Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 91402 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 457(@200wpm)___ 366(@250wpm)___ 305(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91402 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 457(@200wpm)___ 366(@250wpm)___ 305(@300wpm)
All he could do was sit there and watch them take me while his company burned behind him.
It looked like he was furious, but I had no way of knowing how much of it was directed at me and how much was a result of the situation.
But his anger visibly faded and was replaced with dread when he watched one of the other men pull a black bag from his back pocket and march toward me. The desire to run was so strong, my gaze darted around, searching for escape, but the tears burning at the corners of my eyes blurred my vision.
I knew I’d be able to breathe inside the bag, but it somehow felt like I was about to go underwater, and I gasped for breath. Everything I felt was mirrored on Shawn’s face.
“Wait—” My voice cracked, but the man didn’t.
He shoved it over my head, making everything black. I panted for air, the fabric clinging to my mouth and nose, and when I went to adjust it, rough hands grasped my arms, forced me to turn, and thrust me forward. Then they pulled me in a new direction. I was already disoriented from the bag, but I tried to keep hold of myself.
The heat grew stronger, and my legs went weak.
What if they push you into the fire, my irrational brain screamed. It was the worst possible way to go, burning alive in front of the people I cared about. But I stumbled along, half-carried by the men until the crackling flames were behind us.
Abruptly, the hands lifted me off the ground and pitched me forward. My elbows and knees took the worst of the impact as I landed on a hard, uneven surface, and something cut across my bicep.
One of them laughed when I swore with pain, and someone shoved my head down, forcing me to lie awkwardly in a cramped space.
Oh, shit. It was the trunk of a car.
“Take off your hood and I’ll put a bullet in each eye,” a voice said. The trunk slammed closed, and I yelped with surprise when the car lurched forward, peeling out.
My stomach filled with bile, and I gasped for air through the rough fabric. To keep myself from throwing up, I focused on the movement of the car.
Left, left . . . a bridge, then right. The car jostled, either over potholes or train tracks. The trunk stank of motor oil and faint decay, and I forced myself to keep memorizing the directions.
Another right turn. Or was that one more of a gentle merge?
Don’t think about the blonde woman who was murdered. Don’t think about whether you’ll ever see the people you care about again.
Were we driving in circles?
No. My heart sank further. It was a roundabout.
After what felt like thirty minutes, I gave up on the turns and focused on what else I could do, how I could work the problem. This might be my only time alone.
Besides being gorgeous, my dress had pockets hidden in the folds of its skirt. Not big enough for my phone; that was in my clutch somewhere back on the lawn, but it had room for my slim wallet—which had my ID in it.
I shifted, twisting in the cramped space to extract the leather pouch, which was extra difficult with my hands bound together. I hurried, not knowing how much longer I’d have before we arrived wherever they were taking me.
I unzipped the top and my fingertips fumbled over the plastic cards, searching for the one without any raised numbers or a heavy chip . . . but I found something I wasn’t expecting. Soft paper with raised ink.
Shawn’s business card.
I shoved it in my bra.
When I found my ID, I hid it inside my shoe, so I’d be standing on it when I was upright. At least it wouldn’t be the first place someone would check if they decided to search me.
The hood was hot and I was sweating under it, but I didn’t dare take it off. I ran my hands around the space, assessing the trunk’s interior, but it was nothing more than smooth metal. They’d stripped it of carpet and its latch release.
It was forever before the car finally stopped, but once it did, it was too soon. I wasn’t ready for whatever was waiting for me on the other side. Whoever was waiting for me.
The night air wafted over me when the trunk opened, chilling my skin. Hands lifted me out, set me on my feet, and dragged me across grass. Up steps and onto a hard surface.
Once again, the hands lifted and shoved and I flew forward. This time I skidded to a stop across what felt like a bare mattress. I scrambled to sit upright as sharp footsteps approached, and I drew in a deep breath. The hood was yanked off, and the static from the fabric made my hair fly around wildly.