I can't believe he's here. This is exactly what I wished for, over and over again as I lay in the dark. I know I must have been asleep for a while, but I have no idea for how long. When my eyes opened and there was nothing but darkness around me, all I could picture in my head was Evan’s face. I kept praying that the darkness would go away, and when the room lit up he would be here with me.  

I knew something was very wrong when my mind started to clear. My eyes had been open for a while and I called Max’s name into the darkness, but he never came.

I’ve never felt like this in my life. My head feels heavy and thick and I can barely move any part of my body. I know Max drugged me. Why else would I have fallen asleep in the middle of the day?

When I heard the sounds like metal scraping against metal, then a low moan as a faint sliver of light opened up into the room, I sat up.

“Max?” I say, thinking it had to be his dark outline in the doorway.

“Zoe? Is that you?”

I can’t even breathe. I would know his voice anywhere. It’s Evan.

“Yes! Oh my God, Evan it’s me!”

A bright light fills the room and I cover my eyes. But in that first flash of light, that was Evan I saw standing in the doorway. I'm so happy I’m sobbing. I feel him put his arms around me and I grip him so tight I’m sure I’m hurting him. But no matter what I do, I can’t seem to get close enough to him.  

Evan was right. I was playing games with him. I was being manipulative and I was doing all kinds of stupid things to make him jealous. I hate myself for how I’ve been behaving. Evan didn’t deserve any of that.

When my eyes finally adjust to the fluorescent lights, I look up at him. When I see the concern in his eyes it makes everything so real. I know that I don't want to play games with Evan ever again. He helps me stand up and holds me there because my legs feel like noodles. I fall against him and I feel his strong arms supporting me. I feel like I must be dreaming. The way his body feels against mine is too perfect. “What are you doing here? What's going on?” I ask.

Evan talks and I try to follow along, but all I can think about is the way it feels to have his arms around me and look into his eyes. His deep, dark eyes are telling me more than they ever have before, and I can feel that it’s true. He feels something more for me than a guardian would.

I know it’s beyond inappropriate, but all I can think about as I gaze up at Evan is kissing his perfect lips and pushing my hair through his soft, dark hair. Every fiber of my being wants to feel his body pressed up against mine so that there’s no separation between us at all.

“I’m so sorry, Zoe. I should have never let this happen to you. I was trying to protect you and I don’t know how everything got so out of control.“ 

"No, Evan. It wasn't your fault. I was being a total asshole. I shouldn't have come here. I should have listened to you. I'm really sorry. I’m so glad you're here," I say, my head buried in his chest. "I knew something was wrong. I was just laying here in the dark, praying that you would find me somehow. I fucked up so bad, Evan." 

"Shhh, it's okay," Evan says as he strokes my hair. "This isn't your fault." 

"Yes it is. If I had listened to you I wouldn’t be in this place. We wouldn’t be in this place. I don't know what Max was going to do to me, but I'm scared of him, Evan. Is he who you were trying to protect me from?" I look up into Evan’s eyes again and every shred of anger that was there when he looked at me in the past is completely gone. His eyes are filled with kindness and concern as he pushes my hair out of my face. But there’s more there, I can feel it by the way his hand shakes when he touches my face.

“No, he isn’t the one,” he says, looking like he just snapped out of a deep, consuming thought. “I didn't even know about this jackass until a couple hours ago. It's just an incredible stroke of luck that I found you here. The people I've been trying to protect you from … they're still out there, Zoe. And they're after both of us." 

"But what do they want?" 

"They want to kill me and they want you for …" 

Evan stops short and closes his eyes. I can’t believe it could possibly be that bad. Who the hell are these people anyway? “They want me for what? Please tell me, Evan." 

"They want you for some sort of sex slavery ring. To pay off your father’s debt." 

"What? You're kidding, right?" I say, backing up a bit. “A debt my dead dad owes?”

"No, I'm not kidding. He wasn't a good man, Zoe. I didn’t want you to find out what a horrible person your dad was; that’s why I didn’t tell you about any of this. But I don’t know. Maybe it would have been better if I had. I wanted to protect you and take care of you so badly, but all I wound up doing was putting you in danger.” 

Evan’s face is so serious, but that look in his eyes, it’s so sweet and kind and it’s pulling at my heart to see him look at me like that. For over a year his eyes have been so angry, and now I think I understand why. He hasn’t been mad at me all this time. He’s been mad at my dad and the men who are after me.

