Enticed:A Dangerous Connection (Secrets) by Melody Carlson Read Free Book Online Page B

that stuff that takes a lot of room. Kind of like a film lot, you know?”
    “Oh …” I try to wrap my head around this. I suppose it makes sense. When Mom and I toured Universal Studios, some of the back lots didn’t look that much different than this. I relax a little but still feel wary.
    He turns into what seems to be an alley now. “The warehouse is cheaper, too. You know how downtown LA rent can be. Anyway, their real offices are in this swanky high-rise downtown. They’ll probably take you there after you finish your photo shoot. I heard they’re having a special lunch catered for you girls.”
    “Oh, yeah … that sounds nice.” I nod, feeling reassured at the mention of other girls. Except that now I feel nervous. What if the other girls have real experience? What if I blow the photo shoot?
    He stops the SUV in front of a big, white cement-block building, and pushing the button on what looks like a garage-door opener on his visor, he waits for the big metal door to roll up and then drives the SUV into what looks like a dark hole compared to the bright sunlight out here.
    “We have to do off-street parking,” he says as the door goes down behind us. “To keep people from messing with our cars.”
    I’m not sure why, but as the garage door goes down, my heart starts to pound wildly. And now the feeling that something is wrong grows even stronger. I don’t know what or why or how, but all my instincts are telling me to run for my life. As I unbuckle the seat belt, I realize this might be an overreaction on my part, and yet somehow I know it’s not. My instincts are yelling at me to get out of here.
    I grab my purse, wishing I had my phone out and ready, and reach for the door handle. My plan is to casually step out of the car and look around and, if necessary, I’ll bolt in whichever direction seems best. Except that it’s so dark in here, I still can’t see a thing. I give the door handle a tug and it’s locked. I try and try, but I can’t open it. I feel sick.
    “Don’t worry, Simi. I’ll get the door for you.”
    “Oh … okay.” I start to open my purse, but before my hand is inside, he reaches back and snatches it from me. “I’ll take care of that for you.”
    “What?” My heart’s pounding so hard, I can feel it in my ears. “What are you doing?”
    “You need to understand the rules.” He smiles, but it’s a creepy smile, and his gold tooth gleams eerily in the green light coming from the dashboard.
    “The rules?” My mouth is dry and my hands are starting to tremble.
    “Yeah. When I let you out of the car, don’t you even think about running.” Now to my horror, he slips a shiny gunlike object out of his jacket and points it directly at me. “This might not look too intimidating, but trust me, a stun gun like this packs a big wallop. If you try to run or scream, it’s gonna hurt. A lot. And you don’t wanna get hurt, do you?” His grin is vile.
    “What’s going on?” I ask in a shaky voice. “Where are Marcia and Bryce? Why are you acting like this?”
    He chuckles as he opens his door. “Don’t you worry, pretty girl. You’re about to meet the dynamic duo.”
    As he walks back to open my door, my mind is whirling. Fueled by fear and adrenaline, I must think of a way out. I’ve heard if you’re abducted, your best hope of escape is to make a fast break before your captor gets you to an isolated place. But I’m already in an isolated place. All I can do is pray — dear God, please, help me! Please, please, help me!
    The door jerks open and he reaches in to grab me by the arm, roughly pulling me from the car. “I know you wanna run or maybe scream for help.” He shoves me in front of him, still holding tightly to my arm, twisting it behind my back so hard that I think my shoulder might dislocate. “They all think they can get away. But none of them make it.” He twists my arm tighter. “Believe me, you won’t be the first.”
    I stumble forward into the