Whether it was a fist or an elbow, I wasn’t sure. But it slammed right into my nose, and my head exploded with stars. My body went numb, my hearing muffled and sight blurry. The wild thump of my heartbeat against my ribs was violent, panicked, as if my heart could leap out of my chest any second. My adrenaline spiked, and I had the sense of things moving too quickly, making it impossible to process what was happening.
The next thing I knew, I was in the trunk of a car with my hands tied behind my back, my feet tightly bound together. Once they closed the trunk, I was cloaked within darkness, my sight stripped away. I heard the ignition start, and my body thrashed against the hard panel of the trunk as the car sped off. Judging by the sound of tires spinning on the asphalt, the car was driving fast—too fast. It was mere seconds when men started screaming, and what sounded like gunshots being fired. But among the different sounds of chaos, I heard something else. Something familiar. But my senses were scattered, and I couldn’t place it.
“Lose the fucking tail, man.”
“I’m trying, okay? Fuck!”
Between rapid breaths, I heard the panic in their voices while I struggled to free myself from the ropes.
“Where the fuck did these assholes come from?”
“I don’t know, but you better fucking lose them, or we’ll all be corpses by dawn.”
My jaw clenched as I tried to swallow the threatening tears. I didn’t know what was going on, or where they were taking me. All I knew…I had been kidnapped.
The car jerked and swerved to the side, sending my back slamming against the metal of the trunk. A sharp ache jolted up my spine, but the adrenaline made me forget about the pain instantly. Harsh braking, sudden turns, and rough acceleration had me crashing into all corners of the trunk. But no matter how much it hurt, the only thing I could think about was getting away. Even while tied up, my legs felt jittery, as if ready to run.
“Jesus Christ. This was supposed to be a simple job. Kidnap the girl, make the delivery. Done. Now we have the goddamn Kings on our asses.”
Kings?
That was when I heard it again, the familiar sound I couldn’t place. It came closer and closer until I realized what it was. The roar of engines. Motorcycles.
“Come on, guys, what are you waiting for? Shoot the fuckers!”
My heart was no longer inside my chest. It was lodged in my throat, and I couldn’t breathe, choking on my own panic.
“Please.” My voice was nothing but a whisper, fear squeezing the air out of my lungs. I wanted to beg and plead. I wanted to promise these men the world if they would only fucking let me go.
My hands shook behind my back as I tried to feel around me, to see if I could find the trunk release. But I couldn’t find it. This had to be some old junker with a souped-up engine.
Another sharp swerve, and I slammed headfirst into the corner of the small, confined space. Light exploded through the darkness, and a high-pitched ringing cut out every other sound around me. The loud sound of more gunshots forced its way into my throbbing head.
“We’re running out of options here, man. These fuckers have us surrounded.”
“Shoot them!”
More gunshots, screeching tires, and a loud crash as my body jerked in every direction. Fear. Adrenaline. It all ran amok inside me. Every bone in my body erupted with pain, my mind still scattered. After only a few seconds, I realized there was no sound. Nothing. Just an eerie silence.
The car wasn’t moving. The men weren’t shouting, and the familiar sound of roaring motorcycles was gone.
I remained still. But the sudden silence turned my rapid breaths into a deafening sound in the dark.
Oh, God. What’s happening?
Tears slipped down my cheeks, and I tasted the saltiness with the metallic tang of blood. My mind was a whirlpool of the most horrifying thoughts any girl could have. Was this my last night on Earth? Would I die while being beaten and raped? Would pain be the last thing I experienced while my heart still had a beat?
Please, God, no.
The smell of gasoline mixed with burnt rubber was pungent, singeing my nostrils before settling in the pit of my stomach. Nausea was starting to fight its way up my throat as I lay completely still, too scared to move.
The sound of footsteps on the outside of the car made me hold my breath. Dried leaves and tree branches cracked in the distance.
I refused to let out a breath, praying whoever was on the outside of this car wasn’t the last person whose eyes I’d stare into before I died.
There was a loud thump as the lid was popped, and the flashlight burned my eyes.
“Let’s get the girl out of here.”