3
I’m positive I’m dead. I don’t feel any pain and everything around me is black. I heard two shots. The gun fired close enough for me to feel the small shock wave.
Two shots, one for Jeff and one for me. I have to be dead, that’s the only explanation.
But if I’m dead, how do I feel my heart slamming against my chest?
“Not her,” Ryker’s voice meets my ear, confusing me even more.
“Take her,” Hunter growls close to my ear, right before releasing me. His voice differs from before, harsher and void of emotion. “Tie her up while you’re at it.”
His protective arms disappear and a set of cruel hands replace them, pulling me from the car. My eyes fly open, and I come face to face with an unknown man with dark hair and dark eyes. A two-inch scar slashes across his right cheek. I take in every detail, just like I’ve learned in the academy. Great,nowmy training kicks in.
It’s fucking useless now!
The man drags me to a close by SUV. He is smaller and skinnier than Hunter, which gives me a better chance of fighting him off and making a run for it. I glance back over my shoulder at Jeff’s car where Ryker, Hunter, and a third guy search the interior, probably taking my gun and whatever else they find useful.
In a flash, I turn back, twisting my body into a self-defense mode and use the momentum to punch the guy in the kidney. He loses his grip and doubles over. Before I can escape, he grabs me by the neck and slams me onto the hood of the car, knocking the air from my lungs.
He follows up with a punch against the back of my head, and my vision blurs.
“You fucking bitch,” he sneers. Grabbing a fistful of hair, he pulls my head back. I’m positive he is about to smash my face back into the hood.
Bracing for impact, I wait for the pain, but it never comes.
The hand threatening to rip my hair from my scalp releases me, and I slump against the car. Still reeling from the hit to my head, everything around me spins.
“I said tie her up, not knock her out.” Hunter comes up beside us.
“That cunt tried to get away.”
“Get in the car,” Hunter orders, as his friend walks away with a huff. “Come on, Annie. Don’t be difficult.” He grabs my upper arm and pulls me up.
The sudden movement brings on a dizzy spell that about knocks me on my ass, but Hunter keeps me upright, cursing under his breath.
On wobbly legs, I do my best to keep pace with him as he leads me to the SUV where he sits me on the backseat like I’m a small misbehaving child.
Still disoriented, I don’t even know where he pulls the cable ties from, only that in the next instant they are around my wrists.
“Lie back.” He gently shoves at my shoulders and I do as he asks, partly because I’ll lose fighting him, and partly because I really want to lie down.
He removes my shoes and binds my ankles together, before adjusting my body, so I’m spread out across the back-seat row.
The door on the opposite side opens, and I squint my eyes against the sunlight filtering in until Hunter’s large body blocks it. He lifts my head and climbs into the seat, cradling my head on his lap.
“Hey, sugar,” Ryker greets as he slides into the other side, lifting my calves onto his lap.
Another guy gets into the driver’s seat and starts the car. As we pull away from the crash site, I notice the front passenger seat is empty. I can’t help but wonder why Ryker or Hunter didn’t take that seat? Is there a reason they’d rather ride cramped in the back with me?
The thought is still coursing through my mind when Ryker grabs hold of my sock clad feet and massages the heels. Hunter swipes some loose hairs from my forehead.
I shudder at their touch, scared of what’s coming. I’m not stupid. They’ve been incarcerated for years and men have urges, after all.
Hunter removes the clip holding my bun in place, and my hair falls down freely against his legs. He runs his fingers through the long brown strands while Ryker continues stroking my feet.
If I wasn’t being kidnapped by a group of criminals, I would thoroughly enjoy this.
Hunters fingers against my scalp feel amazing, and the way Ryker is running his hand up my calf now has my muscles relaxing.