The morning after our walk on the beach, Logan brings me breakfast, but he doesn’t stick around. He kisses me quickly on the lips and then leaves me alone to eat.

I’m so relieved. It’s hard to even explain what it means to me knowing that Logan is here to keep me safe. I suspected that he’d protect me, or that he was protecting me already, but now it’s just confirmed. Logan isn’t some bad guy asshole like everyone else. He infiltrated this group to try and save me.

All because my father sent him. A chill runs down my spine at the thought of my father.

I don’t want to go back to him. That’s like going from one prison right into another. I don’t want to be a part of that man’s life anymore, even if he’s the one that’s trying to save me. I don’t know what I’ll do at the end of this, but I’m not staying with my father. No matter what.

This experience taught me something important about myself. I’m not as weak as I think I am. I can handle a lot more than I ever imagined. Living out on my own and making my own life won’t be nearly as hard as surviving what I’ve gone through already.

I’ll run from my father. I don’t need his help or his money. I’ll make my own life outside of his reach.

There’s also Logan to think about. I don’t know what we’re going to be once we get away from here. Can we really have something beyond these walls? I feel in my heart that we could, but I don’t know what he thinks. It’s impossible to talk about it here, since they’re listening, but I need to know.

I can’t help but picture what life might be like outside of this place with Logan. I want to know how he lives, what he does on a normal day. I want to know everything about him. I’m not afraid of him, not anymore. There’s no question in my mind that he’s here to help me.

And I know my feelings are justified. Even if they came about in some strange and impossible way, they’re real and for a person that deserves them. That’s all that matters to me in this moment.

Despite Logan’s warning about something being off, I feel good all day. I can’t help myself. I just keep smiling, even though there’s nothing to smile about. I’m still locked alone in my cage, held by a bunch of psychotic bastards that want to sell me into sex slavery.

At least I know now that Logan will never let that happen. I don’t have to be afraid anymore, because I have him. And that’s like an enormous weight lifted from my body. I feel like I can breathe, really breathe, for the first time since I was taken.

The morning passes quickly, and soon I can hardly contain my excitement. I know Logan is coming again, and although we can’t talk, at least I’ll get to see him. Maybe even touch him. It seems silly now, but I can’t wait for him to get here.

He’s the man that I wait for. He’s the one that’s getting me through this nightmare. I didn’t even know it, but this whole time he’s been like my guardian angel or something like that, working to protect me from the other bastards that are keeping me here.

But soon lunch rolls around, and Logan is nowhere to be seen. I feel antsy, anxious, and can’t understand where he is. He’s almost never late for lunch, and I’m sure he wants to see me right now as much as I want to see him.

My heart swells around the time the sun is highest in the sky. I can hear footsteps outside of my door, and I’m sure that it’s Logan. I sit up when the latch switches open and the door slides inward.

But it’s not Logan. A man I don’t recognize walks into the room followed by another man, this one I feel like I’ve seen before, but can’t place him. He’s fat and bald with a wicked grin on his face.

“On your feet,” he orders.

“What?” I ask.

He walks up to me and backhands me across the jaw. I see lights flash across my vision.

“You’ve had it easy, bitch. That ends now.” He’s crouched down in front of me, his breath like rotten garbage on my face.

I whimper and nod, biting back the tears.

“On your feet,” he says again.

I stand up. The man nods at the guard, who proceeds to come into my room and take away every comfort Logan gave me. No more books, magazines, pillows, or blankets. When the guard is finished, I’m standing in a bare cell again, and the bald man smiles at me.

“I’m sure you’ve enjoyed yourself with Logan, but that’s over now.” He steps toward me, his smile morphing into something lewd as he looks at my body. I shiver and look away. “My name is Anton, and you’re mine, bitch.”

I nod but don’t look at him. I can smell his breath again as he chuckles.

“You’ll learn to like it,” he says. “For now, be quiet and be good.” He turns and leaves. The door closes and locks behind him.

I collapse into the corner, sinking down to the hard floor, trying not to cry, but the tears rip from me with convulsive suddenness. I sob into my hands as my jaw aches like crazy where Anton hit me.

What the hell just happened? Ten minutes ago, I couldn’t wait to see Logan again and things were okay. But now, suddenly this horrible, disgusting man says he owns me and they take away everything Logan gave to me.

