The first thing I noticed was the smell. The air was so thick with ammonia that my chest felt heavy, the chemical burning my nose as I gasped for air. It was dark and musty and smelt so badly of mildew I almost gagged. It wasn't just the air that was making it hard to breathe though. As I started to come to, I realized my mouth was so dry that the skin of my lips tore as I tried to open mouth.

The cement floor was cold and hard beneath me, and covered in a layer of filth. My hands were free, but I could tell by the dried blood and the deep cuts in my wrists that they had been bound at one point. I moaned, every muscle of my body aching as I tried to roll over, gaining my bearings.

The room was dark, and I had to blink several times trying to adjust my eyes. There were no windows, and the door didn't even have a handle on the inside. There was no way out, even if I had the strength to try to escape.

Now that I was alert, I noticed for the first time that all I was wearing was a large white T-shirt. Thankfully, it covered my body, but it was tattered and worn and I had no idea who it belonged too. There was a tiny strap around my neck, like some sort of collar. My head throbbed, and felt so heavy I could hardly hold it up. Where was I? And more importantly where was Brandon?

He had only been gone a few seconds when Herrera burst into my hospital room. He didn't even try to coerce me to go willingly, just held a gun to my head and told me if I didn't cooperate, he would put a bullet right in my temple and then he'd go after Brandon. I was terrified into a trance, moving quickly and doing every single thing that he asked. I put on a brave face for the nurses, hoping and praying that Brandon would walk through the door at any second. He wasn't fast enough though, and as soon as we were outside of the hospital, I felt a prick and then a burning sensation in my back. That was the last thing I remembered.

I had no long idea how long ago that was. It could have only been a few hours, or it could have been several days. Regardless, Brandon had to be coming soon. He would've realized immediately what had happened, and I knew he wouldn't rest a single second knowing that I was with Herrera.

The thought was horrifying to me. I knew what Herrera had already done, but now he had nothing to lose. There was nothing to stop him from just killing me, or torturing me for days and making me die a slow and painful death.

My mind immediately went to the life growing inside of me. It wasn't just about me anymore, I had to stay strong for our baby. A baby I had dreamed about, that was now reality. A baby that was everything good about Brandon and everything good about me combined into one tiny, perfect little being. A baby who's well-being was now being threatened by a man who had haunted my family for years.

I couldn't let him take anything else from me. Putting my hand on my stomach, I prayed we would both be strong enough to survive this. Whatever it was. I had to protect our baby at all costs, and get us out of here as fast as possible.

I stood up, my legs almost buckling underneath me in pain. My feet were on fire and as I looked down, I realized someone had sliced the bottom of them so that it would stop me from running if I were to get out.

In a rush of adrenaline and rage, I lunged towards the door and started banging my fists on it.

"Let me out of here!" I shrieked, not sure who I was even talking to.

"Hey!" I yelled again when there was no answer. "I know you can hear me, Herrera. Let me out. If you let me leave now, I won't tell Brandon what happened. You can leave town and he won't come after you. I swear."

All of a sudden, an electric shock surged through my body so strong that it knocked me off of my feet. I put my hands to my neck, realizing that the shock had come from the collar they had me in.

"Would you shut up?" The door flung open and Dante stood in front of me. "Herrera isn't here, and if he was, he would absolutely laugh in your face. The only way you're getting of here is in a body bag."

"What are you..." I was so shocked to see him, I couldn't even finish my sentence.

An evil grin spread on his face. "What am I doing here? Instead of being a fucking call boy to your precious Brandon?"

I was speechless.

"You can't really be that dumb, can you?" He rolled his eyes. "Once Herrera realized you were going rogue, he approached me. At first, there was no fucking way, but the more I started to think about it, the more it enticed me. I've devoted years to Brandon and to that family and what has it gotten in return? A shitty position, constantly overlooked and never once appreciated for what I've given them."

"Brandon trusted you, Dante." I tried uselessly to reason with him. He was way past that point.

"But never quite enough. I was always the one that had to stay back with the bar, keep an eye on things on the home front. The way he treated me the night you got there was the last straw. I should've left long ago, but Herrera's offer gave me the kick in the ass that I needed."

"You mean the night you tried to molest me in his office? You're disgusting." I glared. "You deserve everything he'll give you when he gets here and realizes what you've done."

"Careful." He chuckled, holding up a remote. "I have control of that shock collar you're wearing. I'm the last person you want to piss off."

I clamped my mouth shut, not wanting to antagonize him. He was right, I couldn't take any chances. I had no idea what that thing could do to me, let alone the baby.

"Good girl." He grinned. "Herrera will be back soon. Why don't you just sit back down and shut your mouth so I don't have to give you more sedative?"

I wanted to fight. I wanted to scream and yell and hit him, but I had to control myself. It wouldn't do me any good, he was in control for now.