Free Capture (Siren Book 1) by Katie de Long Page A

remainder of the sub-floor, but there's nothing else. Just the little puddles. With the unpleasant chill of my pants against me, it's hard feeling like the effort of climbing down there yielded anything worthwhile.
    The metal burns a hole in my pocket.
    What am I gonna leave here, for the next one? Will anyone even realize I was here? I've got nothing but the clothes on my back.
    The hunger burns, and aches, and even though I try to shut my eyes, I can't will sleep to come. I count the drips, wondering if they'll eventually fill the waters to the catwalk. Am I going to drown slowly?
    No. It's gotta just have a smaller drain than I was feeling for. I'll look for it again, as soon as I can persuade myself to get closer to the heinous water.
    Wherever the hell this is, it's secure as fuck . I'm going to die in a metal coffin.
    But that's not me; I know how to take a punch. If there's a way to survive, I'll find it. The claustrophobia, it's making me eat myself alive. But if I just keep my wits...
    I try the door again, still with no luck. No matter how hard I twist, it won't turn. The mechanism must be disabled on this side. I put my back to it and drop my head against its unyielding surface. And a dim light catches my eye, above the tank.
    I'm lightheaded enough I almost fall, climbing onto it. And from here, the fall would probably hurt a bit, though I doubt I'd break anything. But balanced precariously on top, I'm within arm's reach of a little video camera. It has to be newer than the rest of this, though it's certainly not up to snuff for modern tech. It's not wired into the wall; the cords are taped along it until there's a hole drilled for them to pass through. I tug as hard as I can at the cords, and when they fail to come loose, there's nothing left but to yank them out of the back of the device.
    Whoever's doing this, for whatever sick thrill, I refuse to give them that satisfaction.

Thirteen
    Milla
     
    Burning rage subsides to reluctant admiration as I stare at the static-laced screen. I should have known he wouldn't go down without a fight. And no one else has kept their wits about them enough to find my cameras. Admittedly, most of them are a bit harder to reach than that one, hard enough that it would be weeks of work for me to try to get casings for the cameras and install them all. No doubt having found the one, he's not going to take kindly to being surrounded with others. I have to assume that when I turn him loose into the main level, he'll keep a watchful eye for my other electric spies. That's not a risk I can take. Just knowing it's done, isn't enough. Not acceptable.
    I could override the door, let him wander out into the rest of my playland. Probably should , even. But I can't make myself do it. Just seeing his broken body isn't enough; I have to be the one to break him. Especially after what I did to get him here.
    The more difficult he makes it, the more satisfying it'll be in the end.
    I can't stay too long today. He'll be just fine on his own, and I've got work to do, both personal and professional. I've got hours to make up for leaving early two days ago, after all. And if I'm honest, I need the space. His touch still ghosts across my skin, and my throat is hoarse from my moans. I need to get some distance on what we... shared... if you can call it that.
    Besides—he seems to be unraveling fast. And it might have more impact to let him work through some of that shit on his own. A watched pot never boils, and all.
    Out of habit, I do a walkthrough, look at my work securing all the doors to the main deck. I've disabled the locks so they can only be opened from the inside. And to get inside, well, you have to take a few risky climbs. No one cares about the Siren , but she's mine. The ritual of testing the handles, throwing my weight into it to see if it moves... it's reassuring. She's constant. She's protective. These closed doors are a mother's embrace.
    I could die here. Someday, I hope to.
    A few