He cries out as his ears ring, pain exploding in every direction throughout his head.
The American’s boots clink on the floor as he comes closer. “Take him to the tub. I think the colonel needs a little reminder who’s in charge here.” He looks at Longhorn. “I need to make a trip into town. Give him ten, then cuff him back to the pipe.”
“Si, señor.”
Cole hears the American leave the room, the door shut behind him, and the roar of an engine.
“Change of plans,” Longhorn says to One Eye. “Get the back room ready,esé.” He smirks down at Cole. “Time for some fun, Colonel.”
Savannah
I’ve been a mess for the past three days. I just lie in bed and watch the time tick by, wondering where Cole is. I catch myself slipping, thinking the worst, but then I feel guilty for giving up hope. I cry a lot and barely eat. June and Abigail take shifts watching me. Sue has been curled up on my bed most of the time. She needs comforting as much as I do. We take turns being strong for each other while Daniel and Keith work frantically with Frank, trying to use their contacts in Mexico to track down Cole. Mark, John, and Paul try to help, but they are all ordered to stand down. It’s now personal for them, and two of them are still recovering from their wounds.
Derek is in charge of the new men Daniel brought in. Everyone seems to be busy doing something but me. I feel stuck between moving forward and wanting to stay in the past, when Cole was with me. I hum quietly to my stomach. I find it soothes me, and I hope it soothes the little one too.
Needing a change of scenery, I head downstairs. When I hear shouting from the entertainment room, I head that way. I peek around the corner to see what is happening. Everyone in the room seems to be waiting for a video to start.
“All it says is that it’s a message for Team Blackstone,” Daniel says, looking pale.
The video comes into focus, and I reach for the wall for support. Cole is on his knees, beaten, shirtless, and sweaty, a nasty cut running along his torso. Blood drips in trails over his face from a gash on his head. His mouth is gagged, and his wrists are cuffed in front of him. He looks up into the camera, making my heart stand still. Everyone gasps and cries out. Mark stands and moves closer to the TV.
A man stands next to Cole; his hands are crossed in front. Then I see it. He’s holding a large machete. I freeze, unable to breathe. My brain begs me to look away, but I can’t.
“All you had to do was return her,” the man says as the camera moves up to his face. “Blackstone killed twenty-eight of our men. Now I will kill one of yours and will continue killing until you give us what we want.” The camera zooms in on his face then slowly moves down his body to the knife held over Cole’s neck.
Cole is breathing hard, beads of sweat obvious in the close-up zoom.
Suddenly, the machete flashes. The force of the cut sends Cole’s body in a twist, and he slumps to the ground. Blood sprays everywhere, including onto the camera lens.
Everything goes silent. People are moving in slow motion around me. I lock eyes with Mark, who has heard me gasp and discovers me watching them.
He is horrified and frozen, staring at me, until everyone turns to see me standing there.
Daniel cups his mouth in horror while Paul and John gasp, rising to their feet. A sharp cramp in my lower abdomen makes me cry out, and I fall forward as pain grips me in a vise.
Mike is standing nearest, and he leaps toward me, cradling my head before I hit the floor.
The physical pain is overwhelming. I gasp, trying to catch my breath. My fingers claw at my stomach.What the hell is happening?
“Call the doctor!” Keith shouts as he flies to my side.
I see the horror in his face when his eyes flicker to my stomach.
Daniel pushes Mike out of the way and bends down.
“Shh, sweetheart,” he whispers through a sob. “Just breathe.” He strokes my hair, murmuring something to Keith.
Everything goes black.
“Her HCG levels are low,” a nurse says as I stare at the wall, expressionless, everything numb. “Twenty-six forty. I’ll go check the results of her urine test.” She nods to the doctor as she leaves the room.
“Savannah, do you feel any discomfort?” I feel so much pain, the idea of pinpointing a single one seems impossible.
Daniel touches my hand, tears streaming down his face as he bends down to my eye level.
“Savannah?” he whispers.
I close my eyes and nod once.
I feel the unwanted pressure as the probe is inserted, and the odd noise like you’re standing too close to a speaker while holding a microphone fills the room. A tear rolls down my face as I see Cole standing in front of me. It’s only for a moment—then he’s gone. A sob hits me. I want to curl into a ball, but I can’t. I have to wait until they find out if the only tiny piece of Cole I have left is still alive inside me. I close my eyes. This is all too much.