48. Mai

Seth was gone a long time. Enough that I dozed off. After Seth went upstairs, I heard him and Isaac walk outside. I'm guessing it was so I wouldn't be able to overhear their conversation. Someone had come back about ten minutes ago. I could hear their footsteps moving around upstairs. The footsteps drew nearer to the basement door. I swallowed down my panic. I had no idea how I was going to stop Seth from breaking my bond. If he tried again, it would be a contest of stamina. Who tired first, Seth pulling them apart or me mending them. I was sure I could keep at it for a few hours, but after that, it was only a matter of time.

The door opened, letting a yellow glow in from the stairway. I squinted, adjusting to the sudden influx of light, as a figure began to descend. Isaac. A knot formed in my stomach, anger rising in me at the sight of him. I thought we were friends.

He wore his usual fitted black crew-neck T-shirt that clung to his torso just enough to hint at the strength beneath. A pair of rugged, dark jeans hung low on his hips, broken in from years of use. Around his wrists, he had on a couple of brown leather bands, worn and weathered. They were important to him, and he never took them off. His boots were military-grade, scuffed at the toes. His hair was cropped short, a no-nonsense cut that required minimal upkeep. But what always stood out and made the girls take a second glance at him was the dark stubble framing his jaw.

Isaac's face was weary, his movements were hesitant, and his gaze avoided mine as he walked down the steps.

He carried a tray with a sandwich, a water bottle, and a first-aid kit. Placing it on the floor, he straightened up, his gaze still not meeting mine.

"Thought you might be hungry," he mumbled.

My stomach churned with hunger at the sight of food. I pulled my hands against the rope and glared at him.

"Oh, right. Here let me." Isaac pulled a Swiss army knife from his back pocket and set about slicing through the rope.

The ropes snapped apart, and the rush of blood into my hands hurt like fuck.

"Ow!"

I rubbed my hands against my thighs, trying to get the circulation going.

"Sorry," Isaac said, and he set to work on my feet. "Seth should have released you earlier."

I glared up at him. "Seth should never have tied me up in the first place."

Isaac held my gaze for a moment, then nodded. The ropes came apart in his hands, and he gestured to the tray of food.

I crawled over to it; the feeling in my legs hadn't returned yet, and I didn't trust them to support me if I stood up. Falling on my ass like a newborn fawn was not a good look. Picking up the water bottle first, I unscrewed the cap and took a tentative sniff.

"It's clean."

"Like I can trust anything right now," I replied, then took a sip, my eyes never leaving Isaac.

"The food, it's ham and tomato. I remember you liked eating that after our sessions."

I would be so hungry after I trained with Isaac. He pushed me hard, and afterward, I could never make it all the way home before my stomach started growling at me. So I got into the habit of making a sandwich at home, taking it with me, and eating it on the bench outside the club while Isaac, my ride home, was writing out my training program for our next session. He liked to keep everything written down to see how much and how fast I was progressing.

"Why are you here, Isaac?" I asked as I took a big bite. The food tasted dry in my mouth, but I knew I had to eat. Had to build my strength up.

"I was looking for Seth. I didn't know, Mai, what he was planning. You gotta believe me. I never would have gone along with this." He waved his arm around the basement.

"Well, now you know."

The implication was clear: now that he knew what fucked up shit Seth was doing, what the hell was he going to do about it?

Isaac rubbed a hand against his shaved head. "It's not that easy."

"Of course it is. This is wrong. You know it, Isaac. Are you really going to let him do this?"

Isaac blinked, considering. "I… I'm sorry, Mai," he said finally and turned to go.

Damn it.

It was now or never. As he moved toward the door, I stumbled forward, launching myself at him from behind. He grunted in surprise as we tumbled to the ground, knocking the tray scattering in one direction, its contents skittering across the floor in another. Adrenaline surged through me, drowning out the pain of my injuries. I grappled with Isaac, a desperate kind of fury fueling my every move. He was caught off guard, flailing beneath me, his breaths ragged with shock.

My hands found their way to his throat, squeezing with as much force as I could muster. He choked, hands clawing at mine, but I held on, my vision blurring with the effort.

"Mai," he gasped, his voice barely a whisper. I could see the surprise in his eyes, the panic. But there was something else, too. Regret? It didn't matter. I tightened my grip, his pulse fluttering beneath my hands. He should have thrown me off by now, but he didn't. Just gripped tightly onto my wrists.

I hated this. Hated choking my friend, but I needed to get free. I slammed my knee into his stomach, aiming for his solar plexus. The air whooshed out of him, and his eyes bulged. I yanked my hands away from his throat and slammed the side of his head against the concrete floor.

Isaac's eyes rolled back, his body going limp underneath me. I slumped next to him. He could have stopped me at any time. We'd practiced this exact situation in training, though it was usually me being choked and throwing Isaac off. He let me choke him. He wanted me to escape.

Damn it. Why didn't he just let me go? Did his loyalty to Seth mean this was the only way he could square it with himself?

I didn't have time to work it out now. I jolted into action, rummaging through his pockets. No keys. No phone. Just a wallet and a few crumpled notes. I grunted in frustration, casting a glance at the open door and the steps leading up to the next floor. My only way out was up there, where Seth was, but it was a chance I had to take.

Muffling my footfalls, I tiptoed up the stairs, each thud echoing the words, "escape, escape, escape." I peered into the hallway, empty for now. The wooden floor felt cold beneath my bare feet as I padded down the corridor, my breaths shallow and quiet. When I reached the main door, I pressed my ear against it. Hearing nothing, I twisted the handle, the cool metal a stark contrast to my sweaty palm.

The door swung open, and, with one last glance at the house, I bolted into the dark night, my only thought to put as much distance between me and Seth as possible.