Chapter 22

It was on the 27th day of her captivity that Freya learned to yield. She stopped fighting, gave up her hunger strike, and even offered him a small smile now and then.

Daniel was wary at first, but bit by bit, he began to believe she'd accepted her fate.

That morning, he stood by the bed, tying his tie. "What do you want for breakfast?"

Leaning against the headboard, her long hair spilling over her shoulders, Freya answered evenly, "Whatever you make."

His fingers stilled. Surprise flickered in his eyes, and then he smiled. "Alright."

He turned toward the kitchen, his shoulders at ease for once.

Freya watched his silhouette vanish at the doorway, then threw back the covers and fished a palm-sized computer from beneath the mattress. She had stolen it from Daniel's study the week before.

Her fingers flew across the keys, code streaming in a blur. Soundlessly, she breached the island's security system and sent an encrypted distress signal.

…

Three days later, in the dead of night,