I skip the front door in favour of walking around the back of the building.
There are cars parked out the front, but that was the same the last few times I’ve been here. Left and abandoned as their owner rotted in hell—or at least that was what I thought was going on.
My heart thumps against my ribs as I come to a stop by the back door and push the handle down.
It’s locked. But I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or not.
I slide the key into the lock, cursing as it cuts through the silence around me before pushing the door open.
Everything is silent, peaceful as I walk through the utility room and into the kitchen. Nothing is out of place, and I quickly decide that this is a trap just like I feared on the drive over here but was stupid enough to ignore in case I was wrong.
I take two more tentative steps toward the hallway just to convince myself nothing or no one is here before I can take off and find whatever is going on that I’m being distracted from, but the second a voice hits my ears, everything changes.
“Toby,” she calls.
Hearing her after the hell I’ve been through this week is like taking a bat to the chest, and all the air rushes out of my lungs as I race forward, forgetting any consequences.
“Jodie?” I call back. “Where are you, baby?”
“Toby,” she cries again, but it’s quieter this time and I spin around, my heart dropping to my feet as my eyes land on the basement door.
“No,” I breathe.
I didn’t go down there when we searched the place—Nico did it for me to save me the pain. But there’s no escaping it this time.
Swallowing down my fear, I pull the door open and face the darkness.
My hand shoots out to where I know the light switch is, but despite flicking it on, nothing happens.
“Toby.” Her voice is louder, more pained this time, and I forget all about being able to see as I fly down the stairs, muscle memory from the number of times I’ve descended them taking over as I fumble with my phone to put the torch on.
I’m almost at the bottom before the small light finally brightens the space up.
I gasp as screens suddenly illuminate around me, and I scream like a fucking girl when the door at the top of the stairs slams with a bone-chilling bang.
“NO,” I bellow, panic rising within me as my heart rate picks up.
I look around, my eyes barely focusing as I look at the video feed of Jodie sitting around the table in the dining room at her house with Joanne and Jonas.
“No, baby.” I rush forward, focusing on her instead of my situation as I take in the cuts and bruises on her face.
He’s hurt her. He’s raised a fucking hand to her.
A sob rips from my throat as I’m forced to continue watching them there playing happy families, although the look in Jodie’s eyes is anything but happy.
I jolt as her voice comes from somewhere behind me. “Toby will find me, and they will kill you.”
“That pathetic piece of shit doesn’t care about you, sweetheart. He only wants to hurt me. I’m the only one who loves you.”
My stomach turns over, and I’m powerless but to vomit up the contents, which is little more than the whiskey from last night.
“No,” she argues. “That’s not true.”
“He’s using you, Jodie. As soon as he’s got what he wants, he’ll drop you as fast as he found you.”
“No,” I scream. “No.”
Another screen flickers to life, and I find an image of Jodie and Joanne curled up together in what I can only assume is a dark basement.
“Jodie,” I cry. “Fuck. FUCK.”
I stumble back against the wall, completely useless.
My chest heaves as I stare at the screens showing the same video clips on repeat as her begging voice comes through a speaker, quickly followed by him trying to convince Jodie that I don’t care about her. That she’s only a game to me. A way to hurt him.
Sliding down the wall, my arse hits the floor and I drop my head into my hands as red-hot tears burn my eyes.
I’ve failed her. I know there’s no getting out of this basement. I’ve tried enough fucking times. I also know that he’s put a signal blocker down here, so I can pray for a miracle all I want, but it’s fucking pointless.
No one ever saved me down here before. No one is going to save me now.