Panic continued to surge through my veins as I tore the rough fabric from over my head, gasping for breath. The confined space of what looked like an old police car closed around me, a grim reminder of my vulnerability.No bindings restrained me, yet freedom was just as unattainable. I hammered against the door, but it refused to yield. The locks were undoubtedly controlled from the front.
I turned my attention to the windows, thick, impenetrable glass that didn't so much as shudder under the force of my kicks. The steel cage separating the front and back seats was a cold, tangible barrier between me and any hope of seizing control. It mocked my desperate attempts at escape, reinforcing my helplessness.
The windows were tinted into oblivion, assuring that no one saw my kidnapping. Damn it all. How could I have let my guard down so much?
The man, my kidnapper, chuckled from the front seat. A cruel, heartless laugh that froze the blood in my veins. He slid behind the wheel with the ease of a predator confident in its trap. The engine growled to life, a sinister purr that signaled the end of my sanctuary.
"Please," I whispered, the word falling short in the space between us. "Don't do this."
The inn, my hard-won sanctuary, faded in the back mirror as he drove away. Each mile that passed was a string cut from the lifeline I'd so meticulously woven. My beautiful inn, with its quaint charm and promise of a new beginning, was now just a specter of safety lostin the distance. He didn't try to hide where we were going or his face from me.
That wasn't good. Not good at all. On the off chance I escaped this, I spent a few moments memorizing his face, his hair color. The scar along his right ear. It might come in handy later.
Terror clenched at my throat, stealing my breath, my heartbeat thundering in a relentless drum of fear.
"Where are you taking me?" It was stupid to ask. If he had any plans of releasing me, he never would've let me take the hood off. He would've tied me up. Been more secretive.
There was no answer, only the hum of tires on asphalt and the wicked symphony of his laughter. I pressed my forehead against the cool window, closing my eyes against the tears threatening to spill. This was not the end. It couldn't be. I clung to the faint ember of hope, the unwavering belief that somehow, someway, I would find a way out of this. For now, though, I was trapped in this moving cage, hurtling toward an unknown fate, utterly and absolutely petrified.
Chapter 2
Erin
As we drove deeperinto the mountains, the world outside the car window blurred into a smudged tapestry of greens and browns. I leaned my head back, trying to still the trembling of my hands.
It was hard to believe that two years had passed since I fled my life in Chicago. I thought about the night that changed everything, the chill of the ice cream freezer, the terror when the gun fired, the blood... If I'd only stayed in the freezer for another minute, but no. I had to run my stupid ass out there and see what happened.
The car turned off the main road onto an even narrower path, the tires crunching over gravel and twigs. The dense canopy of trees seemed to swallow us whole. Each jolt of the vehicle on the uneven terrain ricocheted through me, a cruel reminder that there was no going back.
"Almost there." The man behind the wheel, a nondescript brute whose name I didn't know, grunted. His words were casual, but they carried a death sentence. "Don't try to be clever when we get there. You'll regret it."
A cabin emerged as we came to a clearing in the thick forest. The small building looked like it'd been abandoned for the last century.
He pulled up to the front and killed the engine. I thought of all the plans I'd made, the life I'd painstakingly built from the ashes of my old one. It was a cruel joke that this would be where it all ended, not with a bang but with the sinister quiet of the woods.
The thug got out, then opened my door. I shrank against the other door. What else could I do?
"Get out."
Hell, no. I wasn't move. When he leaned in to get me, I kicked with everything I had, but he just grabbed my ankles and yanked. His hand wrapped around my arm, steely and unyielding as he guided me out of the car. I stumbled, my ankle turning as I continued struggling against him. This might very well be where my story concluded. In a forgotten cabin hidden deep in a hollow of the mountain, where no one could hear my screams.
"Let me go." I snarled, summoning every ounce of strength left in my battered spirit. I’d spent the last fewyears watching video after video of self-defense moves. I guess that was time wasted. None of them worked. I thrashed against his hold, my elbow aiming for his gut in a desperate bid for freedom. I had to fight, even if it was futile, because surrender wasn't an option, not when submission meant death.
He was prepared for my rebellion. His fist came out of nowhere, connecting with my cheek with a sickening thud. Pain exploded across my face, stars dancing before my eyes as my legs buckled beneath me. The world tilted, a dizzying carousel of dark pines and the gray sky, mocking me with their stillness.
"Nice try." He breathed against my ear, hot and moist as he hauled me up, half-dragging, half-carrying me toward the cabin. My vision swam, and my stomach heaved, partly from his rancid breath. The edges of my consciousness frayed with each jarring step we took. The earthy scent of pine needles mixed with the copper tang of blood in my mouth, grounding me in the horrifying reality of my situation.
I leaned heavily against him, my body betraying me, refusing to cooperate no matter how much my mind screamed to keep fighting. The wooden floorboards groaned in protest under our combined weight as he maneuvered me through the threshold. Shadows clung to the corners of the rustic interior.
"Please," I gasped, the word barely a whisper as black dots danced at the periphery of my vision. It wasn't aplea for mercy. I knew none would be given, but a silent prayer to whatever deity might be listening to grant me the strength to endure what was to come.
His grip was iron as he shoved me into a chair, the wood creaking ominously beneath me. I could barely keep my head up and my thoughts were sluggish.
"Stay still." He looped rope around my wrists with ruthless efficiency. The coarse fibers scraped against my skin, biting into my flesh as he knotted it tight. I tried to wriggle free, but each movement sent fresh waves of nausea crashing over me. Panic threatened to overwhelm me again, but I stifled it. I couldn't afford to lose myself to fear, not now.
He secured my ankles next, the finality of each knot echoing in the hollow space of the cabin. Bound and helpless. Finally, the asshole stepped back, surveying his handiwork with a smug tilt to his lips that made my blood run cold.
"Comfortable?" His voice dripped with mockery, and I glared at him through the veil of my red hair, refusing to dignify him with a response.
