Adam shakes my shoulders violently, snapping me awake from my afternoon nap.

"Stop! Please! I'm awake!"

He pulls me to my feet the moment I speak, urging me towards the stairs. The chain is already off. As he rushes me through the house, I can't help but worry.

"Adam..." When he doesn't respond, I try to pull back. "Adam, please."

He turns, giving my arm a hard yank towards him, uttering a single, final word: "Don't."

I give him a nod and shut my mouth. When he sees my obedience I expect to see him crack a smile, but he turns away and pulls me forward with a blank face. I follow him in silence. Once we reach the kitchen, he forces me into one of the chairs already pulled away from the table. He gives me a command to stay still as he walks to the counter.

Thomas stands in my line of vision. Based on the fire in his eyes, I can guess that he hasn't forgotten how I grabbed him. He cocks his head to the side and I avert my eyes.

"Hands behind your back."

I do as Adam asks with no hesitation. He manipulates them until my fingers are uncomfortably and tightly intertwined, then binds them together with a zip tie.

"Feet next."

I place them together, lifting them slightly when he struggles to get a good angle around them. The slow zipping sound fills me with an ominous anxiety.

What the hell is going on? Why is Thomas here? Why am I being restrained? Why isn't anyone telling me what's going on?

Sounds of rummaging through drawers pick up just before Thomas makes his way over to me. I try to turn away, but he takes my jaw into his hand as he did when we first met.

I have no doubt I could get him off me. He's too cocky. I could jump up and knock him down by shoving him with my shoulder. Not that I probably wouldn't fall from it too, but it's something. Or, easier on my behalf, I could bring my legs up in between his. I have no doubt I could get him off me.

Still, I sit there with what little patience I have left and let his filthy hands examine me. When his fingers get too close to my mouth for my comfort, I have to fight the urge to bite them off. He watches my reactions to his invasion of my personal space with a smirk across his lips.

When he's satisfied, he lets go and spits in my face. My head flinches to the side as he chuckles. It's so gross and makes my skin crawl, but there's nothing I can do to wipe it off.

"Looks like it's finally starting to learn its place," he calls out to Adam.

Not even that can make me act up. I wait uncomfortably until Adam comes over to wipe it off with his sleeve. Once it's gone, he caresses my cheek and forlornly looks over my face. After a brief moment, he bends down in front of me and pulls out a syringe.

"This is a tranquilizer," he explains. "Nod if you understand."

My heart races but I nod.

"Good. It takes about five to ten minutes to take its full effect. You're going to feel a little lightheaded and dizzy. Eventually, you'll start to feel tired. Don't fight it when you do. Okay?" He turns the chair so I face the table, then guides my head down until my forehead rests gently on it. Thomas grips onto my head to keep it still as Adam brushes my hair off my neck. "Stay still, okay babe? This is going to hurt a bit, and I don't want to accidentally hurt you."

He stabs it in my neck quickly before I have a chance to react. As he starts injecting the liquid, my first instinct is to jerk away. Thomas holds on firmly, keeping me still as Adam strokes my hair with his free hand.

"Shh... It's okay. You're doing great. Just a little more."

I try to hold still but it's hard. Once he pulls it out, Thomas releases his hold on my head. As I bring my head off the table, Adam places a kiss on my forehead.

"Thank you, Rai."

"Adam, please," I start, finally hoping for a chance to speak. "What's going on?"

He kneels beside me, resting a hand on my arm. "Your little stunt yesterday earned us a visit from the cops. They're watching the neighborhood now. You can't stay here while they're here, so I'm sending you to Thomas's until they leave."

"No."

"Don't talk back to me," he warns. "I promise I'll come and get you the moment we're in the clear. When you're with him, you'll do everything he says. He has my permission to do anything he wants to you, except kill you, as a punishment. Please be good, and it won't come to that."

I nod, closing my eyes with a frown as my vision blurs. "I'll be good, I promise."

"Thank you." He kisses me gently, tipping my head back with the height difference. When he lets go, he coaxes my head back onto the table. "Don't fight it. Go to sleep. When you wake up, you'll already be there. We're going outside to throw a football around so everyone thinks that he's here to hang out. We'll be back."

Once I'm alone, it doesn't take me long for me to lose consciousness.