Relax? Are you fucking kidding me?
Rylee fought the urge to kick at them both as they dragged her toward the window. She thought she might get an opportunity to scream as they maneuvered her through the frame, but they had thought of everything. One climbed through first, then waited outside to catch her, quickly clamping a hand over her mouth as he dragged her away.
The other man jumped down nimbly, and they dragged her through the gardens to a nearby side street, where they opened the doors of a big black van and threw her inside.
The one with reddish hair stayed in the back with her while the darker one climbed in the front. She scuttled away from the man, beginning to imagine the most horrible scenarios. If they wanted her dead, they would have just killed her.
Who kidnaps a pregnant woman from a doctor's office, and why?
“Where are you taking me?” she demanded. The young man gestured to a pile of cushions on the floor.
“Please, make yourself comfortable. It’s not too long of a drive, but your safety and comfort are my primary concern.”
“What?" she asked, dumbfounded.
“I’m not here to hurt you. I would never dream of such a thing,” the young man said. He sat down on a cushion and gestured for her to do the same. Rylee would much rather have a real seat with a seat belt, but if a cushion in a bare van was the best they had, she could make do.
“What the fuck is going on? Who are you? What do you want with me?”
The man shook his head. “I’m Jason if it helps. I’m here to protect you, Rylee. Your name is Rylee, isn’t it?”
“What the fuck?” she exploded. “How do you know my name?”
He smiled that soft, gentle smile. He had beautiful, dark eyes, and he was watching her with intense admiration.
Whoa, fuck. Is he coming on to me?
“I know a lot about you, Rylee,” he said, smiling. “I don’t want you to worry about anything. We’re going to take very good care of you.”
“You can take care of me by letting me go!” she screamed. She was angry enough to get up and swing at him, maybe even try for the door, but she knew one wrong step, one bad fall, and she could lose the baby.
Rylee wrapped her arms around her legs, curling up into a ball. “Why?” she muttered, tears running down her cheeks. “Why are you doing this?”
It had been the happiest day of her life. Of course, universal forces would throw a nice, friendly kidnapping right into it to stir shit up.
“We’ll tell you everything,” Jason assured her. “Stay calm. You won’t be hurt. As I said, we want to protect you, not harm you.”
Rylee realized there was no point in further conversation. She stayed curled up in the corner while the van rumbled along, the swaying lulling her a little. She was tired as it had been a long day already.
When they finally stopped, she was surprised, shocked out of her doze. She thought about fighting back, but both men grabbed an arm and held her tightly as they helped her out of the van. When she saw the rows of abandoned warehouses, her heart sank.
This is where you take people to murder them.
The place was very dark, empty, and spooky. The two men led her to a room out the back, and to her surprise, it was warm, bright, and comfortable. There was a tray of sandwiches and cakes on the table as well as a pot of tea. There was an old man sitting at the table, dressed in slightly neater clothes than the two young men.
He was obviously trying to appear kindly, but he couldn’t quite pull it off. There was something feral in his eyes.
“Sit down, please,” the old man said, gesturing to the seat. Rylee did, noticing that the young men stood behind her against the door.
“We just want to ask you a few questions, young lady. We won’t hurt you, I promise.”
“So, I’ve been told,” she said, eyeing the tea suspiciously. “Why don’t you get started so I can find out what this is all about?”
Rylee felt proud of herself for being so calm and straightforward.
I’m a great hostage. Who knew?
“Very well,” he smiled that weird smile again. She realized he hadn’t introduced himself or used her name, which was strange. She looked behind her at Jason, who was still staring at her with frank admiration.