“Glad you’re pleased.” Ryan dug a bottle of water from each of two long pockets on the sides of his baggy khakis. He handed one to me and tossed the other into Abby’s cage and onto her mattress.

I opened my bottle and swal owed half of the contents in one long drink.

Above my head and to my right, the doorknob squealed as it turned. I screwed the cap on my bottle, my eyes glued to the stairs. My heart fluttered as I wondered which of our abductors I’d be facing this time. I glanced at Ryan, hoping for some clue as to what was about to happen, but he just shrugged and stood up, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

Red canvas sneakers appeared on the top step. It was Sean. I started to relax, remembering the genuine sound of regret in his voice on the ranch, and the fact that he hadn’t touched Abby. But then I remembered that his scent had been all over Sara, and I tensed again, my hands curling into fists at my sides.

“Hey, Sean,” Ryan said, and I saw tension fade from his face. He wasn’t afraid of Sean, which meant I probably shouldn’t be either.

Sean stopped, leaning down from the fifth step for a better view of the basement. “Ryan.” He exhaled deeply. “You scared the shit out of me. I thought you were Eric for a minute.”

“Nah, it’s just me. Whatcha need?”

“Nothing. I just came to say hi to Faythe.” He jogged the rest of the way down the steps and turned his eyes to me. “Hi, Faythe.”

“Hi.” I set my food aside and stood, looking from him to Ryan in amazement.

The relaxed quality of their greetings gave me chil s.

“Come on down,” Ryan said.

Sean shrugged. His gaze darted to the cage on my right as he passed it. His jaw tensed and moisture gleamed in his eyes.

Oh, shit. I thought. That was Sara’s cage. How could I not have realized that?

“How are you, Faythe?” he asked, tearing his eyes from the empty cage to meet mine.

I propped my hands on my hips. “How do I look?”

“Like hell.”

“Yep.” I nodded. “That about sums it up.”

“I’m real y sorry about al this,” he said, stuffing his hands in his pockets to duplicate Ryan’s pose. “I never meant for any of this to happen.”

That made two of us. “What did you mean to happen?” I asked, curiosity getting the better of me. I thought I understood Sean’s motive for snatching Sara.

But killing her…?

“Nothing. I just wanted to talk to Sara. I didn’t know they had any of this planned.” His voice sounded strange. Kind of hollow.

“What did you know?” I asked as Ryan shook his head frantical y at me from behind Sean. I ignored him. “Why did you let them take her?”

“I…” He paused, meeting my eyes for just a second before bowing his head and glancing away again. “Damn, this is going to sound bad, Faythe, but I bought her.”

I blinked, staring at him without even a spark of comprehension. He bought her. Eric had said he bought Abby, but what the hel did that mean? How do you buy a person?

“You bought Sara?” I asked, stil trying to understand. “Who did you buy her from? How much did she cost?”

“Nothing.” His face was disturbingly composed, yet he sounded offended, as if I should have been ashamed for asking the question. That was wrong in so many ways. “I didn’t pay money. Hel , I didn’t have any money. I promised my labor, just like Eric did for Abby.” He glanced at her briefly over his shoulder. “I have to work for him for two years, or until he agrees that my debt is paid, whichever comes first.”

For a moment, no one spoke, as Abby and I tried to absorb what he’d said.

Then she screeched, outrage reddening her face. “You paid for Sara by helping kidnap us? ”

Sean dropped his eyes, final y showing a little shame, but it was much too late to garner any sympathy. “I told you it would sound bad.”

Abby nodded hysterical y, curls flying. “It sounds fucking terrible.”

“She’s right, Sean.” I struggled to keep my voice calm and even. Behind him, Ryan rubbed his forehead, mouthing some kind of warning at me.

“I know.” Sean ran one hand through his lank brown hair. He looked as if he’d just been scolded for drinking from the milk carton. “I know how bad it sounds, but I never meant for any of this to happen. I only wanted to talk to her alone, so she could listen to me without her parents whispering in her ear. It just—” he glanced down “—it didn’t go like I planned.”

I shuddered as a frightening realization rolled through me. “You had her kidnapped so you could propose to her?” I couldn’t keep disbelief from my voice.

Ryan threw his hands into the air in exasperation, glaring at me.

Sean cringed. “That sounds bad, too, huh?”

“Yeah.” I nodded, so stunned my skin was tingling. “Real y bad.”

Sean stepped toward my cage, his eyes wide and intense, pleading with me to understand what he’d done. “She only chose Kyle because her parents liked him better. But Sara liked me. I know she did. And Miguel said he could get me some time alone with her. For a price.”

“So you promised him your services. For two years.”

“Yes.” He nodded enthusiastical y, as if pleased that I final y understood. “I would have promised him anything. But I didn’t know who he was, or how he expected me to pay my debt. And I had no idea he was going to lock Sara up.”