“He instructed me to give you this.” She held out a large white pill and offered me a glass of water.
“What is it?”
“The morning after pill.”
A block of ice formed in my stomach. “Oh.” The sound left my chest along with all the air from my lungs, as though someone had punched me.
“He wants me to give you a birth control shot, too.” She gestured at the waiting syringe on the cart.
My fingers went numb, and the glass of water dropped from my hands, soaking the carpet.
Lauren was saying something in a harsh tone, but I couldn’t listen. I couldn’t focus on her. All I could do was feel the pain my heart ripping open. I gasped for breath, pressing a hand against my aching chest.
I had unprotected sex with my captor. I could have gotten pregnant. And I begged for it.
A maddened laugh bubbled from my throat. Of course I couldn’t have gotten pregnant. Andrés had made provisions to ensure his fucktoy didn’t inconvenience him with a pregnancy. He’d sent his mindless slave to give me the morning after pill and a birth control shot.
Stupid. So fucking stupid.
I’d Stockholm-Syndromed the shit out of myself. I’d been scared of him in the beginning of my captivity. How could I have forgotten that was exactly what I was: his captive?
He’d told me so many times that I was his fucktoy, his pet. But my brain had reasoned its way around that horrible reality and presented me with a pretty fantasy that he actually had secret feelings for me.
He’d never lied about the fact that he was a master manipulator. And I’d fallen for it. I’d let him shape me into his willing, eager plaything.
I had to get out, before I lost my mind completely.
My training kicked in, and Lauren wasn’t at all prepared for the half-crazy FBI field agent who launched herself at her. I tackled her to the floor, pinning her on her front. I wrapped my arm around her throat and squeezed, putting pressure on her artery.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered, tears almost blinding me as she went limp beneath me, slipping into unconsciousness. I released her immediately, not wanting to cause her any lasting damage. Lauren might be loyal to Andrés, but she was still a victim.
I pushed up off her still form and raced to Andrés’ wardrobe. I slipped on one of his huge dress shirts, only taking the time to secure three buttons with shaking fingers, just enough to cover myself.
Lauren groaned, and I hurried back to her. I braced my arm around her waist and dragged her upright. She stumbled along beside me, somewhere partway to consciousness. I pulled her through the bedroom, into the sitting room, and straight to the elevator. I pressed her thumb against the call button.
The door slid open without a sound. No angry buzz. Nothing to alert anyone that I was escaping.
I shoved Lauren back into the sitting room and jammed the button for the door to close before she could come back to her senses. She was still blinking up at me from where she was sprawled on the floor when the silver doors slid closed. I pressed the button for the ground floor, praying no one else had access to this elevator except for those Andrés trusted. I couldn’t afford to be stopped on my way down.
Adrenaline coursed through my system, my body preparing for a fight. If I did meet anyone, I’d remember my training for once.
I have to get out. I have to.
The elevator glided all the way down to the ground floor without stopping. When the doors opened, I found myself at the end of a long corridor. I could see light at the end of it, streaming through a glass door.
I started moving before I fully thought it through, my feet racing toward freedom. If I could just get outside—
A hulking body blocked the light in front of me, blotting it out as he ran straight for me.
“Hey!” he shouted. “Stop right there.”
I didn’t stop. I launched myself at the man, my fist connecting with his jaw. He reeled back, and I darted past him. His fingers tangled in my hair, and a defiant shriek left my lips as he dragged me back, away from the light. Using his leverage on my hair, he jerked me toward him so he could grab my upper arms. Before I could get my hands up, he slammed me back against the wall. My head cracked against it, pain lancing through my skull. The world flickered around me, and I lost control of my limbs.
“How did you get out?” he asked, his voice rough with anger. “I saw you running down here on the security feed. You whores are supposed to be locked up on the third floor.”
Blinking hard, I willed the world to stop spinning. As soon as his furious, red face came into focus, I slammed my forehead into his nose.
He dropped me with a curse, and I stumbled forward. My head ached, and my vision swam.