“Where am I? Who are you? What have you done with my mom? Please, where is she? What have you done with Crickett?” I questioned, but he wassilent.
He stared down at me with hollow eyes for a few seconds before grabbing my ankle. I wanted to try to kick him but my body was too sore. All I could muster was to wiggle a little in protest. “Hold still,” he demanded as he locked a cuff around it. It was connected to a long chain attached tothewall.
“Please, help me,” I begged while he freed my hand. “I’m pregnant. I need to go to a hospital. My name is Raine and I have a husband who is probably worried sick. My stepmom was in the car with me. She was really hurt. Please, tell me she’s alive. Did you takehertoo?”
“Eat.” That was all he said before he walked back out oftheroom.
I looked down at the tray that was left for me. There were a few pieces of what looked like sliced turkey and two pieces of bread with a bottle of water. I knew I needed to eat something but I was scared to death that it waspoisoned.
I thought back to all the talks my father had had with me growing up. He’d done his best to prepare me for the worst, in case it ever happened. I knew if I was still alive, it was for a reason. They would have killed me while I was unconscious if they didn’t need me forsomething.
Checking my body, I assessed my injuries. Everything seemed to be superficial for the most part. I definitely had a wicked case of whiplash and was super stiff, but nothing seemed broken and I wasn’t bleeding badly from anywhere. Taking a deep breath, I pulled down my jeans to make sure I wasn’t bleeding down there. Relief washed over me when I saw that, from what I could tell, I wasn’tmiscarrying.
Bending down hurt like a bitch. I grabbed the tray, nibbled on the white bread, and took a few sips of water. It threatened to come right back up, but I was able to keep it down. Panicking wasn’t going to help, so I concentrated on my breathing. I remembered a trick my father had taught me. I had to bring myself somewhere else. Engulf myself in a happy memory, go to my happy place. It didn’t take long for me to think up the perfect little moment to entrench my mind. Even the slightest hint of the memory instantly put a smile on my face. It was the day that I told Ryder we were going to beparents.
Ipacedaround our brand-new kitchen. Ryder was going to freak out; I just hoped it would go as well as it did when I played it out in my head. I knew we had planned on waiting a few more years, but tequila in Mexico was so good and apparently being drunk for seven days straight on a honeymoon made me forget my birth control a few too manytimes.
Gripping that stupid pee stick in my hand, I couldn’t help but get giddy when I heard the frontdoorslam.
“Hey babe,” Ryder called from the foyer. “Did the granite get put in okay today?” He grabbed me from behind, kissingmyneck.
“Everything went smoothly. Do you like thelightergray?”
Ryder started to check out the handiwork of our finally completed kitchen, giving me enough time to shove the pregnancy test into my backpocket.
“I am so glad you talked me into this one instead of black.” He gave me a quick peck on the cheek. “Iseverythingokay?”
My hands were shaking. “Yeah,why?”
He pulled me into him. “You just seem nervous for somereason.”
His hands glided over my ass, hitting the stick in my back pocket, and Itensedup.
“What is this?” He grabbed the test and his jaw dropped. He was frozen, staring at the pee stick with a completelyunreadableface.
I started to panic for a few seconds and finally choked out, “Well?” His face slowly started to twist into a smile as I started to ramble. “You know that tequila really did wonders and you know how active we were. I just got swept up and completelyforgotto—”
Ryder grabbed my face and kissed me, shutting mybabblingup.
“You have never looked so fucking gorgeous in your entire life. Holy shit we’re going to have a baby! I am going to be a fucking dad!” He whisked me into the air and started to twirl around thekitchen.
“I love you so much, Ryder!” I hugged him around his neck while the joy of the moment just took controlofus.
“Raine, I love you. I always have and Ialwayswill.”
* * *
“Get up!”barked the same masked man, and my eyes flew open. I had no idea how long I had been asleep, but it feltlikedays.
“What?” I asked as I remembered whereIwas.
“Get up!” He forcefully pulled atmyarm.
“No.” I yanked it away from him, and the back of his hand landed hard on my cheek as a slaprangout.
“Fucking slut.” He spit at my feet. “I’ll teach you to never talk back to me. No one says notome.”
Before he could hit me again, another man with a bandana tied over his nose and mouth stopped him. “Rigger said we can’t hurt her,” he reminded his counterpart in a low voice. The second man reminded me of a weeble wobble—short and extremelypudgy.
