Her stomach dropped.
This was planned out. Premediated.
She drew in a shaky breath and forced herself to keep going. There had to be something else. She couldn’t lose hope.
She shifted her body as much as the tight space allowed and reached along the sides, the floor, the corners.
Nothing.
No tools. No loose objects. No gaps.
Just carpet and metal and the steady motion of the vehicle.
What else could she do?
An old news story filled Hadley’s thoughts. She remembered hearing that if someone was abducted, they could kick out a taillight from inside a trunk. Doing so could create an opening, and she could signal for help.
It was worth a shot.
Hadley drew her legs in and tested the space, pressing her foot outward.
There was no give.
The structure felt solid, reinforced. There was nothing to break, nothing to push through.
For a moment, panic surged again, threatening to overwhelm her. The darkness pressed in harder, the air feeling thinner with every breath.
She couldn’t see. Couldn’t move. Couldn’t get out.
Hadley pressed her head back against the rough surface and immediately winced as pain flared across the back of her head again. Tears pricked at her eyes, and she clenched her hands against the carpet beneath her.
This couldn’t be happening.
Not like this.
She squeezed her eyes shut again.Lord . . . please help me think. Help me stay calm. I don’t know where I am. I don’t know what’s going to happen . . . but You do.
The car hit another bump, jostling her, but she held onto the thought.
Her breathing began to steady, just enough to give her a foothold. The fear didn’t disappear, but it no longer controlled her.
Hadley opened her eyes again to the darkness. Her mind was already working, searching for anything she might have missed.
She didn’t know where this person was taking her.
She didn’t know why.
But she knew one thing with absolute certainty.
She didn’t have time to waste.
CHAPTER 40
By the timeMax stepped back inside the main house, everything had shifted from chaos to controlled urgency.
Sheriff Sutherland had been called. The BOLO was already out—Kendra’s name, her car, her license plate pushed across every channel the county sheriff's department could access. Nearby counties had been notified. State patrol was looped in.
It should have made Max feel better.
