With shaking fingers, I took the booklet in my tied-together hands and finagled it open.
My mouth popped open.
My picture, beside the name “Jane Green.”
No, no, no.
I couldn’t let him take me out of the country. I’d never be found again.
Bryce turned in his seat and looked at me. “I know we still have stuff to work through. But we will have all the time in the world once we get there. Just you and me and the beach.”
His voice was so flat, so void of emotion … I think that’s what scared me the most. “When does our plane leave? I cut myself in my bike fall. I’d like to clean up.” I assumed he’d gotten a hotel room here, and if I could convince him to untie me and let me walk out of the car, I could make a run for it. At least make it to the front of the building, where the prostitutes might help me.
He frowned. “Yeah, sorry about this shithole. It’s the only place that would take cash and didn’t ask for ID. I’m still working on getting our social security numbers.”
Oh my God, Oh my God.
“That’s okay. Let’s go inside and I’ll shower real quick. I’ve got some make-up in my backpack,” I lied. I had lip gloss in my backpack, but I needed that lie to get to my gun. I hoped he hadn’t gone through it yet.
I held up my tied arms and he smiled. “You think I’m going to untie you out here?” He laughed and my stomach sank. “Babe, I got your email. I know how pissed you are at me. I know I can’t trust you until you have shown me that you forgive me.”
Tears flowed down my cheeks and I just nodded. I knew better then to argue with him at this point.
He stepped out of the car and went to the back, opening it for a second to grab my backpack and a large blanket. When he opened my door, I literally couldn’t even kick him because my ankles were tied together. Instead I had to allow him to carry me, with the blanket covering my roped hands and feet. He had my backpack slung over his shoulder and another bag as well.
The old dude smoking looked over at us and Bryce smiled. “Newlyweds!” he shouted.
Then before I could decide whether or not I wanted to scream, he had the door open and waltzed inside, tossing me on the bed.
He locked the door quickly behind him and I craned my neck to try and see anything or anyone to help me.
When he saw me looking, a scowl marred his features. “You’re not waiting forEthan, are you?”
Ethan’s name in his mouth was like poison.
He grinned and my stomach sank. “Because my private investigator told me about that tracker and I took it off my car before I picked you up. Drove around his neighborhood a bit first to taunt him.”
I had been praying that he was watching the tracker and had seen Bryce get close to my school. That he would come save me, but now … all hope was lost.
“Bryce,” I whimpered, “please take these ropes off. I’m never going to be able to trust you again unless you treat me better.”
His hand whipped out of nowhere and struck the side of my face, hard. “You trusting me? What about me trusting you? We go on a break and you go and fuck the first felon you can find?”
Anger flooded through my veins. Hailey 1.0 cowered when Bryce hit me, but Hailey 2.0 was enraged.
“A break? We are divorced, you sick fuck! Take these ropes off me and I’ll show you how I really feel!”
My adrenaline was rushing through my body so fast that my legs shook. I shouldn’t have said that; he was going to kill me. But instead of anger, intrigue crossed his face.
“Is that what you want? To hit me back? An eye for an eye and then we’re good?”
Jesus Christ, I was getting whiplash from his back and forth.
I nodded. “Would make me feel a hell of a lot better actually.”
Pulling a knife from his pocket, he held it over my body and I flinched. There was something murderous in his eyes. Something that wanted me to attack him so he could kill me. It would give him reason to go all the way.
He sliced the ropes off my arms, looking at me like I was a specimen. Once my hands were free, I didn’t move. I needed to play my cards right.
