Lola’s screams sent a jolt of panic through Ella. “What are you doing?” she shouted, her voice shaking.
“Let me go! Don’t touch me! Grandma, help!” Lola’s voice was thin with fear.
Then Mrs. Harmon’s frantic voice came over the phone. “What do you want? Where are you taking Lola? She’s just a child. How can you be so cruel?”
“Mommy… I’m scared… Mommy, save me…” Lola was sobbing now, her cries breaking Ella’s heart.
Ella was desperate. “Stop! Don’t lay a hand on my daughter!”
Jessa’s laugh came through, cold and cruel. “Ella, I warned you. If you don’t listen, your daughter suffers. Right now, I’m having her taken away. Does she hate mice? Maybe I’ll lock her in a room filled with them. Imagine how scared she’ll be.”
“No! Don’t you dare touch her!” Ella’s voice was raw with terror.
“I don’t have to—if you do what these men want.”
Ella looked up. The men were closing in, their eyes hungry, their intentions clear.
“Go on, Ella. Take off your clothes. With a body like yours, why keep it hidden?”
Ella’s fingers tightened around her phone, her knuckles white.
“What’s the hold-up, Ella? My patience is running out. Your daughter’s life is in your hands. Only you can save her. I’m counting down now. Three… two…”
She could hear the countdown echo in her head. Ella clenched her jaw. “Fine. Just don’t hurt my daughter. I’ll do it.”
Upstairs, Jessa’s lips curled into a satisfied smile.
The men around Ella started hooting and calling out. “That’s more like it, sweetheart. Come on, take it off. You came here to have fun with us, didn’t you?”

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