I had no idea if we were close to our destination, but I wasn’t giving up the fight. As a soupy silence filled the inside of the van, my mind worked to figure a way out. I firmly believed what Gary had said. I would never be found—if only because I knew my grandmother would do everything in her power to ensure I never saw Sam again.
I was screwed—doomed—and so were my babies. I banged my head against the wall.Think, Layla.
“I have to pee.” A classic excuse for an escape. But I had to do something, or I would never see Sam again. I would never marry the vampire I was deeply and hopelessly in love with. Yet, I didn’t care about that as much as I wanted him with me when and if the babies were born.
“Then pee,” Rick said in a sharp tone. “Because we’re not stopping.”
I scrunched my face in a fake attempt to look like I was in pain. “Just pull over then. It’s not like I can escape out in the middle of nowhere.” I would probably die if I tried to hightail it into the woods. I did not know the temperature outside, but even if it was above freezing, spending hours in the chilly night air could be deadly. On top of that, coyotes and wolves were probably out there somewhere.
Gary looked at me before he gave Rick a sidelong glance. “We should stop. If she tries to flee, she won’t get far.”
“She can wait,” Rick bit out. “We’re almost at the compound.”
My nerves on edge, I held my hands so they would stop shaking. I had to do something. “I can’t wait,” I said through clenched teeth.
Both men went mute, ignoring me.
I was not giving up. I raised my voice. “Pull over.”
Rick shouted, “Shut the fuck up!”
Pinpricks of anger poked my skin like someone had stabbed me with a thousand needles at once. I managed to turn my body so that I was facing the driver’s seat, then jammed my feet into his chair. “I said pull over.” My voice was bordering on an epic scream.
Rick grunted. “Subdue her.”
Gary was unleashing his seat belt when that familiar tingle instantly overpowered my senses. Before I could stop myself, the banshee in me took over, and I screamed at the top of my lungs.
6
LAYLA
We were on a fast track to hell. Gary passed out, his body slamming into the dashboard as the van swerved and picked up speed, which told me that the driver was also out cold.
No. No. No. Why did I scream? What the fuck was happening to me?It was almost like someone had taken control of my body. My heart was in my throat.
“I’m sorry, Sam,” I said as I smashed into the back of the driver’s seat, which meant we were sailing down a hill or embankment.
I fought for purchase, something to latch on to, but I had nothing. I was tossed around like these assholes had thrown me into a clothes dryer.
I closed my eyes and braced for impact when a familiar voice whispered in my head.You’ll live. But run,the young boy with a lisp said.
My psyche froze as my hands caught on to something. How the fuck was I hearing the little boy from my dreams? The same boy who claimed to be my son. I swallowed down the fear and every other emotion as my dreams played out in front of me. A dark road. Dead of night. Fire. An ominous truck. All of that was stuff from my recurring dreams. Maybe I was dead already. Maybe I was living in hell.
The sound of crunching metal blared in my ears and snapped me out of my panicked state as the van rammed into what I suspected was a tree.
I labored for breath as I jostled around. My face was mashed into the back of the passenger seat. I squirmed to get free, but my hand was pinned beneath the seat. For a second, I breathed a sigh of relief. The boy was right. I was alive, or at least I thought so. I had no time to analyze the freakiness of what had just happened.
I dragged my head down along the leather seat, and I found I was hooked on to one of the rails that slid the seat forward and backward. A ray of hope made me smile. I might be able to get the fuck out of here and run like the boy had told me I should. I rubbed the plastic restraints against the metal rail fast, furiously, and as hard as I could. This had to work.
Little by little, I could feel the ties loosening. As I continued to free myself, that overwhelming power encompassed me once again. I felt like someone had shot me with a large amount of epinephrine. My heart rate increased, and as I pulled against the force, the zip ties broke free.
“Thank you,” I said to no one or—if the boy was listening—to him.Oh fuck. I was severely losing my shit.
Now I had to deal with my ankles. I slid between the two seats and discovered Gary wasn’t there. Fear gripped my chest—not because I was afraid he was dead but that he could be alive and out in the darkness, waiting for me. I shook that worry off. With the blood on the windshield and the gaping hole in it, he had to be hurt. The driver, on the other hand, was slumped over the steering wheel.
My breathing ramped up in fear the dude might suddenly come to. But when I felt along his waist next to the holstered gun, he slumped against the door. I held in a squeal until I found a pouch next to the gun. That time I squeaked out a noise, yanked the blade from the pouch, then hurriedly sliced the plastic ties on my ankles. Once free, I snagged Rick’s gun and bolted out, only to fall. I landed on my side, my shoulder taking the brunt of the impact against a rock. Pain shot down my arm, but I couldn’t worry about that. So I stood on shaky legs and waited a beat to make sure I could walk—or, rather, run. The headlights beamed ahead, highlighting the densely wooded area.
I glanced up the hill but couldn’t see squat. Slowly, I skirted the van and went up to the driver’s door. As soon as I opened it, Rick fell out, but the seat belt stopped him from hitting the ground. I cut the belt, and he tumbled into the thicket as branches snapped beneath him. I knew he was dead, but I checked for a pulse anyway. Nothing.
