Lucas and I had fallen back into our routine after I came back.
It was strange how quickly everything started to feel normal again.
Every morning he’d make breakfast while I pretended to read at the kitchen table, knowing I was really just watching him.
Every night we’d end up on the couch watching whatever movie one of us found first.
Some nights we didn’t even watch the movie in front of us.
We still hadn’t gone all the way.
I wasn’t sure when I’d be ready.
But every time Lucas touched me—even something as small as holding my hand—my heart still forgot how to beat normally.
We only had a few days left before holiday break ended, and we’d been taking advantage of every minute together.
It wasn’t perfect.
We still hadn’t talked about everything.
I still didn’t know what Dylan really had Lucas doing.
I still didn’t know why there was a gun in our apartment.
Or why Ethan…
But…
I knew one thing.
Lucas loved me.
That much wasn’t a question anymore.
I looked down at the bracelet wrapped around my wrist.
My thumb brushed across the metal absentmindedly.
I wasn’t ever going to take it off.
The bedroom door opened behind me.
“You ready?”
I looked over my shoulder.
Lucas was already dressed in black training clothes, a towel still hanging around his neck from his shower.
“Yeah.”
I smiled.
“You look tired.”
“I stayed up reading.”
“You fell asleep on page twelve.”
I frowned.
“I did not.”
Lucas laughed.
“You were snoring.”
“I don’t snore.”
“You absolutely do.”
“I absolutely don’t.”
He walked over until he was standing in front of me.
“So you’re calling me a liar?”
“I’m saying your hearing is terrible.”
“My hearing?”
“Terrible.”
He smiled.
That smile.
The one that barely lifted one corner of his mouth.
The one he never used around anyone else.
“You know,” he said quietly, “you’re lucky you’re cute.”
Heat rushed into my face.
“I hate when you say things like that.”
“No, you don’t.”
He reached up and tucked a loose strand of my hair behind my ear.
“You blush every time.”
I rolled my eyes.
“I do not.”
“You are literally blushing right now.”
“I am not.”
“You are.”
“I hate you.”
His smile widened just enough.
“No.”
His hand slipped into mine.
“You don’t.”
For a moment—
Neither of us said anything.
The apartment was quiet.
Comfortably quiet.
The kind of quiet I’d spent years wishing for without realizing it.
Lucas squeezed my hand once.
“I’ve got training.”
“I know.”
“I shouldn’t be too late.”
I nodded.
“I was thinking about going to the library after class.”
“Okay.”
“I need to return a book.”
He smiled.
“You always need to return a book.”
“I’m keeping the library in business.”
Lucas laughed under his breath.
“I’m pretty sure that’s not how libraries work.”
“Shows what you know.”
He leaned forward and rested his forehead against mine.
“I’ll see you tonight.”
My heart fluttered.
“Yeah.”
“You better.”
“I will.”
He hesitated.
Like he wanted to say something else.
Instead—
He kissed my forehead.
Then grabbed his bag and headed for the front door.
Halfway out, he looked back.
“I love you.”
The words caught me completely off guard.
He’d never said them first before.
Not out loud.
Not like this.
I felt my face get warm all over again.
“I…”
“You don’t have to say it back yet.”
He smiled softly.
“I just wanted you to know.”
I walked over to him and brushed a strand of hair out of his face.
He leaned into my hand without even thinking.
I just needed to touch him.
I wanted to say it back.
I really did.
But something inside me froze.
Something I couldn’t explain.
“See you tonight.”
Something softened in his expression.
Then he nodded once.
“See you tonight.”
The door clicked shut behind him.
I couldn’t stop smiling.
Then I reached for my backpack.
I spent so much time being afraid of everything.
One place I always felt welcome was the library.
Even back home.
I made the walk there and returned my book before wandering between the shelves looking for something new.
Usually I went straight to fantasy.
Today—
I somehow ended up in romance.
A medieval love story caught my eye.
A prince and his servant.
I picked it up.
The prince on the cover had long black hair.
For one ridiculous second—
All I could see was Nico.
I put it back immediately.
“Nope.”
I muttered to myself before moving on.
A few shelves later I found the LGBTQ section.
For some reason—
I got nervous.
I looked to my left.
Then my right.
No one was in the aisle.
I reached for a novel about two rival hockey players.
I smiled a little.
Maybe…
This really was my life now.
Maybe I could relate to stories like these.
Still—
I wasn’t ready to read one here.
I tucked it under my arm and wandered back toward fantasy, eventually finding another novel that caught my attention.
That one I opened immediately.
I found an empty table near the window.
Before I started reading, I looked around.
Students whispered over textbooks.
Someone typed quietly on a laptop.
A librarian pushed a cart of returned books between the shelves.
Normal.
Peaceful.
Safe.