I reach up and touch his cheek and he doesn't move away or tell me to stop. "But you are taking care of me,” I say. "You're here now and I don’t think I’ve ever felt safer in my life. You’re the most amazing man I've ever known, Evan." I look up at his lips and run my thumb across the smooth surface. Evan goes completely still. He doesn't try to stop me. His arms are frozen around me but I can feel his quick breath on my skin. 

For this one, beautiful moment I forget everything. The men who are after us, Max drugging me and locking me in this room, and the fact that Evan is my godfather. It all melts away and the only thing left is the kindest and most caring man I’ve ever known in my life. Someone who has been risking his life to protect me.

I know it’s insane. I know I shouldn’t move any closer to him, but I can’t stop myself. And Evan still isn’t trying to stop me at all as I bring my lips closer to his.

Then when our lips meet there are thousands of stars exploding inside my head. I can't believe how amazing it feels to be this close to him. Everything about Evan is forceful and masculine and fills my body with an incredible jolt of tingly electricity. No guy has ever made me feel this way. I've never felt a kiss travel throughout my entire body like this before.

All I can think is how badly I want him. I feel his hands gripping my body and his tongue touching mine and I melt into his arms.

"Oh God, Evan," I whisper into his ear as his lips make their way to my neck. "I've wanted this for so long." 

"Well, isn't this cozy." 

I jump and look over at the doorway and Max is standing there. I'm terrified that he's going to shut both of us inside this horrible room, but then I see another man step out from behind him; the one from that sexy reality show. I remember that he was with Evan the day he ordered me to leave The Daddy Games. He was in the hotel room where Evan was waiting and I remember that this man had a gun.

He steps around Max and I can see that he’s got his gun out again, only this time it’s pointed at Max.

“Awesome!” The way he talks to Evan almost makes me laugh. He sounds more like a friendly, laid-back dude than a thug with a gun. “You found Zoe!”

Evan lunges at Max and grabs his collar, then slams him up against the wall. "What the hell is going on here?“ he yells as his hands close around Max's throat.  

"I might ask you the same question." Max doesn't seem afraid of Evan at all. In fact, he has a smirk on his face the entire time Evan has him pushed up against the concrete wall. "You seem to have brought a lot of friends with you. And I do use the term friends loosely." "What is he talking about, Kyle?” Evan asks, looking over at him but holding Max firmly around the neck. 

“I think those guys are here. I saw a couple of them out front, skulking around in the bushes. They must have followed my car.” 

"Fuck! How the hell are we going to get out of here," Evan yells, his hands still gripping Max's throat. 

Max winces and coughs, then speaks in a very strained voice. ”If you let go of me, I can get you out of here.”

Evan gives Max's throat one final push, then backs up a step. "How the hell do you expect me to trust you after what you did with Zoe? What the hell were you planning on doing with her, you sick fuck!"  

Evan is still just inches from Max and looks like he’s about to go for his throat again when Max puts his hands up in front of him. “Look, I really don't care if you trust me or not. But if you’re willing to make a deal, I can get the three of you out of here without those men up there seeing you.” 

"What kind of deal?" Evan asks, still just inches from Max. 

Max looks at me, then back at Evan. "If you want to get your precious daughter out of here—“ 

"She's not my goddamned daughter, you sick piece of shit—“ 

“Oh sorry, god-daughter. You're going to have to calm yourself. If I’m not mistaken, I have the upper hand here. I can give all three of you over to your friends outside in the blink of an eye. And if he shoots me, you’ll never find the passageway out of the basement.”

“Okay,” Evan says, gritting his teeth and clenching his fists. “What’s the deal?”

“Like I said, if you want to get Zoe safely away from this house, I can show you a way out. In return, you don't ever mention anything you've seen down here. Not to anyone." 

"So, let you go on drugging and holding girls captive in this dungeon of yours, you mean?" 

"Whatever you want to call it is up to you. I don't expect someone like you to understand." "There's nothing to understand! You're a psychopath and you're using young girls for your own sick—” 

“Hey, Evan, let's just get the hell out of here,” Kyle says. “He's giving us a way out." He stares at Evan for a moment, then looks over at me. "We can get Zoe out of here, and away from those guys.” 

"But he's just going to keep doing this.“ 

“Dude, you can't save the whole fucking world. Let's just start here, with Zoe." 

Evan looks at me and I smile at him. "Let's just go," I say. 

"All right," Evan says, his arms folded. "How do we get out of here?"