“She shouldn’t have been anywhere near us when it went down,” are the first words I hear whispered as I drift back to consciousness, but I can’t place the voice right off. I’m still too fuzzy headed. I know something’s wrong, really wrong. It’s just not coming back yet.

“What the fuck are we going to do now? They took both of them. I can’t concentrate on this with them here. We were warned how bad it was going to be, but she didn’t sign up for this. Neither of them did.”

“We have to tell them. If our cover is blown, we’ll all be killed, and so will anyone else they think is involved.” What the hell are they talking about? My head hurts, and my mouth feels like it’s been stuffed with cotton balls. I hear a pained moan, realizing there’s a third person near me. I try to force my eyes open to see where I am. Turning my head, I manage to get them to open a little, and the light hurts my eyes. As they adjust, I realize there isn’t much illumination, but it’s enough to make the little dwarves that have taken up residence in my head increase their mining efforts on my brain.

As my focus comes in, it registers that I’m on a concrete floor, and it’s cold. My head is resting on something cushy, and I’m covered with something that feels like fabric, I’m guessing a blanket. I take in concrete walls, no windows, and three men—Rex, Emmett, and Braeden. Braeden is the one moaning, lying not far from me. Rex and Emmett are sitting up against the wall across from me, still zip tied. I realize then that I’m also bound. This instantly pisses me off, and as what I heard when I first woke up begins to register, my fury increases.

“Are you telling me you know how I ended up here?” My voice is rusty and weak, yet I still manage to convey my scorn for the two men propped on the wall. “Someone better start explaining.”