Total pages in book: 81
Estimated words: 75592 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 378(@200wpm)___ 302(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75592 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 378(@200wpm)___ 302(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
Except… how will they know where I am? I have no clue why I’m even here because my captors have frozen me out.
I mull over their reluctance to talk or show me their faces, and the best I can figure out is that they have no intention of being caught. They are limiting my knowledge and the more they keep secret from me, the more hopeful I am that I’ll come out of this alive.
The door rasps open and I listen intently to the scuff of shoes across concrete flooring and then the closing door. My ears strain to pick up anything and I believe I’m alone.
Not that it is of import, because I’ve dutifully followed the order that I keep my mouth shut. I try to roll my shoulder, aching from the position I’ve been sitting in. I twist my wrists slightly and wince at the rub of the zip ties against my tender skin. I stretch out one leg, then the other, and try to shift on the hard seat because my ass hurts. My cheek hasn’t stopped throbbing and the pain has overtaken my entire head in the mother of all headaches. The intermittent bouts of tears I’ve shed haven’t helped at all and my throat is so parched, I’d kill for a sip of water.
The door opens again and I freeze a moment before cocking my head that way. Footsteps approach and I tense but then someone is cutting my ties free. My inclination is to bolt but instead, I force myself to remain calm and merely rub at the tender skin.
“Your boyfriend has come to get you.” I recognize the voice of the brown-eyed man.
My mind reels from his words because why in the world would Gabe be involved in my kidnapping? Why would he be the one to pay the ransom?
The blindfold is lifted from my face and the light is too harsh, so I’m forced to squint against the blinding glare.
“Let’s go,” he says, taking my upper arm to guide me out of the office.
At the far end of the building where we entered I think a few hours ago, I see the rolling doors have been pulled wide and three vehicles sit parked, headlights on. It bathes that end of the warehouse in light, but the men standing there are silhouetted. The closer we get though, I can see Gabe’s G Wagon and it’s as my captor said… my boyfriend has come to get me. A large SUV looks like the one we rode in to get to this place and next to it is a black Mercedes sedan with dark tinted windows.
There’s no rush of joy or relief though, because it can’t be as simple as Gabe bringing something in exchange for me. I was freaking kidnapped off the street at gunpoint, beaten and then threatened to be shot. These are dangerous men and I can only hope Gabe knows exactly what he’s dealing with.
Someone gets out of the back seat of the Mercedes and I squint the closer we get, trying to make out the figures. The wash of illumination from the headlights hurts my eyes after being blindfolded for so long.
“There she is,” the man from the Mercedes says, but I can’t see the details of his face due to the searing headlights. I raise a hand up as a partial shield, hoping to cut some of the glare so I can see who’s talking. “Safe and sound. Do you have the Shadow Reserve?”
“I have it,” Gabe says, and my head whips that way. A figure moves toward me and I notice another one walking beside him. Gabe and…
My jaw drops open as I make out my brother Ethan. What in the hell is going on? I want to scream at everyone standing here but I don’t forget these men are armed.
Gabe comes to stand before me, his eyes locked on mine for a moment as if trying to convey a message. I think it’s assurance and that makes me feel marginally better but then his gaze drops to my cheekbone. His hand cups me under my chin, turning my head so he can get a better look, and his jaw hardens.
He doesn’t turn to face the other men but grits out, “Who hit her?”
“I did,” Bellamy confesses with actual pride in his work and Gabe looks over his shoulder. I can see him standing there but the mask is off now. He’s got short-cropped hair, those glacial eyes and a sneer on his lip. I note the brown-eyed man also has his mask off now. He has blond hair, but he looks no kinder, not the way I’d made him out to be.
“Let’s make the exchange.” This from the man who exited the Mercedes. He’s just a middle-aged, average-looking man in a business suit. “You got the girl, now give me the bourbon.”