The girl’s bare feet slapped against the dirty tiles, her breath ragged as she sprinted toward the main door. She almost made it—just a few more steps and she would have been free—but the guards stationed there lunged forward. One grabbed her by the arm, the other shoved her back against the wall so hard the frame rattled.
“No! Let me go!” she screamed, her voice raw, desperate. “Help me! Somebody, please!”
Her cries echoed across the motel hall, sharp enough to sink into the bones. My fists clenched at my sides, but I forced myself to keep still in the shadow of the room. Not yet.
The guards who had been chasing her before returned, furious. One swung his hand across her face with a crack that echoed down the hallway. She stumbled, clutching her cheek, tears streaming as she wailed in
