When I get in the car, I notice a ring of bruises around her wrist. “Man, what happened there?” I point as she makes a twelve-point turn to get out of the driveway. I hope she never gets anything larger than this car.
She acts like she doesn’t even hear me, but when we pull on to Godferson Road, she starts apologizing. “I’m so sorry, Lucy, so sorry. I didn’t know what else to do.” Tears fall down her cheeks.
“What’s wrong? Can you pull over?” I lift my hand like I may help her steer. I can’t imagine she can see well while crying.
“I can’t.” She tightens her hands on the wheel and slows down when we reach an intersection.
“Pull in right there.” I point to a CVS parking lot just down the street from my house. I think she’s listening to me when she turns in, but seconds later, it becomes clear it was already planned when a guy steps out of the back seat of a BMW. It takes me a moment to realize he’s one of the guys who was with Jayson, or Jay, at The After Party.
“What is this? Did he do that to your arm?” I reach for my back pocket, ready to call the cops if he tries to mess with us.
“I’m sorry,” Gwen sobs.
“For what?” I look over at her as she pulls in right next to his car.
“He just wants to talk to you,” she reassures me, but I’m not convinced, and I don’t think she is either or she wouldn’t be so upset.
I sit in the car, staring at her for a moment, but then the man knocks on the window. Gwen hits the button to unlock the door, but I smash it with my fingers and hold it down. I place my phone on my thigh and hit the green icon. Rafe was the last person I spoke to, so it will call him. His phone rings three times before it clicks off without even giving me the chance to leave a message.
“He busy?” the man asks through the glass, sounding like a smart-ass. “Open the door, Lucy, or should I say Felony?”
I look over at Gwen. “You told them about Rafe?” It’s not hard to put the pieces together. There’s no other reason this man would want to talk to me.
“He already knew.” Her eyes are wide, imploring me to believe her.
“Get out of the car,” he demands. Still holding the lock down, I pull up the number pad on my phone and start to dial 911. “You gonna tell the cops who your pimp—I mean boyfriend is?”
“What do you want?” I stop just shy of sending the call. I don’t know what Rafe would want me to do, but I’m not sure calling the cops is it.
“This could have been so much simpler.” The man walks around to the other side of the car and opens Gwen’s door. “Be a peach and get out,” he says, and she does as he asks without argument. I start to open my door when he slides into the driver’s seat, but there’s another man standing on my side, blocking me in.
“Gwen!” I shout and turn to watch her walk to the back of the car with her head lowered. My phone slides off my leg and onto the floorboard. “Let me out of the car,” I demand.
Without any warning, he backhands me right across my face. I taste blood before I even register what happened. My eyes water, but I’m not crying. Through the haze, I see blood dripping into my lap. It’s too much to be just from my lip, so I reach up and touch my nose gingerly. Twin rivulets of blood are streaming past my mouth. I tip my head down and watch it stain my gray shirt.
I still can’t believe he hit me. It’s not my first bloody nose, but I’ve never been hit on purpose. I try the handle of the door again, but it’s locked now, and the man is still outside barricading me in.
“A good crack will always do the trick for the smart ones. You’re smart, aren’t you, Lucy?” I hate the way he says my name. I should have called the cops and not worried about what Rafe would think.
“What do you want?” I ask again, softer this time.
“Jay would like to speak to you about a mutual acquaintance you have.” He raises his brows.
“Gwen? I feel like he knows her better than I do lately.” I know it’s a caustic response, but there’s something to be said for playing dumb.
He clicks his tongue at me. “Clean yourself up and put your seat belt on. I don’t want to get pulled over. I have an impeccable driving record.”
I wipe under my nose, but I have a feeling I’m just smearing the blood around. I don’t want to leave this parking lot. Abduction rule number one—never let them take you anywhere.
“Use your shirt,” he snaps. I turn my head to the side, keeping my eyes on him, and use my sleeve to wipe my face. I can’t think of a way to get out of this that doesn’t result in me being shoved right back in the car.
I start to think through scenarios. I’ve taken a fall from a horse before, so jumping out of a moving vehicle can’t be much worse. At least I’ll be closer to the ground. I pull my seat belt over my lap, but don’t click it into place, instead I sit on the end. “Where are you taking me?”
The man puts Gwen’s car in drive and backs out of the spot without answering me. I jerk forward when he brakes abruptly and grab the end of the seat belt before it can slip out from under my hip. I look out the window. Gwen is crying into her hands, not even watching the car.
“We don’t have a long drive,” he replies. Instead of heading toward the city, he turns in the direction of a more rural area. Jumping out now wouldn’t accomplish anything but getting road rash, there’s nowhere for me to go.
I move my feet on the floorboard, trying to be stealthy so I can find my phone. Thank goodness I wore sandals today. I feel the smooth coolness against the side of my foot and look down. The screen hasn’t locked yet, so I work in vain to touch the side of my foot to the phone icon.
