Sunlight

"I'M SORRY I HAVE TO do this."

"Your hands are shaking. Is it your first time cuffing a man?"

"I think you already know the answer to that," I mutter under my breath.

"So...not even when you're playing games with your boyfriend?"

I'm about to tell him I've never had a boyfriend...but catch myself in time.

Or at least I thought I did...until I see the way his violet eyes are gleaming knowingly at me.

Ugh.

I tighten the handcuffs around him, just enough to make him wince, and my mood brightens. Good.

That should teach him.

He may be a foot taller than I am, and more than twice my weight, but I'm the person with the gun, and he's the one cuffed to the steering wheel.

That means I'm still in control.

Right?

Or does he want me to think I am...even when I'm not?

I don't want to look into his eyes, but avoiding his gaze feels like surrendering the upper hand.

Just get it over with, Liz.

I lift my head...and fight against the immediate urge to look away.

Idiot. Idiot. Idiot.

Everything about this guy is too hot to be real, and that's what makes me feel like I'm the biggest idiot alive.

I had a plan, darn it.

But one look into his violet eyes, and everything about it went flying out of the window.

"What exactly is your plan here?"

His sudden question catches me off guard, but it's the maddening calmness of his voice that I find frighteningly disconcerting.

I'm still in control.

Right?

"Do you even know what Bucks is?"

Instinct warns me to keep my mouth shut, but this only makes his gaze narrow at me.

"It's where people go when they need to sell something quick—-"

Why do I have a bad feeling about this?

"—-without being asked any questions."

I'm out of the car in a flash, and I'm finding it harder and harder to breathe with every step I take.

Please, God. Please.

The words come out of nowhere. I've never even prayed before, and I don't even know if He'd care to listen.

Help me save him .

But when you're desperate, there's nothing you won't try.

Please.

My heart thuds against my chest as I climb up the snow-covered steps of Bucks. It looks like any old farmhouse on the outside. But as soon as I'm past its doors, it's as if I've stepped into another world, and it's one where I'm completely out of place.

Over a dozen armed men are standing guard, and at the center sits an older man behind a metal table scarred by nicks, scratches, and bullet holes.

Everyone here looks as if they eat death for breakfast, lunch, and dinner...while the most dangerous thing I've ever done in my life - aside from taking someone hostage - is forgetting my gloves when it was time to give my baby a medicated bath.

"Hello, miss. Are you lost?"

His friendly tone is an invitation of trust, but all it does is remind me of how nice Migs also sounded while threatening me over the phone.

I can feel everyone watching me as I move forward. They're obviously not taking any chances, not even with someone like me.

"I'm looking for a gold-plated collar." I was hoping to come across as confident, but the opposite happens when the words come tumbling out in a high-pitched squeak.

Way to go, Liz.

Not.

"We have a number of those in our collections. Perhaps you could be more specific?"

"It has —- "

My voice trails off when I see the old man start scribbling on his tablet.

"You can have it back for this amount."

I feel like throwing up when I see what he's written.

$1000

"But since you're potentially a new customer, we're giving you a discount."

He crosses the old figure out and writes a new one.

$999

I clear my throat. "Do you, um, accept credit cards?"

"No."

"Venmo?"

"Cash only."

Oh God.

"I'm sorry, but I only have $120 with me."

He cracks a smile. "Because your honesty is a treat..." The older man touches the screen of his tablet with the tip of his stylus and shows me the adjusted price.

$99.9

"I'll take it," I say right away, and I hurriedly dump my wad of twenties on the table.

"Here you go."

My heart lurches as he retrieves 's collar from a drawer.

The tracker in this collar was supposed to point me to where Migs and are, but that obviously isn't the case.

Where do I go from here?

The older man unlocks another desk and the bills disappear inside of it.

"It was a pleasure doing business with you."

"Can I ask who—-"

The old man shakes his head. "We do not get involved in our client's business."

"I just—-"

All of his guards take a threatening step toward me, and I realize I've reached a dead end.

"Please come again," the old man says with a smile that doesn't reach his eyes.

What do I do now?

I come out of Bucks in a daze. This was my last hope, and I just don't know what to do anymore.

Are you still waiting for me, ?

You're still okay, right?

Please wait for me.

I trudge my way back to the car through ankle-deep snow. My mind is still a mess when I open the passenger door, and seeing it empty is the last straw.

Oh God.

I crumble to my knees.

Help me.

Please.

Help me.

I close my eyes, but all I see is my precious dog.

My , who only knows how to love.

He was only two months old when he was rescued, beaten black and blue by his former owner in one of his bouts of drunkenness. The man had begged to see one last time when the authorities came, and the puppy had willingly jumped into his arms, tail wagging and barking as if to say...

I know you didn't want to hurt me.

I will always choose to see the good in you.

And I will never lose hope that you'll one day change.