Page 40

Chapter Twenty
Ariella
Ben yanked me forward and out of the cell, in line behind the other girls who were in the next prison cell beside us.
We hadn’t said much to them.
The sound of gunfire grew louder and nearer.
Was it Jaxson?
Had the guys from Eagle Tactical come to save us?
I wanted to stay, to fight, to see if we could stall and help aid in our rescue, but with the gun against my skin and Ben trigger happy, I was out of options.
We were marched up the back stairwell, the same way that we came in. Ushered outside, I glanced at Hazel and hoped that she had the same idea that I had.
Now was the time to fight.
I thrust my elbow at Ben, landing a blow to his stomach and then his face, feeling his nose crack under my fist.
The other girls gasped and stood frozen.
They didn’t fight.
They didn’t run.
They stood there, trembling out of fear.
I couldn’t count on them to help.
Where was Jaxson?
The gunfire erupted on the opposite side of the compound. Several additional shots were inside.
Was Harper all right? What about Izzie?
Ben grabbed me by the hair and dragged me the remainder of the distance to the van. He tossed me inside, and the other girls silently followed.
“Move!”
Hazel climbed in last. Her bottom lip trembled as she came to sit beside me, cuddling up against me.
Ben slammed the van door shut and the engine roared to life. The vehicle jolted forward as we were whisked off the premises.
Where the hell were they taking us?