My throat’s hoarse from screaming through the gag, and I’m getting tired. I'm starting to really feel the exhaustion weighing down on me, but fear is keeping me wide awake.

I’ve tried to kick the trunk open to no avail. I've been kicking this entire time, hoping that maybe someone would see the thumping. It’s not really kicking though since my ankles are bound. So I’m pushing all my weight to my chest and thrusting my legs upward. It hurts. The zip ties rip into my skin with each blow. But I have to try.

It’s been a long time since he put me in here. I don’t know exactly how long, but I’d guess hours. The first time he slowed to a stop, I thought he would get out and try to stop me and shut me up. But he didn’t.

He either doesn’t care, or he’s confident that my struggling and muffled screams are useless. The soft sounds of the car rumbling and moving effortlessly against the smooth asphalt make my eyes shut. My fate’s no longer mine, but I still have fight in me. I can’t give up hope. I heard my phone go off in the front of the car a while ago. It rang a few times, but there's been nothing since.

I don’t know who it was, or if anyone else has called wondering where I am. Maybe he’s just shut it off. For all I know, he threw it out the window.

My eyes feel puffy and swollen with tears. I hate this. I hate how helpless I am. I'm bounced around painfully as the car passes over an uneven patch of gravel and then slows. My heart hammers against my chest, and the heavy weight of sleep vanishes, replaced with intense anxiety. We've stopped.

I keep perfectly still as he opens and closes his door. I wait to hear where he’s going. Part of me hopes he’ll forget I’m back here, like that’s even a possibility. Still, if that were the case, I could try to get the fuck out of here.

That stupid dream crumbles into dust as he opens the trunk. I bite down on the gag in my mouth and shake my head, trying to move away from him.

He looks at me with an intense stare that makes me want to cave to him. Something in his look sparks an electric current between us, but in a flash it’s gone.

I don’t fear him, not like the others. Some part of me feels safe with him. It’s a false sense of security, but it’s there, keeping me somewhat calm although anger is coursing through me.

He grabs my waist, hoisting me over his shoulder. I try to struggle, but his large hand smacks hard against my ass. Slap! His hand meets my bare skin underneath my skirt, and the shocking pain shoots through my body. My back bows, and a scream rips through my throat, muffled by the gag.

“Stop it.” His harsh admonishment makes my body go limp. I struggle to take a breath as I look around. There’s nothing but woods. I can’t see anything but woods.

He’s going to kill me. My heart hammers frantically and I nearly vomit, but then I see pavers.

Gorgeous stained concrete pavers make a perfect path surrounding a garden of lavender and rose bushes. Lush green grass trimmed to the perfect height separates the tiles. As we walk up some steps, I see columns with ivy growing up the side and over the roof of a pavilion.

I don’t have a chance to see anything else, but we’re at a house at least. I know that much. A home with a perfectly manicured, and well taken care of lawn. Which means other people will be here. Hope ignites within me.

I may be in the middle of the woods. But if someone comes, I can yell for help. If I find a way out, I can hide in the trees. The fight in me strengthens as he carries me through the doorway and shuts it behind us with a loud bang.

I look up and see the massive French doors that we walked through. They have a colonial touch to them, all classic lines and stark white coloring. The hardwood floors are dark, with wide planks. If this were any other day, I'd admire the architecture. But this isn't any other day. And this isn't a place to admire, it's a place that induces fear. It's beautiful, but it's still a prison.

Before I have a chance to look around and take in more of my surroundings looking for exits or anything I can use as a weapon, Kade carries me up the stairs and through a dark hallway. A room. He’s taking me to a room. My heartbeat picks up.

I can’t freak out. I need to pay attention and keep track of where the exit is. We walk much longer than I thought possible. If my count is correct, we pass six doors and an open hallway with a balcony that overlooks the entrance. It's hard to tell how many doors we pass exactly since the hallway is so dark, but when we get to the balcony I'm able to use the lighting to my advantage as I look around.

This house is huge. No, not a house. A mansion, maybe?

All too soon the balcony ends, and once again darkness takes over. I can barely make out a door to my left, and then he stops.

He lowers me to the ground more gently than I thought he would. The zip ties dig deeper into my ankles because of the angle, and I hiss in a breath. I hear keys jingling, and I look up to see an old set of keys in his hands. The keys look like they're made from cast iron, and I'm guessing he pulled them down from a nearby hook on the wall. I hadn't noticed earlier due to the distracting and excruciating pain in my ankles, but I can't make that mistake again. I need to stay alert if I'm going to get out of here alive. Kade carefully selects one key from the bunch although they all look alike to me. With a clink, the door unlocks and he pushes it open.

He looks down at me for a moment, but I’m too scared to look up.

I feel his eyes on me, but I keep my own trained on the ground.

I let out a yelp of surprise as he quickly picks up my small body and takes me into the room, cradling me in his arms. I resist the urge to rest my head against his hard, muscular chest.

My stomach hurts, and the exhaustion hits me harder than before.

He leaves the door open and carries me across the room onto a soft bed before setting me down gently.

He leaves me there, bound, gagged, and lying on my side. I close my eyes, listening to him moving through the room. It’s dark, but I can clearly make out a dresser in front of me. It’s an antique with glass knobs. I imagine the pulls have screws on the ends. I’ve seen them before at the hardware store. If I get a chance, I could unscrew them. I could use one to stab him in his jugular and get the fuck out of here. I just need him to untie me first.

I hear him gather items throughout the room and take them out to the hallway.

It seems like forever, listening to him rearranging the room. And then nothing.

It sounds like he’s gone. But he’s left me bound. I try to look around, but I can’t see anything besides the dresser. I wish I could move, but with my hands bound behind my back, I can’t. I try again uselessly to get out of the binds, but it only makes the pain worse.

I still as I hear his footsteps in the hallway. They grow closer and louder until he’s standing in front of me, his hips by my head. I can see the buckle of his belt, and his crisp white shirt that now has a smear of blood, no doubt from when he carried me.

He grips my forearm and with a quick slice, cuts the ties. Relief flows through me, along with new aches and the need to move. But I’m stiff, waiting for him to cut the ties on my ankles. As soon as he does, I fucking bolt.

I jump up and push against him with all my weight, and by some miracle, it forces him far enough away that I’m able to jump from the bed. I sprint as hard as I can, but I don’t make it more than a few feet before his hand grips the hem of my sweater. I let out a shriek, landing hard on my side, palms slamming against the floor as he drags me toward him. All the while I fight. I kick my legs blindly and scream for help.

My foot lands hard against his chest, but he doesn't even flinch. Instead he grips my hair at the base of my skull, and I yelp in agony as he yanks my head back. Tears leak from my eyes at the sharp pain, and my hands instinctively move to try and pry his fingers from my head. He releases my head, but the momentary relief I feel is quickly eclipsed by intense pain once more as he grabs both of my wrists. The stinging pain from the cuts intensifies.

With my wrists secured in one hand, he wraps his other arm around my waist and carries me back to the bed.

He pushes me face down on the bed, his large frame pinning me beneath him, forcing me still. He seizes the nape of my neck and squeezes until I go limp beneath him, surrendering the fight I so badly lost. Tears roll down my cheeks, every part of my body aching, and my soul crushed with hopelessness.

“This is your one warning.” His hot breath leaves chills down my spine, his lips barely touching the shell of my ear. A shiver runs through my body and the deep cadence of his voice makes my pussy clench with sinful thoughts. “There is no escape from this.”