Emerald’s head pounded as she slowly came to feel the cold, damp air filling her lungs. Her eyes blinked open, adjusting to the dim light of a single bulb swaying overhead. She found herself in a grimy, windowless room, the walls stained and bare. Panic surged through her as she realized she was tied to a wooden chair, her wrists and ankles bound tightly with rough, cutting rope.

She struggled against her restraints, but the rope dug painfully into her skin, making her efforts futile. Her mind raced, trying to put back together the pieces of memories of her abduction—the sudden yank as she stepped out of the Uber at...