The library had always been my place.
Even in high school.
My therapist used to encourage me to come here.
She said it was good to be around people without feeling pressured to interact with them.
She was right.
I read for about an hour before my stomach reminded me I’d skipped lunch.
I checked out both books and headed toward the apartment.
I had barely stepped outside when two men approached me.
They looked like Secret Service agents.
Dark suits.
Earpieces.
Professional.
One was bald.
The other had short brown hair.
“Are you Noah Bennett?”
“Yeah.”
The bald man nodded.
“We’re here about Lucas Carter.”
My stomach dropped.
“What happened?”
“Mr. Carter was injured during training.”
My heart stopped.
“Is he okay?”
“He’s conscious.”
The man kept his voice calm.
“He specifically asked us to bring you to him.”
“Was Dylan with him?”
The bald man looked at me for only a second.
“We’ll explain everything on the way.”
I reached for my phone.
I should call him.
Just to make sure.
My thumb hovered over Lucas’s name.
The bald man spoke again.
“Mr. Bennett, every second matters.”
My stomach dropped.
I shoved my phone back into my pocket.
“Take me to him.”
The bald man opened the rear passenger door.
Just before I climbed inside, he spoke again.
“We’ll need your phone.”
“What?”
“The medical facility has strict security protocols.”
Without thinking, I pulled it from my pocket and handed it to him.
“Here.”
“Thank you.”
I climbed into the back seat.
The other man got behind the wheel.
The car pulled away.
I couldn’t stop bouncing my knee.
What if Lucas was seriously hurt?
What if…
What if he never got to hear me tell him I loved him?
Why hadn’t I just said it?
What was I so afraid of?
The drive lasted nearly forty-five minutes.
Eventually we turned onto a narrow road surrounded by thick woods.
Then onto a long gravel driveway.
I didn’t question it.
There were probably private medical facilities hidden away for security reasons.
Right?
The trees finally opened.
An old garage sat alone in a clearing.
The lights inside were on.
I frowned.
“Lucas is… here?”
Neither man answered.
The car rolled inside.
The garage door rumbled shut behind us.
There were already two more men waiting.
The driver climbed out.
The passenger climbed out.
I reached for the door handle.
It wouldn’t open.
I pulled harder.
Nothing.
Child safety locks.
I knocked on the window.
Neither man even looked at me.
“What…?”
My voice came out quieter than I meant it to.
“What’s happening?”
The men gathered a few feet away.
One of them laughed.
“He came without a fight.”
Another smirked.
“Didn’t even have to force him into the car.”
My stomach dropped.
I pulled the handle again.
Harder.
Nothing.
I looked through the window.
The men weren’t even pretending anymore.
One of them glanced back at me.
Our eyes met.
He smiled.
Not kindly.
Like someone who’d just finished a job.
My heart slammed against my ribs.
Lucas wasn’t here.
He had never been here.
I wasn’t being taken to him.
I was the one they’d come for.
And Lucas had no idea where I was.
My chest started to feel tight.
What should I do? How do I get out of here?
Should I make a run for it?
I could crawl into the front seat and escape through one of the doors, but we were surrounded by woods.
We actually came down a dirt road to get here.
Dammit.
What if I never see my mom again? What if I never get to tell Lucas I love him back? I… I was selfish to never say it back.
One of the guys opened the door and I took the chance. I ran.
The trees crowded both sides of the dirt road, and I barely made it a few steps before I tripped over a root.
Shit. Shit. Shit.
The root caught the toe of my shoe.
I went down hard.
My palms scraped across the dirt, and pain shot through my knee as it slammed against the ground.
For half a second, I couldn’t breathe.
Then I heard them behind me.
“He’s running.”
Footsteps pounded down the dirt road.
Too close.
I shoved myself up.
My knee almost folded beneath me, but I forced it straight and stumbled toward the trees.
Branches caught at my hoodie.
One dragged across my cheek.
I didn’t stop.
I couldn’t.
The woods were thick enough that I could barely see where I was going. Roots twisted through the ground. Dead leaves slid beneath my shoes. Every direction looked the same.
Trees.
Dirt.
More trees.
No houses.
No road except the one behind me.
No one who could hear me.
“Stop!”
I ran harder.
My lungs burned.
My chest felt too tight to pull in a full breath.
I could hear them gaining on me.
One of them laughed.
That sound scared me more than the shouting.
They weren’t worried I might get away.
A hand closed around the back of my hoodie.
The fabric tightened against my throat and yanked me backward.
I swung my elbow without looking.
It struck something solid.
The man cursed and let go.
I stumbled forward.
Two steps.
Maybe three.
Then someone hit me from the side.
My shoulder slammed into the ground.
All the air left my body.
I tried to roll away, but a hand caught my ankle and dragged me back through the leaves.