I can’t help but think about Logan’s warning. He said things were getting bad and that I need to be careful, but I didn’t really know what he meant at the time. Clearly, these people are beginning to see through whatever cover he was using.

Terror strikes me in the stomach, sudden and fierce.

He knew this was a possibility. He told me about him because he was afraid that they were going to take him away.

He could be dead.

The thought devastates me. There’s no other way to put it.

Logan could be dead. He’s probably dead. I can’t imagine any other reason why they’d take all of that away from me. He’s no longer in charge of me, and that means he’s probably dead.

My sobbing intensifies, although I know that’s not what he’d want for me. And I can’t be sure that he’s dead. Logan clearly knows what he’s doing if he’s been able to survive this long. He was a Navy SEAL, after all. He’s probably the hardest, most capable man I’ve ever met.

I can’t give up hope, but it’s hard to hold on. Everything I thought was torn away from me in seconds. I thought Logan was going to appear and things were going to be okay, but maybe that’s just not my fate. Maybe I’m just fated to be a slave for the rest of my life, to be kicked around and abused forever.

What else can there be for me?

I was born into abuse. My father was a piece of shit that controlled me for as long as I can remember. And now I’m a slave to these people, and they’re going to use me however they want to. The only person to ever seem to give a shit about me, to actually go out of his way to try and help me, is probably gone now.

This is it. This is all that I mean.

I suck in a sharp breath and raise my head up from my hands. I wipe the tears from my eyes and release a large breath.

This is what I am now, and so it’s time to survive. I have to get through this. I can’t rely on Logan. If he’s really gone, I have to keep going, at least for him. He wouldn’t want me to roll over and take it from these bastards.

But as soon as I build up the confidence to resist, I remember his warning. He wants me to do whatever they say. How long can I do that for, though? A few days maybe. If he’s still alive, a few days is enough for him to try and get back to me. Afterwards, I’ll fight them with every ounce of my energy.

And then I’ll probably die. They’ll kill me somehow. Dying won’t be easy, but it’s all I have left.

I’m nothing already. It can’t get worse than this. At least now I can resist them. If Logan is out there somewhere, he’ll come back to me. And if he’s not, I’ll fight until I’m dead.

I stand and walk over to my cot. I lie back down and stare up at the ceiling, wondering how I’ll fight and what comes next. But I’m down for maybe five minutes before I hear more steps and the door flies open again.

It’s the guard from earlier. He walks in and grabs my arm.

“What are you doing?” I ask.

He grunts and yanks me from the cot. I go along with him as he shoves me into the hallway and slams the door behind him.

“Where—“

I don’t get the sentence out before he slaps me in the face.

“Move,” he says, and shoves me down the hall.

I obey silently, fuming and angry, but doing what I’m told. He hustles me down a series of halls until he opens a door and shoves me into a cell identical to the one I just left.

“You’re close to your new master now,” the guard says, leering at me, and then leaves.

I stand in the middle of the room before dropping down onto the unfamiliar bed.

New room, same situation. Logan can find me. He will if he’s around.

Otherwise, I’ll resist soon.

As I lie there on my bed, looking around my new room, I notice one big difference. It’s surprising, completely surprising, to see a mirror on the far wall.

I stand, curious, and walk over to it. I look at myself and frown, almost unable to recognize the girl staring back at me. She’s gaunt, tired, and dirty looking. My hair is a mess. I need a shower. I need to get rid of the bags under my eyes.

It’s me and it’s not me. Going so long without a mirror has been an interesting exercise. I don’t know how I feel about having one suddenly. I turn my back to it and walk away, trying not to think about the mirror.

I just need to focus on one thing at a time. Just one foot in front of the other, so to speak. I have to take it minute by minute until the end comes, otherwise I’m going to go inside.

I can’t think about Logan. I can’t let myself. He might be dead or maybe he’s not, I don’t know, I can’t know. I’m just a prisoner in my cage, praying that someone takes me away.

I’m in an impossible situation, but all things considered, I think I’ve done a great job so far. I’ve survived, despite everything going against me. I don’t even know what happened to my friend back at the club. Maybe she’s dead or maybe they have her. All I know is that I’m still alive.

I’ll keep on being alive until I know Logan is gone.