“Miss Evie!” One of the girls cried out in her defense.
Another one begged the man, “Please don’t hurt her!”
She could hear the girls’ whimpers and sniffles as she stumbled, nearly falling to the dirt floor below when the jerk shoved her roughly through the open doorway. For the sake of her students, Evie did her best to put on a brave front.
“I’ll go where you want,” she informed her escort. “You don’t have to push.”
“I said, no talk!” He yanked her down one of the cave’s crude tunnels.
What looked to be dug by hand, the labyrinth of hallways and rooms must have taken ages to complete. And given that she and the girls had each had their heads covered with black hoods for the ride here, Evie guessed very few people were privy to the hideout’s location.
A fact that didn’t exactly bode well with her hope of being found.
The smell of the makeshift bathroom filled her nostrils well before they passed it. Evie wanted to ask more questions. To demand this man tell her where he was taking her. But she bit back her inquiry, fearing she’d only anger him further.
They continued following the shadowed path. Positioned in wide, even intervals at the base of the walls, Evie noted several small, battery-operated lamps dimly lighting their way. A rough, painful pull of her upper arm swiftly brought her wandering thoughts back into focus.
Several more rooms were passed as she was forcefully guided down a second corridor on their left. Some, presumably used as sleeping quarters, held blankets, pillows, lamps, and books.
Evie was led past another carved-out room. A modest wooden desk and chair faced her from its place near the back wall. As they passed, she caught sight of a handful of manila folders stacked neatly on the desk’s rugged surface.
The man slowed his steps as they approached the next room on the right.
This one had a crude, wooden-slat door blocking their path. Her jerk of a guard kept his tight hold on her upper arm as he used his free hand to slide the door out of their way. With the path now clear, the man shoved her unceremoniously inside.
The first thing Evie noticed was the slivers of moonlight cutting through the dusty, dank air. A small, glassless window positioned high in the center of the room’s exterior wall allowed for the natural night light, and after having spent days in whatamounted to a dark prison cell wondering if she’d ever be set free, it was a welcomed sight to behold.
Soak it in, Evie. This just might be the last time you ever see it.
“Inside.”
Other than herself and the jerk who accompanied her, the space was empty. Unable to keep quiet a second longer, Evie turned to face the coldhearted man glaring back at her.
“Why am I here?”
He took a menacing step toward her as spit flew from between his yellow, crooked teeth. “Because you are a liar,” he spat angrily.
Her stomach dropped, and her mind raced, despite already knowing she’d done no such thing. “I-I don’t know what you’re talking about. I haven’t lied about anything! Y-you know my name, where I’m from…I gave you my father’s information and told you how to contact him for the ranso?—”
The man’s meaty fist slammed into the side of her face. The unexpected blow sent Evie’s entire body flying backward. Pain exploded, and tears immediately filled her eyes as she landed on the dirt floor with a loud thud.
A metallic taste crossed over her tastebuds, and it took her a moment to realize the warm, wet liquid dripping from her nose and one corner of her mouth was blood. Bringing a trembling hand to her throbbing face, Evie used her palm to carefully wipe it away.
“The number you gave to us was a fake.” The asshole squatted down beside her.
“W-what num…ah!”
A flash of pain ignited along her scalp as the man filled his fist with her hair. Giving the thick strands a hard pull, the bastard yanked her head back, forcing her to look him in the eyes.
“The phone number,” he growled. The hold he had on her left no escape from his hot, rancid breath. “We called. The man who answered said he had no children.”
What?
Evie’s stomach churned with dread. No. That couldn’t be right. Sure, her father had made it clear she’d disappointed him with her life choices, but he’d never go so far as to denounce her to the point of allowing her to bekilled.
Would he?
“There’s been a terrible…m-mistake.” She cried out again when the pressure at the back of her head increased. “I swear! I don’t know what happened. Maybe…m-maybe the person dialed the wrong…number.”