Hannah smiled, loving a challenge. It kept her busy and her mind unable to think about her personal issues. How could she when a life was at stake?
Nick slid her a photo. “His name is Levi Sandoval.”
Hannah took in his picture. She had to admit he was kind of cute for a shrimpy-looking guy. He had dark red hair and bright green eyes. She was sure he had freckles, but the picture wasn’t the best.
Nick took a bite of her eggs before he spat them back onto his plate. She dropped her jaw as he looked up at her. “You’re a shit cook, by the way. These taste like shit.”
She rolled her eyes, flipping the file shut. “And you’re a shit guest, so I think we’re even.”
Nick pushed himself up. “We can grab something to eat on the way. I’ll wait for you outside in my truck.”
Nick grabbed the file before turning and leaving the cabin. Hannah looked at the plates she made, knowing she needed to work on her cooking skills. But she didn’t care to.
She threw everything away and tossed her plates into the sink before she headed into her bedroom and grabbed her always packed ready bag. It had everything she needed for several nights away from the house.
She grabbed her keys and headed outside. She locked the door, taking the spare keys and shoving them under her doormat, not that it wouldn’t be the second place Nick looked since she moved them. She would hide them in a better spot when she got back.
She was headed toward Nick’s truck when she glanced at her mailbox. She noticed she had mail and grabbed it. Standing at the box, she flipped through the envelopes, freezing when her eyes caught on a letter. It had her mother’s return address. Her stomach sank.
“Fuck.” She sighed. “Jesus Christ. Can today get any fucking worse?”
Nick honked the horn, and she flipped him off. She didn’t have time for this today. She stuffed the letter into her bag and turned to Nick’s truck. She would deal with it later. Maybe.
She hopped into the cab, and he glanced at her. “What were you scowling about?”
“Bills,” she lied, shutting her door. “And I have an asshole for a boss.” She gave him a sarcastic grin which made Nick roll his eyes.
Nick ignored her, pulling away from her cabin and her sanctuary.
2
LEVI
His head pounded, and his body wouldn’t move the way he wanted it to. It was almost like something held him in place. Levi groaned, trying to pull his eyes open. He was so tired, and he didn’t know why.
Suddenly it hit him. He’d been at the party, and then something had happened. He forced his eyes open, taking in his surroundings. He was in a dark room with cement walls all around him and concrete floors. There were no windows, just a single door that had a little see-through at the top of it. It was the only light in the room.
He was a little bit grateful for that because his head was aching. He winced as he tried to move his arms and realized they were tied behind his back. He looked down, seeing his legs were tied to a chair, and his arms were pulled back, painfully bound together.
He shook his head, glancing once more around the room. He was alone. Nothing but the door and a burnt-out lightbulb. Maybe it was just turned off.
“Hello?” he called, trying to clear his scratchy throat. No one responded.
He remembered being at the party and heading to the bathroom. He also remembered someone stabbing him with a needle, and everything went dark. He’d been kidnapped. It was the only logical explanation for his situation. He certainly didn’t pay for a kidnap-themed strip tease.
“Hey!” he started to yell. “Let me out of here! Hey! Is anyone out there?”
The door was thrown open, bouncing off the wall. A cluster of people walked into the small room. Levi suddenly felt sick.
“Who the hell are you people?” he asked, trying to free his arms. It was no use. They were bound tightly.
“No one of importance,” the guy in front said, making Levi confused.
They all looked like ordinary people. People you would meet on the street, say hi to in passing. He didn’t understand. In every movie he’d ever seen, people like kidnappers were dangerous.
None of them looked like professional kidnappers, which gave him an idea. They probably hadn’t done this before, so they might have slipped up on something. There was a chance he could get out of this.
“How much?” Levi asked, watching as a few of them scowled. “I’ll pay whatever your price is, but I need to go. I have too much shit to deal with to be stuck here. You guys probably understand being busy. So, name your price, and I’ll pay it.”