When Evie was escorted from her underground cell, she didn’t know if it was to be released or killed. Given the way she’d been treated so far, she suspected the latter.
Evie was still in shock from watching her friend die as she was shown through the underground complex by Lady, who walked behind her with the cattle prod.
“Where are you taking me?” Evie asked, her voice weak from fear and shock and hunger, but she got no response.
She walked on, and as she came into the main area where the table of death occupied the center, her jaw dropped. Sandra? It wasn’t just Sandra, either—her partner, Joshua, was there, too. They were chained to the table, like others before them.
“Keep moving,” Lady barked.
She was herded outside. The very moment the trapdoor opened, sunlight burst through and assaulted Evie’s eyes. She covered her face in protest, adjusting to her first natural light in what… three days? Five? She wasn’t sure, but it was so good to breathe real air again.
Lady shoved her into the back seat of a car, then climbed in beside the driver. It was the man who’d been watching the previous night. Evie wondered what their relationship was, and why he was yet to say anything.
As they drove toward the city, things began to look a little more optimistic. Not only was it a sunny day, but she was being taken into a populated area. If she wasn’t set free, perhaps she could break free.
Halfway through that thought, Lady turned in her seat and pointed the gun at her. “We’re going to pay a visit to Mason. Your life will be traded for my son’s.”
Mason. The very sound of his name brought forth a conflict of emotions. It was an incredible feeling to know he’d come through for her, but it didn’t feel like it was really him anymore. After knowing what she knew, how could she ever look at him the same way? “And that’s that? You’ll leave us alone?”
Lady Luck smiled and turned back around. “Just sit still.”
For the rest of the journey, nobody made a peep.
And all the while, Evie suspected the worst was yet to come.