“No!”
I kicked wildly.
My heel connected with someone’s shin.
He swore.
Another man grabbed my wrists.
I twisted beneath him, clawing at the dirt, trying to pull one hand free.
“Get off me!”
“Hold him.”
“I am holding him.”
A knee pressed into the middle of my back.
My chest flattened against the ground.
I couldn’t get enough air.
“Please.”
The word came out before I could stop it.
Small.
Weak.
I hated how it sounded.
“Please let me go.”
No one answered.
Something tightened around one wrist.
Rough rope.
Then the other.
They pulled my arms behind my back until my shoulders hurt.
I fought harder.
Not because I thought I could win.
Because I couldn’t stand the feeling of them arranging my body however they wanted.
“Stop moving.”
“Where is Lucas?” I demanded.
The man kneeling over me pulled the rope tighter around my wrists.
I gasped.
“Is he hurt?”
Another man grabbed the back of my neck and forced my face toward the dirt.
“No one said you could talk,” he muttered.
“You said Lucas was hurt,” I said, my voice cracking. “You said he asked for me.”
The bald man stepped into view.
He looked down at me as if I were something spilled on the ground.
“He didn’t.”
My stomach dropped.
“What?”
“Lucas Carter never asked for you.”
I stared at him.
The dirt pressed against my cheek.
My hands were already going numb behind me.
“Then why am I here?”
He crouched.
Close enough that I could see the faint scar beside his mouth.
“That isn’t a question you need answered.”
He stood again.
One of the others pulled me up by my arms.
Pain tore through my shoulders.
I cried out.
My legs barely worked beneath me.
The man holding me didn’t care.
He dragged me back toward the garage while the others walked beside us.
I tried to dig my heels into the dirt.
It did nothing.
My shoes carved uneven lines through the road.
“Please.”
No one looked at me.
“I won’t tell anyone.”
That made one of them laugh.
“You don’t know anything.”
“Then let me go.”
The man gripping my arm tightened his hand.
“Keep walking.”
“I can’t.”
He shoved me forward.
I nearly fell again.
The garage grew closer.
Its open doorway looked black from where I stood.
I turned my head toward the trees.
For one horrible second, I imagined Lucas coming through them.
Angry.
Breathing hard.
His eyes fixed on me.
I knew it wasn’t real.
But I still looked.
Nothing moved between the trees.
No one was coming.
They dragged me inside.
The garage smelled like oil, wet wood, and rusted metal.
The car sat where they had left it.
Its doors were still open.
My phone rested on the hood.
I saw it immediately.
Only a few feet away.
Lucas’s name might still have been on the screen.
I lunged toward it.
The man behind me jerked my arms upward.
Pain ripped through my shoulders.
I screamed.
“Careful,” one of them said. “You’ll hurt yourself.”
He said it like he was doing me a favor.
The bald man picked up my phone.
He turned it over in his hand.
The screen lit.
Lucas’s picture appeared beneath the missed-call notification.
My breath caught.
Lucas had called me.
Once.
Then again.
The bald man noticed me staring.
“Someone misses you.”
“Give it to me.”
He raised an eyebrow.
“Please.”
He held the phone where I could see it.
Another call came through.
Lucas.
The vibration rattled softly against the man’s palm.
I stopped breathing.
“Please answer it.”
The bald man watched the screen until the call ended.
Then he pressed the side button and slipped the phone into his pocket.
“No.”
My eyes burned.
“He’ll know.”
“Eventually.”
“He’ll come looking for me.”
“That’s what we’re counting on.”
The words hollowed me out.
I stared at him.
This wasn’t only about me.
It had never been about me.
I was bait.
“No.”
My voice barely worked.
“No, you can’t.”
The bald man turned away.
“Move him.”
Two men took hold of me again.
I twisted between them.
“Lucas has nothing to do with this.”
Neither reacted.
“He doesn’t even know where I am.”
“That’s the point,” one of them said.
They pulled me through a door at the back of the garage.
A narrow set of stairs led downward.
Concrete walls closed in on both sides.
A single bulb buzzed above us.
I stopped at the top.
Every part of me refused to go farther.
“No.”
The man behind me shoved me.
I stumbled down the first step.
“No, please.”
Another shove.
My shoe slipped.
They caught me only to keep me from falling all the way.
“Keep moving.”
I tried to turn around.
One of them grabbed my face and forced me forward.
“Don’t make this harder.”
I couldn’t stop shaking.
“I’m scared.”
The admission escaped me in a whisper.
No one answered.
The stairs ended in a small room.
No windows.
Concrete floor.
Concrete walls.
A metal pipe ran along the ceiling.
There was one chair in the center.
Wooden.
Old.
The sight of it made my stomach turn.
“No.”
