Captive
Holloway kept a tight arm around Brie until they were safely in the vehicle and miles away from the theatre.
When the driver handed back a new phone, Holloway finally let go of Brie and sat back in his seat. With a sickening smirk, he began texting furiously.
Once again, Brie was struck by the surreal nature of her capture. When his driver pulled onto the avenue and they were stopped by traffic, she looked out the window at a family in the car beside her. She saw a little girl with blonde hair in the back seat staring at her intently. The girl reminded her of Mary.
Brie was desperate to cry out for help when the father turned to look in her direction, but she kept silent when she glanced back at the little girl—she couldn’t risk Mary’s life.
Holloway ordered his man to pull into an alley and informed him, “We’re transferring vehicles.”
“Venom will help you out,” Holloway barked to Brie without looking back as he exited the vehicle and slammed the door behind him. The car rocked from the force.
Brie froze when a skinny man climbed out of the dark van in front of her and started walking toward the vehicle. He had a dark countenance that terrified her.
The man had a strange tattoo peeking out of the collar of his shirt. As he approached, she realized it was the head of a large cobra looking like it was ready to strike.
Brie could not explain it, but this man terrified her on an instinctual level she’d never experienced before.
When he opened the car door and nodded toward the van, Brie hesitated—petrified to leave the safety of the vehicle.
The look he gave her chilled her to the bone. The moment she got out of the vehicle, he threw a black hood over her head and tightened the drawstring around her neck, stating, “You are his property now.”
The weight behind those words paralyzed her. Still, she cried out, “Never!”
He leaned closer, warning in a deadly tone, “Every time you speak, Mary Wilson will be punished.”
Brie gasped, offering no further resistance when he grabbed her wrists and cuffed them behind her back. As soon as the man pushed her into the van and slid the door shut behind him, it lurched forward.
She could hear Holloway cussing up a storm in the front seat. It was obvious he was still rattled by the unexpected interruption at the Egyptian Theatre. He hadn’t anticipated it, which proved he wasn’t as clever as he thought.
Brie knew Sir would find her again, and she held on desperately to that hope in the hours that followed as they drove farther and farther away from LA…
The van didn’t stop until late that night. The instant the driver threw the vehicle into park, Brie heard Holloway mutter, “You know what to do, Venom.”
When the van door slid open, Brie was confronted by the heavy humidity in the air. It clung to her skin as it invaded her lungs, making it hard to breathe under the hood.
Strong hands grabbed Brie’s ankles and yanked her out of the van. She fell to the wet ground, grunting in pain. The earthy scent of a forest filled her nostrils as the terrifying man named Venom pulled her back to her feet and uncuffed her.
“Strip,” he growled.
“No.”
Her defiance was met with a hard backhand to her face, making Brie gasp in pain.
He replied darkly, “How much do you want her to suffer?”
She realized he was talking about Mary, and instantly regretted her decision. With trembling hands, she slipped out of her dress, resigning herself to her current fate.
To protect Mary, Brie knew she had to play out this repulsive role Holloway had set for her. But Greg Holloway had always failed to appreciate how strong she was. Whatever he had planned, she would not only survive it but would escape from his clutches, taking Mary with her.
Until then, Brie’s sole focus was to continue playing along to protect Mary and give Sir the time he needed to locate them.
Venom grasped her arm tightly as he marched her down a muddy path. The cold mud was so slippery that her bare feet could find no traction and she fell several times. Each time she slipped, Venom jerked her back to her feet and berated her.
Brie stiffened when she heard Holloway’s low chuckle behind her. It seared her soul to know he enjoyed watching her struggle.
Although the hood still covered her head, Brie held her chin high in defiance of the man. It was foolish of Holloway to think he could ever break her!