“Done?” he asked when it stopped.
“Yes.”
He pulled her upward without warning, yanking her pants and panties upward and beginning to redo the button and zipper.
“Wait. I need to wipe.”
“Too late, and you’ll be fine.”
“Gross. Can I at least wash my hands?”
“Later. We have to move,” he growled, grabbing her by the rope between her wrists and pulling her out of the bathroom and down what seemed like an incredibly long hallway.
“You’re disgusting. A pig.”
“I’ve been called worse,” he replied.
She found herself being shoved into another room, and then he pulled off her hood. He was standing in front of her. His eyes were red, and he looked a bit gray. She was shocked to see that he was naked, and there was a large red wound that seemed to be almost recovered, but not quite. It was angry and still oozed a bit of blood. He’d obviously been injured recently enough that it hadn’t had time to heal, but why was he naked?
“Have a seat. I’ll be back for you,” he told her, turning to leave before she could protest.
She looked around at the room she was in. It was empty except for a small cot that sat to one side. The walls were cinder block and there were no windows. Once he was gone, she shuffled back toward the door, only to find it locked from the outside. She saw no way for her to get out. Feeling defeated, she scooted back over to the cot and lay down, staring at the bare white ceiling until it faded away to black.CHAPTER NINEFergus
“Let’s go, sleeping beauty,” Fergus said.
She hadn’t stirred when he opened the door and he’d been afraid that something had happened, but a closer inspection revealed her chest rising and falling and he found himself mesmerized by her for a moment. She was stunning, there was no argument there. It would be a shame to have to mess up such perfection, but he’d do what he had to do. One woman in exchange for dozens of missing ones was just the price that had to be paid, if it came to that.
When she didn’t move, he kicked the cot with his boot, causing it to clatter upward and back down again. That did the trick. She jumped upward, almost falling out of the bed due to her tied hands and feet. He considered untying them, but then changed his mind, at least for the moment.
“You have a decision to make,” he told her, reaching out to pull the tape from her mouth.
“What is that?” she asked, wincing.
“Are you going to be a good girl and ride in the front or do I need to put you in the trunk? It’s a long ride.”
“Where are we going?”
“Somewhere safe.”
“Safe for who?”
“Both of us.”
“I doubt that. I realized something while I was laying in here staring at the walls. I’ve seen all your faces and I know some of your names. You’re not going to let me go even if he does give you what you want.”
Fergus laughed. “I wouldn’t worry so much about that. Let’s get going. Trunk or front seat?”
“Front seat,” she sulked, seeming very down. It was to be expected.
“Wise choice.”
Fergus pulled out his knife. She cringed as he moved closer. Leaning down, he cut the ties around her ankles so she could walk a bit better and then closed it, stuffing it back into the pocket of the jeans he’d put on. The bags were already in the car and it was gassed up. He walked her out to it, noting how she watched everything around them to see where they were. He wasn’t worried about that. It wasn’t very much of a secret that they operated out of here, and though they weren’t visible to those who didn’t know where to look, it was well guarded at all times.
He put her in the passenger side, using a zip tie to attach her tied hands to the sissy handle above her with a long piece of chain. The windows were tinted, and it was at an angle that it couldn’t be seen at a glance by passersby. She protested, but he ignored her, getting in behind the wheel and starting the car. They had a long way to go and had already lost too much time. She was lucky he’d allowed her feet to remain free and left the tape off her mouth.
“How long will it take us to get where you’re taking me?” she asked.
Fergus knew it was just another way of asking where they were going. She would see where they were going as they traveled. There was no reason she couldn’t read the road signs along the way. He’d considered taking her in one of the vans so that she couldn’t, but he’d reasoned with himself that this wasn’t really her fault and he was no better than her fiancé if he mistreated her while she was in his care. As long as she cooperated, he’d treat her with as much dignity as could be managed.