Chapter 62 Rock bottom
Elsie
Rough hands grabbed me before I could even collect my thoughts. My body was yanked forward, my legs scraping against the cold floor, and a cloth was pressed over my mouth. Panic hit me like a wave.
“Where are you taking me?…” I tried to scream, but it was muffled. I kicked, twisted, and struggled, but they were too strong. “Let me go!” They forced me into the car, the blindfold pressing against my face so I could see nothing.
The engine roared to life. I could hear the tires on the asphalt, the faint murmur of voices I couldn’t see. My stomach churned as fear pooled in my gut. I was hungry, thirsty, and weak. Where were they taking me?
The blindfold pressed against my face, I couldn’t see a thing. I tried to listen to every little sound, the shifting of the car, the changing of gears, the tires on the asphalt. My mind raced, imagining where they could be taking me. A warehouse? A secluded house? Or somewhere worse, like the forests outside the city where they can easily kill and dump my body? Fear pooled in my stomach, thick and choking.
“Please… stop… let me go…” I mumbled through the gag, kicking the floor with my bound feet. But the hands didn’t loosen. I realized then that there was no mercy in these men, no patience, no hesitation.
The ride felt endless. I couldn’t tell how long we’d been moving, only that my muscles ached, my throat burned, and my chest heaved with every panicked breath. Finally, the car slowed. Doors opened, and I was yanked out, stumbling onto cold cement. The blindfold stayed tight, and rough hands guided me forward.
A gruff male voice muttered something. “This one looks pretty. The bosses will like her.”
My stomach dropped. My heart raced so violently I could hear it in my ears. “No… no…!” I struggled harder, but their grip was unrelenting. Panic consumed me. I realized the truth, and it hit like ice water: I was being sold. My stomach churned, bile rising as I thought of everything I had done, every plan I had made, and how quickly it had crumbled.
The men pushed me into a building. It smelled faintly of damp and old wood. There was a low hum of voices in the background, muffled sounds that froze me in place. There were other hostages there. Other victims, bound, gagged, huddled in the corners. The sound of their muffled cries stabbed through me, making my throat tighten. I could barely breathe.
One of the men spoke in a low voice, discussing times and locations. “Tomorrow night, we move them across the border. .”
My heart stopped. “Across the border…” I whispered to myself. Fear gripped me so tightly I could barely think. This wasn’t a random abduction. This wasn’t just a scare. Mr. Malcolm… he was selling me. My chest heaved, and the ropes cut into my skin as I shifted, trying to make sense of it.
It hit me like a punch to the chest. The Lancasters… they were far deadlier than I had ever imagined. Every whispered word, every carefully hidden move suddenly made sense. That call I had overheard in Mr. Lancaster’s bedroom, the one I thought I couldn’t fully understand while hiding… now I knew. They dealt in human lives. And I was nothing more than merchandise.
And the boys… I had been a fool to trust them. I had imagined they would come for me, that they cared, that they would protect me. But no. They knew exactly what was happening. They had planned it all. Every step of my abduction had been theirs to orchestrate. I was just a pawn in their game, a means to an end, a thrill to be used.
I had been so arrogant, so certain I had some measure of control. I thought I could manipulate the situation, outsmart them, even use them to get what I wanted. But the truth was clear now. They had played me from the start. I wasn’t special. I wasn’t important. I was nothing more than a body, a toy, a name to be forgotten.
And the realization burned hotter than fear ever could. I had let my guard down. I had believed in loyalty and protection that didn’t exist. I had underestimated the cold, calculated cruelty of the family I had tried to outsmart.
I thought of my sister, of the mission I had carried for so long. My chest ached with guilt. Instead of focusing on revenge, I had let my curiosity, my boldness, and my small victories distract me. And now… it was over. I was no closer to justice than the day I had arrived in that house.
I bit back a scream, realizing it would do nothing. I had to stay silent, or the men might respond with violence. My lips pressed together, muffled by the cloth, but my mind screamed. I promised myself I wouldn’t let them break me completely. Not yet. Not if there was still a thread of hope that someone would find me. That someone would come for me before I was moved across the border, before my life became something that could be sold and erased.
And with that thought, the cold, cruel reality settled over me: I was completely at the mercy of my captors, alone, bound, and terrified. Every plan I had made, every dream of revenge for my sister, had to wait. Now, survival was everything.