I definitely wasn’t drunk. I’d only had one beer, but maybe I was dehydrated? Flying at mock speeds was pretty strenuous on the body. I’d drink some electrolytes before I went to bed, maybe use some of that magnesium lotion Charlotte had talked me into getting last summer. Staying in peak physical performance was a top priority for me, and I wasn’t against supplementing where I needed to.
I fumbled with my keys, cursing as I dropped them on the ground. It took me three tries to get the door open, and when I finally did, my skin pricked, finally realizing there was actually something wrong.This wasn’t exhaustion at all.
I blinked, staring at my hand as I gripped the door handle, watching it blur in front of me. What the hell was wrong with me?
Before I had time to consider, or even step inside, I suddenly became aware of a large presence looming behind me, and a millisecond later a bag went over my head. I whirled to throw a punch, but I realized I was about to be in deep shit—becauseI was already moving in slow motion.
CHAPTER 19
Speed Dating Psychos
CARTER
Bag tied around my neck, I stumbled around and couldn’t quite get the damn thing off. Without my sight, my other senses heightened, and my head snapped up as I heard the slide of metal and then felt the barrel of a gun press into my chest.
Instinct took over as I twisted the gun out of my assailant’s hands using a maneuver I’d done countless times and launched a hard kick that landed square in his thick chest, trying to figure out what the hell was going on.
I didn’t use the firearm for several reasons, the main one being the young family that lived across the hall. Instead, in several swift movements, I ejected the clip of bullets and emptied the one in the chamber before I frantically grappled with the bag on my head.
I finally yanked it loose, and my eyes blew wide the instant I ripped the bag off, because a second later I was tackled to the ground.
As we fell through my now open door, I took the impact of both of our bodies, and my shoulder hit the ground first. There was a sickening, nerve-numbing crunch as he came down on top of me, and I growled out a gasp, instantly realizing my shoulder haddislocated.
Shoulder barking with pain, I dragged myself up, eyes narrowing in on my attacker. Good shoulder down, I rammed into the man’s stomach, and we slammed into the TV stand, breaking it clean in half.
I shook my head, blinking as I scrambled up, realizing I was getting dizzier by the second. “What do you want?” I demanded, circling with the man around my living room, with one arm dangling totally useless by my side.
I inched towards the kitchen where my gun was when a figure appeared in the doorway.
“It’s over. Sit your ass down.” I realized it was the blonde from the bar, and she was aiming a gun at me.
What the fuck?
I put my good hand up in surrender, and just as I was about to launch myself at her, another man filled the doorway behind her.
“You’ve got to be shitting me.” I muttered. “What the fuck do you want?” I demanded.
“What I wanted was a good time.” The blonde rolled her eyes. “Guess we have to do this the hard way.” She pulled out a kitchen chair and motioned with the gun. “Sit.”
I stumbled, grabbing the arm of the couch as my legs started to give out.
Oh shit, I had minutes. Maybe.
“Get him.” She snapped, waving the gun around wildly enough that I knew she was dangerous, simply for the reason that it was clear that she had no idea how to handle that thing.
As I backed away, my knees betrayed me and gave out beneath me—a moment later, the men grabbed me by each arm, and dragged me into the kitchen, making me scream in pain as my dislocated shoulder wrenched the wrong way.
I was immediately in a cold sweat as the two men slammed me down into the chair, and my head erupted with a dull headache. My hands were zip-tied behind my back, further wrenching myarm, feet zip-tied to each leg of the chair, and a nylon rope tied ghastly tight around my chest.
Still, the front door was open. “FIRE!” I shouted as loud and long as I could.
“Shut up.” Pain bloomed behind my eye as I took a hard punch to the face.
I groaned, desperately trying to bring the room into focus, as it steadily became more and more fuzzy.
I blinked as they closed the door and then stood in front of me in the kitchen. “If you’re planning to have a threesome on my kitchen table.” I panted. “I must warn you, it’s only rated up to two hundred pounds.” My heart was racing far too fast now, and I hoped that whatever drugs were in my system didn’t kill me.
“Ha ha, very funny.” The woman snapped and pointed between us with the gun. “No, we’re gonna have a little chat, you and I.”
