“What the hell,” I whispered, barely breathing.

“Don’t move,” the man said.

His voice was deep and calm, almost too calm. Like he was used to giving orders. Like he didn’t care whether I listened or not—either way, he’d win.

My whole body stiffened. My brain screamed at me to run, but I couldn’t move. I couldn’t even blink. All I could do was stare at the gun pointed at the part of me I really didn’t want blown off.

The man shifted slightly in the chair, and his face came ...