Chapter 42 The Ties That Bind

The scent of damp concrete and gasoline filled Mariana’s nostrils. Her wrists ached from the rough rope binding them to the chair’s arms, her skin raw where the fibers had bitten in. A single light bulb flickered above, casting long, twisted shadows along the warehouse’s steel walls. She lifted her chin, refusing to look weak, refusing to give Rodrigo the satisfaction. Rodrigo leaned against a rusted metal table, arms crossed, his dark eyes studying her like a predator sizing up prey. The scar slicing through his left eyebrow deepened as he smirked.