Silas's blood ran cold. From the background, David's voice, laced with sadistic amusement, came out, grating on his nerves.
"Silas, my dear..." David's words dripped with honeyed malice. "Your girlfriend is with me. Look how pitiful she is, crying her eyes out." A hand, coarse and cruel, reached out from the shadows of the video, snatching Esme's chin in a bruising grip.
A whimper escaped her lips.
Silas's heart pounded in his chest, a mix of rage and terror flooding his system. His grip on the phone tightened, his knuckles turning white as he watched the video. The sight of Esme in such a vulnerable state, her eyes wide with fear and despair, tore at his heart.
David's voice continued, dripping with evil glee. "She's scared. Misses you terribly, wouldn't you say? You wouldn't want anything bad to happen to her, would you?"
