I dropped into the driver’s seat, yanked my seatbelt across my chest, and cranked the key in the ignition as I skimmed Joel’s text to see where I was supposed to go. There weretwohospital campuses. Both had emergency rooms and Joel hadn’t told me which one he was being taken to. Sure, they were only a mile or so apart, but that could be forever if there was traffic or if I couldn’t find parking or?—
Something heavy clapped over my mouth. The familiar cloying scent of chloroform stung my eyes as it seeped into my nose and mouth. I tried to unbuckle my seatbelt. I tried to scream. I tried to move my head to get away from the chemical-laced cloth.
But everything went black.
“Mia!”
My head swam as I lurched and rolled across a felt surface.Fucking chloroform . . .
Where am I?
Traffic whizzed by, but I wasn’t sitting up. I was lying down. I tried to rub my eyes, but couldn’t. Something tight bit into my wrists. My hands and feet were tied.
Was I in my car? No. I wasn’t in my car. This car was too big and it smelled weird.
I also wasn’t alone.
The car’s taillights lit up from the inside, giving me a glimpse of Joel’s face.
My stomach roiled as the driver took a turn way too fast.
I was in a car. I was tied up. Joel was here.
This wasnotgood.
He let out a sigh of relief. “I thought you were dead.”
I groaned as bile filled my mouth, but I choked it down. “I feel like I am. What happened?”
He closed his eyes and let out a slow breath. “I got jumped when I was coming out of PT.”
“So you weren’t in a car accident?”
“Huh?”
I tried to brace myself against the floor of the trunk, but it was hard with my hands tied behind my back and Joel’s knees digging into my hip. We rolled into each other as the driver whipped around.
“I got a text from you saying you were in a car accident and were going to the hospital.”
Joel swore as the driver hit the brakes and slammed us into the back of the trunk. “What are the odds that it’s your scary boyfriend driving up there?”
“Zero,” I croaked. “He’s in New York. Chances are it’syourmen up there.”
That shut him up.
So. This is what itactuallyfelt like to be kidnapped.
I was sick to my stomach, tied up in a trunk, with no idea who had taken me or where I was being taken to.
Well, I had a pretty good idea ofwhohad taken me.
Wherewe were being taken was beyond me.
But I had learned one helpful thing during my first kidnapping.You strike me as the type to kick the taillights out and flag down help.
So I did exactly what Jude assumed I would have done the first time. I wiggled around until my feet faced the taillights and kicked as hard as I could. It took a few tries, since my ankles were zip-tied, but eventually, the housing gave way and cracked. Joel did the same, breaking his with two kicks. I didn’t even want to think about how much this had fucked up his knee again.
Daylight flooded into the cab. I rolled onto my stomach, rotated, and peered out before sticking both feet through the space and wiggling them like I was waving. “We’re in Atlantic City,” I said.
