“Hey!” I screamed. “What the fuck did you just do? That’s my phone...”
I let my voice trail off, realizing that of course he knew what he was doing. I couldn’t call for help now, which must be his intention.
“The picture is on the iCloud anyway already,” I mumbled, disgusted by the sickening fear descending into the pit of my stomach. “I share the account with my fiancé. He’ll see it. He has your driver’s license too. He’ll go to the police. You won’t get away with this.”
“I will. We always do,” he said matter-of-factly, as if he kidnapped people for a living and never faced any consequences.
He also said “we.” Meaning he wasn’t acting alone.
Were they a gang? A human trafficking ring?
The realization chilled me with dread. What were they going to do to me? Did I even want to know?
I stared straight ahead, unable to process the terror of what was happening. But I couldn’t just sit here while he drove me to some warehouse to lock me in chains or pump me with drugs. To rape or kill me. Or both?
I should never have gotten into this van. But if I ever wanted to get out of it alive, I couldn’t wait until we reached the final destination.
I had to act now.
The traffic slowed down the closer we got to Manhattan. If I jumped out of the van now, I might break a few bones, but I’d probably survive. There were also enough cars on the road for people to hopefully intervene if Leslo tried to drag me back into the van while I screamed and kicked. Because I was certainly going to scream bloody murder the moment I got out of here.
Shifting the handles of my purse up onto my shoulder again, I paused for two breaths to collect my thoughts and courage. Then I grabbed the door handle and yanked the door open.
“Fucking bitch.” Leslo grabbed my neck with his right hand.
I screamed. With the door open, maybe someone would hear me?
Moving with the traffic, Leslo steadied the steering wheel with his knee, then raised his fist.
“Stupid human,” he growled through clenched teeth. “You should’ve drunk the glacier saffron. Would’ve made things easier.”
He swung his massive fist. It connected with my face. Pain exploded through my brain.
The world tilted sideways, then sank into darkness.
THE WEIGHT OF A MOUNTAINseemed to press on my chest. My lungs burned for a breath, but my nose was closed, and so was my mouth.
I opened my eyes in horror but saw only darkness. I thrashed in panic, clawing at the hand over my face. It held my nose pinched and my jaw shut, preventing me from drawing a breath.
I kicked my feet, but they met resistance, moving through air as if through water.
Or maybe itwaswater?
Was I under? Drowning?
Panic lanced through me.
If the cruel hand over my face didn’t suffocate me, the water certainly would.
The darkness thinned behind my closed eyelids. The hand moved away from my face. But before I could open my eyes again or even take a breath, someone slapped me.
“Wake up! You’d better be fucking alive,” Leslo cursed.
I gasped a lungful of air and snapped my eyes open.
With his left hand gripping the back of my head and his right one raised to slap me again, Leslo stared straight at me. Eerie red lines lit up his brown irises that didn’t look human at all.
A wave splashed in my face, making me sputter. We were both in the water up to our necks, and I felt no bottom under my feet.
