The driver cursed. “An hour ago, you needed a soda.”
“Yeah, well, we needed gas.”
Neither of them seemed to have noticed that I was awake and was moving around in the backseat.
I felt the tilt of the vehicle to one side and the crunch of gravel under the tires. Before he’d even parked, I heard a door being flung open. The car dinged incessantly, signaling a door that remained ajar.
“Oh, hello, sweetheart.”
My head swiveled in the direction of the voice.
The blindfold suddenly came off, gifting me with sight. It was dark outside, but the interior of the car was flooded with light due to the open door.
“Cletus,” the driver called out to his companion. “She’s awake.”
“Great, what do you want me to do about it?” Cletus replied, zipping up his trousers.
“We’ve been on the road for hours. I’m sure the bitch has to piss.”
“So? Fuck her.”
“So, I don’t want her pissing herself in the car. I’ll never be able to get the smell out of the upholstery.”
The back door opened, and before I could react, a hand grasped my upper arm. I instantly recoiled in distress and slipped out of his grip.
“We don’t have time for this,” Cletus growled, clasping me tighter and hauling me out of the car like I was a stuffed animal.
His fingernails clawed into my skin, and I hissed through my nose in pain.
“Easy,” the driver snapped. “He’ll be pissed if she shows up damaged.”
Cletus sniggered. “Maybe you shouldn’t have elbowed her in the jaw, fucktard.”
Or punched me in the stomach.
Cletus propped me up and let me go. My legs were wobbly, and I stumbled briefly, but with my sight returned, I managed to catch myself before falling onto the asphalt.
Cletus pulled a pocketknife from his pants and quickly released me from my binds. “Go.” He gestured to the side of the road. He leaned against the vehicle and crossed his arms over his chest, smirking. “We don’t have all night, darlin’. Time’s a wastin’.”
I shuddered at his use ofdarlin’, which only reminded me of Boxer. I held back a whimper. Breaking down while I was in the middle of some remote highway in the middle of nowhere without any clue about how far I was from civilization wouldn’t help things. Maybe that was why they hadn’t zip-tied my ankles: they knew I couldn’t run away. Where would I runto?
My mouth was as dry as sawdust, the smell of duct tape in my nose.
Cletus sneered. “Bitch, lose the pants. You either piss here and now or get back in that car and I’ll let you piss yourself and I don’t give a fuck what Paul says about it.”
I was about to burst and had no time for modesty. Whirling, I gave Cletus my back and fumbled with the button of my jeans and pulled them down. I couldn’t hold in the moan of relief when I finally emptied my bladder.
“Paul,” Cletus shouted to his friend. “You hear that moan? I bet this one is a screamer.”
“Shut up,” Paul snapped. “Get her back in the car, and let’s get going. Someone’s going to come by. Hurry the fuck up.”
I stood upright again and after pulling up my pants, I hastily buttoned them, wanting to cover myself as quickly as possible. Cletus came for me and quickly zip-tied my wrists in front of my body. He then wrapped a hand around my arm and shoved me toward the blue Honda.
Because I wasn’t completely in charge of my faculties, I crashed against the side of the vehicle.
“Easy,” Paul stated. “You want to incur Dante’s wrath?”
“I’m not afraid of Dante,” Cletus blustered, but his grip on me lessened.