Chapter 9
Reese couldn’t take another step. Every ounce of her strength was completely depleted. Her feet were killing her, and her legs were so tired that the muscles in her thighs were shaking with exhaustion. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had a drop to drink, which explained her mouth feeling like she’d been chewing on a ball of cotton. And her head was throbbing even worse than before. She had no choice but to stop. But that meant, whoever was looking for her would find her that much faster.
She needed a plan. Another way to buy more time until Garrett could find her. It was nearly pitch black as she stumbled upon a small break in the treetops where the light from the moon hit just right to where she could see the ground and surrounding area. Looking up to the sky for a brief moment, her gaze landed on the crescent moon, making her wish she was back on Garrett’s dock. And she would be soon. She had to believe that. But first, she needed to find something -
A thick, leafy branch jutting out from one of the trees was hidden in the shadow. It was too high to reach, but looked like it might be able to hold her weight, at least for a short while. And being in the shadow, it would provide some cover. She might not have been able to outsmart Russell or Vivian, but whoever this clown was, she was going to beat him at his own game. She just had to find a way to get up to that branch. There was a stumpabout two large steps away from where it would’ve been most helpful, so she’d have to make do without it. Her hands were already all scraped up and crusted over in dry blood - what was a bit more damage?
She hadn’t climbed a tree since she was eight or nine years old, but she remembered the basics. Wrapping her arms around the large trunk, she started making her way up. It was a slow and painful process as the bark scraped the already torn flesh on her hands and legs, but she kept going until she reached the branch. Carefully, she made her way onto it, slithering along on her belly to distribute her weight more evenly. Falling from this height wouldn’t kill her, but it sure would hurt.
Once she was in position, she used her left foot to carefully loosen the shoe on her right foot and then let her right shoe drop to the ground below her. Now, all she could do was wait and hope the jerk wasn’t too far behind.
Almost as if in answer, a twig snapped somewhere in the dark, and Reese squeezed her eyes shut. This was it. She was only going to get one shot at this. If she messed it up, there was a good chance he’d either kill her or take her back to Russell - and she honestly wasn’t sure which option was worse.
Footsteps grew closer, making her stomach tighten with fear and dread. How was she going to do this? She’d seen it done on plenty of self-defense videos, but never in this position, and not in the dark. What if she missed? What if he hit her too hard and she accidentally loosened her grip? No. She had to stay strong. She had to stay the course.
The sound of someone clearing their throat nearby had her moving into position. She swung one leg over to meet the other and carefully lowered herself on the branch until she was hanging by her arms. She didn’t trust her fingers to hold her, but her arms were protected by two layers of sleeves. Her denim jacket she’d been wearing when she was taken and the leatherone she’d found in the van. She’d need to hold on for dear life, quite literally, so this was her best chance.
She kept her legs bent at the knees and pressed up against her chest for now. Her arms were already getting tired and the sharp ends of the bark were digging into her skin despite the added protection of two jackets, but she ignored all that. She still had a good grip on the branch, which thankfully hadn’t made a peep or given her the slightest inclination that it was about to give way. She just needed it to hold a little bit longer. Just a little bit - she dared to look down and spotted a shadow moving closer. This was it. Oh no…Keep breathing. Or maybe it was better if she held her breath.
The figure paused and shuffled his feet. He’d obviously seen her shoe. There was no turning back now. No time to change her mind. Either she took him down or he took her - and she wasn’t about to let that happen.
Garrett was looking for her. He was coming. She knew that like she knew her own name. She just had to hold on and do what needed to be done. Garrett was a Texas Ranger. He fought guys like this every day. She smiled to herself, hoping he'd be proud of her when she told him about this. How she’d escaped and managed to stay alive.
The shadow was now past the tree. Whoever this guy was, he was standing right under her. The idiot was looking down at her shoe. She almost laughed, but instead, she dropped her legs, and locked them around his neck. Tight. She squeezed with all the strength she had left in her. The guy was holding something, but she couldn’t make out what it was, and he dropped it instantly.
His hands flew to his neck, pushing, pulling, pinching, grabbing at her legs to get them off, but she held tight, squeezing with all her might, ignoring the tremble and burn in her thigh muscles.
Even in the dark, she saw his face starting to swell and turn a bright red. His eyes were bulging in panic. He was hitting her legs harder now. He even reached higher and got a few strikes into her hips and lower abdomen. It hurt, but not as much as giving into him would, so she absorbed the hits, grunted through the pain, and kept squeezing his throat with her legs until his arms dropped and he sagged, his body becoming a dead weight she couldn’t hold up.
She released her legs and he sank to the ground in a heap, falling face first into the uneven dirt. Not waiting even a second, she quickly released the branch and followed him down. Her only chance of staying alive was to make sure he remained unconscious. When she hit the ground, her legs weren’t strong enough to hold her, and she fell back on her ass, but the sight of a rope lying next to him nearly made her forget the pain.
So that’s what he was holding! He must’ve thought he’d tie her up with it, but this actually worked out perfectly. When he didn’t move or make any noise, she hesitantly pressed her finger to the side of his neck. He was still alive. Good. She made quick work of the rope, securing his hands to his feet behind his back, and tying it into a slew of knots he’d need to be cut out of.
Then she slipped her shoe back on and took a step back to admire her work. She’d done good, and she knew it. But she was beyond exhausted now, and the pain of everything her body had endured was finally catching up to her. Garrett couldn’t come soon enough.
***
Garrett stared at yet another smudge of bright red blood illuminated by his flashlight. At least they seemed to be on the right path. But if Reese was leaving such an easy trail to follow, her pursuers were likely right behind her.
“Come on,” Luke said.
“She’s still alive,” Tanner added. “That’s not a lot of blood and it could belong to anyone, or even an animal. Don’t let yourself imagine the worst.”
Garrett nodded and put one foot in front of the other. He wasn’t going to stop until they found her, but his thoughts had already gone to the worst place imaginable. She was likely hurt and possibly even dead. He hated even considering it, but this wasn’t his first missing person search and rescue operation.
“More blood,” Tanner pointed out. “This could actually be a good thing. It’s giving us a direct path to wherever she is.”
“Or wherever she was dragged and killed.” Garrett wasn’t usually a pessimist, but they’d found no less than a dozen smudges of fresh blood and there was still no sign of the woman who’d confided in him and trusted him to keep her safe.
“Remember what you told me when Orly was missing?” Luke asked.
Garrett didn’t, but he just nodded, not wanting to think about another woman at the mercy of a kidnapper.
“Listen,” Tanner said, coming to an abrupt stop. All three men froze, but all Garrett heard was the distant sounds of a woodpecker. “I could swear I heard…” Tanner’s voice faded as Luke put out his hand and took a step forward.
“It sounds like grunting,” Luke said.
Well, that had Garrett’s attention. He started moving, his weapon at the ready, his friends flanking him on either side with their weapons out as well. “Don’t shoot,” he whispered. “Whoever it is could have Reese. This could be a trap.”
