Page 220 of Merciless Daddy

And darkness took me.

*

I woke with plastic against my cheek and a bitter chemical taste coating my tongue.

For one second, I did not know where I was. Then the vehicle hit a pothole. I looked around. I was in an ambulance? Thank god. Maybe I . . .

No. My hands were tied, bound tightly. My wrists jerked against restraints.

Terror arrived whole.

Sal.

Kiryl.

Angela on the floor.

The fire door between us.

I sucked in a breath too quickly and choked on the stale antiseptic air.

My hands were secured in front of me with a black restraint loop. Not cuffs. Worse. Soft enough to look humane. Tight enough to turn my fingers numb.

The ambulance lights strobed blue-white against the ceiling.

I pulled once.

Nothing.

Again.

Nothing.

Panic climbed my throat.

Then I imagined Sal’s voice, cutting through it all. If only he were here with me. If only I could touch him.

What would he say?

Breathe, observe, choose.

I shut my eyes.

Breathe.

The engine ran heavy. Diesel. Not a city ambulance with a high clean whine. This one had an older engine. The back compartment smelled of bleach, rubber, and something metallic.

Observe.

The road beneath us was smooth at first. City paving. I counted turns by the pull of my body against the bench.

Left.

Right.

Straight for too long.

I listened.