Zoe looks around the room. I can tell she’s been drugged. Her eyes are only half-open and she’s really spacey. “I think so,” she says. “What is this place?”

“I’ll tell you later. We just need to get the hell out of here as soon as possible.”