Then he lowered himself to his knees, and with muffled grunting, gripped Addis’s ankle and dragged her forward. A howl of pain and fear burst from a primal place inside of her that she wasn’t even aware she had. Twisting her body back and forth, she tried to loosen his grip, and in doing so managed to kick his chin before knocking over the bottle of water.

Rage, swift and fierce, engulfed the man as he released Addis’s leg in favor of backhanding her across the face and snagging a handful of hair before she could fall back. Stars swimming in a person’s vision was a real thing, she learned.

Engorged purple veins throbbed on the side of his face as he screamed in hers. ‘Is that how you repay me for not letting Alex kill you?’ Spraying spittle flew from his mouth. Yank. ‘Are you listening to me? One word, and you’ll both be dead! Is that what you want? And it won’t be my fault this time.’ He thrust her away from him and pushed himself to his feet, marching a yard one way and then back again, deep breaths sawing in and out as he wrenched handfuls of his own hair.

Abruptly, he stopped, legs spread over her. Squeezing her eyes tight, Addis prayed, selfishly, that if they had to die, she’d go first because she couldn’t bear to witness her best friend’s murder. When the expected blows never arrived, she risked peeking.

Sweat peppered the man’s face as he towered above her, his eyes searching for something on the floor. Unable to stop herself, she traced the crevices along with him. She spotted it the same time he did – two white pills winking in one of the cracks. His glare promised retribution if she dared do anything, and Addis believed him. She willed herself to be still as he retrieved them.

‘Open!’ Not bothering to wipe the dirt, hair, and other foreign objects off, he placed a tablet on her tongue and tipped the now nearly empty water bottle just enough for the moisture to wet her tongue and throat so she could swallow. She gagged as the pill dissolved in her still dry mouth. At the same time, the droplet of water sent spasms shooting painfully through her stomach as her thirst was reawakened.

‘Get over here.’ It took Addis a moment to comprehend the order was directed at Emerson.

Tears and snot trickled down her face as she cricked her neck in an effort to send any strength she might have to her best friend, but Em’s wide-eyed gaze never wavered from the floor as she awkwardly scooted out of the crawl space.