“It’s okay, baby, hang in there. John is tracking your phone now. It won’t be long until we have you.”
“Cole,” my voice quivers, “Paul?”
“He’s all right. Bullet hit his vest, just stunned him a little.”
“Derek is—”
“Yeah, we saw.” There’s a pause. “I can explain that picture, baby, it—”
“Don’t,” I interrupt. “I can’t handle any more lies. I’m barely holding it together.”
“Savannah, no—”
I pull my guard up. “Promise me that if Blackstone finds me alive, you’ll let me go. I deserve a few years of happiness.” My words are rushed in case they are my last. “I love you, Cole, and that’s what hurts the most.”
“He’s feeding you lies, Savannah. I’m coming for you, and when I get there, I’ll prove I’m still your knight.” My chest clenches as his words tug on my heart.
“We stopped! Cole, the car stopped!” My breathing picks up again. “Oh, god, I don’t want to die.”
“You’re not going to die, Savannah. I see where you are. I’m roughly twenty minutes behind you.”
Oh shit.
“I hear footsteps.”
“Hide your phone, but don’t hang up.”
I quickly shove it into my bra just as the trunk opens. A man I’ve never seen before stares in at me.
“Savannah Miller?” he asks in a thick Hispanic accent. I’m frozen, paralyzed in fear. He grabs me and slaps me across the face. “I asked you a question. Is your name Savannah Miller?”
“Y-yes,” I cry.
He glances at a picture then pulls out a needle.
“No! No, no, no, no, please! Don’t!” I scream. “pleaseeeee!” It doesn’t make a lick of difference. He shoves the needle into my arm anyway.
A moment later, I’m staring at a dim light peeking through a crack as I quickly drift off, knowing it’s a one-way ticket to hell.