Isabella's POV
Cold water hit my face like a slap. I gasped, lungs jerking awake before my mind could really catch up to what was happening. The world blurred gray concrete, echoing voices, the sound of my heartbeat thundering inside my skull.
I tried to move, but the floor beneath me felt uneven and rough. My dress was damp and clinging to my skin. Somewhere in the distance, a door slammed. Boots scraped against the ground.
"Finally awake," a voice close to me muttered.
I blinked, forcing my vision to clear. Four, maybe five men stood in a loose circle around me. The light above was harsh and yellow, flickering every few seconds. My eyes darted from one stranger's face to the next until they stopped on someone familiar.
Ian.
For a split second, my chest eased. Relief hit so fast it almost hurt.
He was here. He found me. He'd come to help me.
But then I saw his expression he looked too pale and too still. Not the face of someone rescuing me.
