Iwas just leaving Jade’s apartment to go to work when the cell phone Enzo gave me buzzed in my bag. Opening the passenger’s side door to my car, I set it on the seat and pulled out the phone.
Do not go anywhere. Stay where you are and wait for me to contact you.
Frowning, I typed a response.
I was just going into work. One of the girls called in.
His response was immediate.
Sera, do as I say. I will explain as soon as I can.
A second text came in right after.
Tell me you understand.
Oh, I understood fine. But I still needed to go in. He would be angry with me, but I already told my boss I would be there. Besides, I wasn’t completely stupid. Enzo had promised me enough money to start a brand-new life…when he was done with me. But what if something happened between now and then? What if he decided I wasn’t worth it, or changed his mind for some other reason? What was I going to do then? March into his hotel room and demand my money? I almost laughed out loud. He was mafia. If he lost his infatuation with me, or I did something to offend him, he’d put a bullet through me without thinking twice about it and my body would disappear, never to be found again.
I dropped the phone back into my bag, closed the door, and walked around the front of the car to get into the driver’s side. But instead of starting the engine, I just sat there for a minute, staring out the windshield.
Butterflies fluttered around inside my stomach and my heart pounded behind my ribcage. As cool as I tried to sound via text, the truth of the matter was I was very much affected by the thought of seeing Enzo again tonight. Last night had been hard. I’d spent most of it trying not to cry, and not just because of the physical pain of a man entering my body for the first time, but also because of the emotional rollercoaster I’d gone through. Emotions I hadn’t been expecting and that I’d tried very hard to hide. It had all been so…overwhelming, to say the least. I’d almost hated him last night. And I’d almost hated myself for getting myself into this situation.
But this morning had actually been kind of…nice.
No. Nice wasn’t the word. Mind blowing. Yeah, that was it.
My phone rang right as I started the car and was about to pull out of the parking lot. I put it back into park and rummaged around in my bag until I found my cell. ‘Hello?’
‘Sera.’ Enzo’s voice was hushed, but no less commanding.
‘Yes?’
‘Why didn’t you answer my last text?’
‘Because I’m in my car. I’m going to work.’ I kept my tone firm. I really needed to make up the time I missed last night because of him.
‘You can’t go into work, Sera. You’ve been found.’
My heart stopped and my entire body went ice cold. ‘What?’
‘My boss found out you’re here in Austin. But don’t panic. I talked to him and he’s not going to turn you in just yet. However, your location has been leaked to the boss. We don’t have very much time to get you somewhere safe. You need to lay low today until I figure something out.’
It took me a moment to find my voice. ‘I appreciate that. But I’m not your problem, Enzo.’
‘Sera—’
‘Goodbye, Enzo.’ I hung up the phone and shoved it back into my bag, ignoring it when it started ringing again, then I turned off the car and ran back upstairs.
It took me all of fifteen minutes to change into jeans, sneakers, and a T-shirt and hoodie (so I could hide my hair), and pack my clothes in a suitcase I took from Jade’s closet. I left her a quick note, thanking her for letting me stay there and for everything she’d done for me. I didn’t sign my name, or tell her I’d be in touch. Because it would be a lie. I couldn’t risk any communication once I was gone.
I had cash hidden in a rip in the fabric underneath the couch. No one other than me knew it was there. Not even Jade. I pulled out the cloth tote bag and unrolled it. It looked like everything was there, so I rolled it back up and stuck it down into my suitcase.
Back in the car, I debated stopping by the club one last time to try to pick up the paycheck they owed me. It was the end of the pay period, and they actually paid pretty decent, so it would be a sizable chunk of change I’d be leaving if I just took off.
I ran through what Enzo had told me on the phone. If what he’d said was true, I should be okay to stop there one last time and let them know I was leaving and get the money they owed me.
Mind made up, I maneuvered my way out of the neighborhood and onto the highway, heading toward work.
When I got there, the club was just opening, and the back lot was already pretty full of vehicles owned by the other employees. I pulled into my parking spot, got out of the car, and locked it with my key fob as I hurried toward the back door. The guard assigned to me wasn’t there, but I was filling in for someone else and it wasn’t on the schedule. He probably didn’t know I was coming in.
‘Why aren’t you dressed for work?’
I nearly screamed as I spun around, my heart pounding out of my chest. It slowed down when I saw a man in a suit standing beside a slick, black BMW sedan, then it sped up again as he stepped into the light of a lamppost. It was the guy who couldn’t keep his hands to himself. The one who’d left bruises on my inner thigh. ‘I was just heading in to change,’ I told him. I didn’t smile this time. ‘I’ll see you inside.’
‘Then where are your clothes, baby doll?’
I kept walking, calling back over my shoulder, ‘Inside.’ I didn’t know what he was doing in the back lot. It was small and for employees only. My instincts were telling me to get away, and to do it as fast as I could.
I was three cars away when he grabbed me. One hand covered my mouth and nose as his other arm wrapped around my middle, pinning my arms down to my sides as he hauled me back against him.
‘You think you’re too good for me?’ he said in my ear. I couldn’t breathe, and I fought against his hold, trying to pull his hand off of my face, but the dude was freakishly strong. ‘You’re not, you know. I can buy any woman in this place, baby doll. You’re not fucking special.’
The entire time he talked, he was dragging me backward into the lot. I kept my eyes glued to the back door, praying someone would come out. I tried to scream, but it was muffled by his large hand. I started to see spots and knew I didn’t have much time.
I heard car locks beep and a latch open, and then he was shoving me into the trunk of the BMW. As soon as he let go of me, I sucked in a lungful of air and screamed as loud as I could as I threw myself toward the opening, but he knocked me back with a hard backfist across my face. I hit my head on the car as I fell back, and for a moment, everything went black around me.
‘You’re not too good for me, bitch. And I think you need to be brought down a peg or two.’
The trunk slammed shut, and I was alone in the darkness. I heard the car door slam and the engine start. Frantically I searched for the emergency release that every new car had just in case a child—or an adult—got stuck in the trunk. I found a hole where it should be, but there was no cord to pull. Then I rolled over and started feeling around the back seats, but I couldn’t get them to budge from my position inside the trunk.
Even knowing it wasn’t there, I searched my pockets for my cell phone as I tried not to panic. But of course, I couldn’t find it. It was back in my bag, sitting on the front seat of my car.
As the screams rose inside of me and horror turned my blood to ice, I let the panic take over, kicking and banging my fists against the trunk, praying someone would hear me, and knowing it was too late.
