CARMEN
Every part of me went rigid. No sound escaped. I was too frozen in fear to move.
It was as if the words had turned my blood to ice in my veins.
Arthur is coming.
He is coming.
For me.
My mind instantly filled with images I wanted desperately to avoid, each one clawing for my attention.
His hand gripping my ankle, dragging my fighting body into the room of torture. His angry words filled the room. The fists. The boots. The door slammed shut.
My body reacted before my thoughts could even form. My heartbeat surged painfully. My fingers went numb. The room tilted at the edges.
“No,” I whispered.
Frank nodded once, grim but steady.
“A friend in Florida tipped us off,” he said. “After we brought you here, I backtracked as best I could to throw off anyone who might have followe
