Alpha's Private Plaything (Elsa and Drake Stone) novel Chapter 198

Elsa

My eyelids felt like they weighed a thousand fucking pounds. Opening them required every ounce of willpower I possessed, my heart hammering against my ribcage like a trapped animal. My hands were bound behind my back with what felt like rough rope digging into my wrists, each tiny movement sending sharp pains up my arms.

Where the hell am I? Shit, shit, shit.

Darkness surrounded me, broken only by a thin line of light coming from under what I assumed was a door. The bass from the club music vibrated through the floor beneath me, each thump matching the pounding in my skull. I was still in Moonlight Bar, then–just locked away in some storage room or private area like a piece of fucking

trash.

“We can’t move her yet,” a deep voice said from outside. “Too many people. We wait until the crowd thins out.”

“How long’s that gonna take?” another voice replied, higher–pitched

and impatient. “That drug won’t keep her out all night.”

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“Just a couple more hours. After 2 AM, we’ll take her out the back.”

They’re going to kill me, I realized with sudden, terrifying clarity, cold sweat breaking out across my forehead. These motherfuckers drugged me and now they’re going to kill me to keep me quiet about

whatever I overheard.

I twisted my wrists violently, testing the rope’s strength, feeling my skin tear as I fought against the bindings. It was tight, but not professionally done. I could feel a slight give when I pulled hard enough, my nails digging into my own palms as I strained. The adrenaline surging through my system helped me fi… the drowsiness from the drug, though my head still felt like it was stuffed with cotton and soaked in gasoline.

With an agonizing tug that nearly dislocated my shoulder, I managed to roll onto my side and then into a sitting position, my body trembling with effort. I shook my head violently, trying to dislodge the tape over my mouth, my nostrils flaring as I struggled to breathe. After several attempts, I felt it loosen at one corner. I worked my jaw until I could get my teeth around the edge, then yanked my head to the side, tearing it off with a muffled grunt.

“Fuck!” I hissed as the adhesive ripped at my skin like it was taking a layer off. “Goddamn it.”

The small room came into better focus as my eyes adjusted to the

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darkness, pupils dilating frantically to capture any hint of light. No windows, just bare walls and some shelving units stacked with liquor

away

in a boxes. I was in a storage closet or private lounge tucked corner of the bar. No place to hide if those bastards came back in.

I bent forward, bringing my bound hands under my ass and legs until they were in front of me, my muscles screaming in protest. Then I raised my wrists to my mouth and began gnawing at the rope like a desperate animal. The fibers were rough against my tongue, tasting of dirt and sweat, but after several minutes of determined chewing, my teeth aching from the effort, I felt them start to give way.

“Just a little more,” I whispered to myself, spitting out strands of rope, a string of saliva hanging from my chin. “Come on, you piece of

shit rope.”

Finally, with one last desperate tug that sent pain shooting through my wrists, the bindings snapped. I rubbed my raw wrists, wincing at the burn, seeing the angry red welts already forming on my skin.

1

I need to get out of here. Now. Fucking now.

I crawled toward the door on hands and knees, my body still too unsteady to stand, pressing my ear against it so hard it hurt. The two men were still talking, their voices sending waves of disgust through

1. me.

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Chapter 198

“I’m going upstairs to check in with the boss,” the deeper voice said.

“Watch her and don’t do anything stupid.”

“Come on, man,” the higher voice whined, making my skin crawl. “I’ve

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