Jude glanced into the rearview mirror just in time to see an arm extend from the front passenger side of the SUV with what appeared to be a gun gripped by the gloved hand.
“Get down!” Jude shouted. He released the wheel with this right hand and grabbed the collar of Snow’s coat, yanking him forward. A second later there were two muted shots filling the silence of the early evening. The back window of the Jeep shattered followed by a loud popping sound. It had just registered that the shooter had hit the rear right wheel of the Jeep when the SUV rammed them yet again. This time, the driver crashed into them from the left side.
Everything seemed to happen in the blink of an eye. Jude could only react as quickly as possible. The Jeep fishtailed. He fought to keep it on the road, but the combined weight of the SUV and the blown tire threw the Jeep off balance. They plowed through the metal guardrail on the passenger side of the lane, and then the world turned upside down.
Metal screamed and crashed around them. Pain exploded in the top and the side of Jude’s head, leaving him disoriented. He couldn’t tell if only a few seconds or minutes passed before he was finally able to blink and find…nothing made sense. Everything was upside down.
“Jude! Jude!” Snow shouted beside him.
“Here,” he croaked. Even making that small noise made his head ache and throb.
“Are you okay?” Snow demanded.
“No.” He wasn’t going to lie. Everything seemed to hurt. A cold wind rushed into the Jeep from a broken window and chilled something wet on his face. “I think I hit my head.”
“Stay there. I’m going to help you out.”
Jude slowly turned his head to watch Snow struggle with his seat belt. It took him several seconds to get free, and then he landed in a heap on the ceiling of the Jeep. That was when Jude noticed the tight pressure on his chest and across his waist from where the seat belt was holding him while still hanging upside down.
More noise filled the Jeep as Snow fought his way out of his door and disappeared into the cold. Jude lifted his hand to the damp side of his face and pulled his fingers back to see blood.
“The cops are already on their way!” Snow’s voice drew Jude from his fragmented thoughts and back to the present. They’d been run off the road by an SUV. Someone had shot at them. Snow was out there with the people who were trying to kill them. He was alone and unarmed.
Jude’s heart rate ramped up and all his pains were forgotten in an instant. The only thing that mattered was getting to Snow. Jude grabbed at the belt buckle, but it refused to release. He couldn’t get free.
“Snow!” he shouted, but there was no answer.
A second later he could make out the faint sounds of flesh hitting flesh and a sharp cry of pain from Snow. They were attacking him, beating him. Fear and rage pumped like poison through Jude’s veins and he increased his struggles to be free. He had to get to Snow.
“Here…help me load him in the truck.” The words were low and from a voice Jude didn’t recognize.
“Snow! Snow!” he screamed over and over again, but there was no answer. Just the sound of rubber tires pealing out on asphalt and then a few seconds later, the growing wail of an approaching police siren. But they were already too late. They’d taken Snow, and Jude had no idea how to find him.Chapter 18The smell of piss, sex, and sweat filled his nostrils as Snow slowly became aware of his surroundings. It didn’t make sense, but the foul odor was unmistakable. He tried to open his eyes to see where the smells were coming from, but he was blind. Panic pumped in his veins, making him more aware of the throbbing headache that started at the back of his skull and splintered out toward his temples and into his eyes.
What the fuck had happened? Where was he?
The last thing he remembered was leaving the hospital with Jude. They were still waiting to see if Rowe could get any more information on the man behind the porn website and likely Jordan’s assault. Jude had driven. They’d carpooled that morning. Snow didn’t want Jude out of his sight any more than necessary.
They were followed.
The crash…
Jude!
Snow tried to lurch forward from where he was sitting to find that his hands were actually bound above him. He was…he was chained to a wall, he guessed by the sounds of the clinking links filling the silent room. He’d been grabbed and beaten by three men when he’d rushed to Jude’s side of the Jeep to help him get free. Had Jude gotten out safely?