I backed into the men behind me.
“No, I don’t want to sit there.”
They pushed me forward.
I planted my feet.
It didn’t matter.
One of them grabbed me around the waist while another forced me down into the chair.
I kicked.
My heel struck the floor.
Again.
Again.
A hand clamped over my shoulder.
“Stop.”
“No!”
They tied my ankles to the chair legs.
The rope scraped over my skin.
I pulled one foot back before they could secure it.
The man caught my ankle.
His fingers dug in hard enough to hurt.
“Please don’t.”
He tied it tighter.
Then the other.
My wrists were untied only long enough to be pulled around the back of the chair.
For one second, my hands were free.
I tried to shove myself up.
A man pressed both hands against my chest and slammed me back into the seat.
The chair legs scraped across the concrete.
“Stay down.”
They pulled my wrists together behind the chair.
The rope wound around them again and again.
Each loop took away another inch of movement.
I flexed my fingers.
Tried to keep space between the rope and my skin.
The bald man noticed.
He stepped behind me and pulled the knot tighter.
Pain shot through my wrists.
A sound left me.
Not quite a cry.
Not quite a gasp.
He leaned close enough that I could feel his breath beside my ear.
“You’re not getting out of that.”
Then he stepped away.
I tested the ropes anyway.
My wrists barely moved.
My ankles were fixed to the chair.
Another rope crossed my chest, pinning me against the wooden back.
I couldn’t lean forward.
Couldn’t stand.
Couldn’t turn.
Every instinct screamed at me to move, but there was nowhere for my body to go.
The men stood around me for a moment.
Checking the knots.
Talking quietly.
As if I weren’t there.
As if I were luggage they had secured for transport.
The bald man walked to the door.
“Wait.”
He didn’t stop.
“Please.”
My voice sounded thin in the concrete room.
“Don’t leave me down here.”
He glanced back.
“Someone will be with you soon.”
“Who?”
He smiled.
Not kindly.
Then the door shut.
The lock clicked.
Their footsteps disappeared up the stairs.
I sat there listening until I couldn’t hear them anymore.
The bulb buzzed overhead.
That was all.
No voices.
No traffic.
No sound from outside.
I pulled against the ropes.
The chair creaked.
Nothing loosened.
I tried again.
Harder.
The rope burned across my wrists.
I twisted my hands until pain climbed into my forearms.
Nothing.
My breathing started to speed up.
I looked at the door.
Then the walls.
Then the floor.
There had to be something.
A nail.
A sharp edge.
Anything.
But the room was almost empty.
The chair.
The bulb.
A drain in one corner.
That was it.
I pulled my ankles apart.
The rope held.
My chest tightened beneath the rope wrapped around me.
I couldn’t fill my lungs properly.
“Okay.”
My voice shook.
“Okay.”
I tried to breathe slowly.
In through my nose.
Out through my mouth.
The way my therapist had taught me.
The room still felt like it was shrinking.
I felt the bracelet around my wrist.
It was half-hidden beneath the rope.
Lucas had touched the bracelet that morning.
Only a few hours ago, he had held my hand.
He had looked at me like there was nothing in the world he wanted more.
I love you.
I squeezed my eyes shut.
“I love you too.”
The words fell into the empty room.
Too late.
I said them again.
Louder this time.
“I love you too.”
My throat closed around the last word.
Lucas couldn’t hear me.
He had called.
He knew something was wrong now.
But knowing wouldn’t tell him where I was.
The road had been long.
The woods were endless.
I hadn’t watched where we were going.
I had handed them my phone.
I had climbed into the car.
I had done everything they wanted.
Because they said his name.
A sob pushed into my throat.
I tried to swallow it.
Another followed.
I lowered my head.
There was nowhere to hide my face.
No hands to cover my mouth.
No way to curl in on myself.
The ropes kept me upright while I broke apart.
“I’m sorry.”
I didn’t know whether I meant Lucas or my mother.
Maybe both.
My mother would call.
She would keep calling.
Lucas would go back to the apartment and find it empty.
He would see the library books missing.
He would look for me.
What if these men found him first?
What if they brought him here and…?
That thought was worse than being alone.
I lifted my head.
“No.”
My voice came out ragged.
“You can’t come here.”
I looked at the locked door as if Lucas were already standing behind it.
“Don’t come looking for me.”
The bulb hummed.
My wrists throbbed beneath the rope.
I pulled once more.
Nothing.
I finally stopped fighting.
Not because I wanted to.
Because I had no strength left.
The chair held me in place.
The room stayed silent.
And for the first time since they had taken me, I understood how completely they had me.
I couldn’t run.
I couldn’t call anyone.
I couldn’t even wipe the tears from my face.
All I could do was sit there and wait for the door to open.
Completely at their mercy.