Ashley's POV
The world returned slowly—like surfacing from a nightmare, except the nightmare wasn't over.
Her wrists ached. Her throat was dry. The cold bit through her skin even though she wasn't outside. When she opened her eyes, everything was dim, sterile, and soulless—metallic walls, flickering fluorescent lights above, and a camera blinking red in the corner.
She wasn't alone.
Ashley's breath hitched as she tested her restraints. Her hands were zip-tied to the arms of the metal chair, ankles bound to its legs. Her lips trembled, but she held in the scream rising in her throat. Panicking wouldn't help.
Think, Ash. You're smart. Use it.
She scanned the room. No windows. A single reinforced door. The air had the slight hum of machinery—maybe underground? No visible clock. No sense of time. Just the buzzing of lights... and that camera.
She stared at it.
"I know you're watching," she said, her voice rasping.
Static buzzed.
Then a voice responded through a hidden speaker.
"Well, well. Looks like Sleeping Beauty's awake."
Rael.
Ashley's fingers twitched at the sound of him. She didn't even need to see his face. That smug, slippery voice oozed through the speaker like poison.
"You won't get away with this," she said hoarsely.
He chuckled.
"I already have, sweetheart. Leo's scrambling. Kieran's chasing ghosts. And you? You're just a piece on the board."
Ashley narrowed her eyes. "If I'm just a piece… then you're scared of the king."
Silence.
Then a slow, amused laugh.
"Bold. I like that. But it's not the king who ends the game—it's the one who flips the board."
The speaker cut off.
Ashley clenched her jaw, breathing hard.
She wasn't helpless. She was angry.
---
Hours—or maybe minutes—passed. It was impossible to tell.
Then, footsteps.
The door opened.
A masked man entered. Not Rael. Taller, bulkier. He placed a tray of food and water on a metal table nearby, not even glancing at her.
Ashley's stomach growled, but she said nothing.
The man turned to leave. But just before he did, he dropped something.
A pen.
On purpose?
Their eyes met—only for a second—and he left.
Ashley stared at the pen on the floor. It was inches away. But her hands were still tied.
He left it on purpose. A silent message? A chance?
She gritted her teeth and started to rock the chair gently, timing her shifts to inch the leg closer. It took time. Agonizingly slow, terrifying time. But eventually—
Clack.
The leg hit the pen.
She pressed her ankle against it, dragging it toward her foot. Her breathing grew shallow with focus. Come on, come on…
She hooked the pen between her shoe and the chair leg.
Now she just had to get it to her hand.
The challenge was maddening.
But this was what Rael didn't know about her.
She wasn't just the cheerful best friend.
She was relentless.
---
Back in Leo's apartment, he paced like a caged lion.
Knox had tracked the signal—sort of.
"It's bouncing off towers, rerouted through dummy locations. Rael's covering his tracks."
Leo slammed a fist into the wall.
"She's out there, and we're just—waiting?"
Knox's fingers flew across the keyboard. "No. We're watching. We'll catch the next packet of data. We just need him to send anything."
Kieran appeared in the doorway, face grim.
"He will," Kieran said. "He's addicted to control. He wants us to see what he's doing."
Leo looked up, eyes fierce. "Then we make him regret it."
Kieran nodded. "Starting now."
---
Back in the cold room, Ashley's fingers finally closed around the pen. Her hand screamed from the effort of twisting in the restraints, but she didn't stop.
It took several tries—shaky, blind stabs—but finally, she felt the pen press against the zip-tie.
And she sawed.
Slow. Careful. Back and forth.
The plastic started to give way.
Then—
Snap.
Her right wrist was free.
She worked faster, ignoring the raw, red skin.
Then her left.
Then her ankles.
When she stood, her knees nearly gave out. But she held steady, heart thundering.
She wasn't out yet.
But she wasn't trapped anymore.
Ashley took the pen, shoved it in her sleeve, and crept to the door. She pressed her ear against it.
No footsteps.
She turned the knob.
Locked.
Of course.
But she'd waited this long. She could wait for the right moment.
---
Outside the room, Rael sat in front of a bank of monitors. His expression unreadable as he watched the live feed.
And then—
He frowned.
Ashley's chair was empty.
His fingers drummed slowly on the console.
"Well, well…"
He pressed a button on his earpiece.
"Security. Room 3. Now."
But as the guards moved, he didn't look panicked.
He looked entertained.
"Let's see how far the mouse runs before the cat catches up."