Page 31

Tears stream down my face at the thought of leaving him behind, but I have to get help.

So, as much as it pains me, I slam the truck door and shove the keys into the ignition.

Eyes blurry with tears, I put the truck in gear and step on the gas.

The truck's back tires kick up dust and gravel as I peel out of the parking lot. I look in the rear-view mirror and catch sight of a car pulling up beside where Catcher’s body lies unmoving on the ground, as two men jump into the back seat and give chase.

I swipe away my tears with the back of my hand and focus on the road in front of me.

But just as I’m about to turn left out of the parking lot, a white van cuts me off, forcing me to slam on my brakes.

The van stops in front of me while the car boxes me in from behind.

The two men in the car jump out. One approaches the passenger side while the other approaches the driver's side.

I engage the locks, hoping to keep them out.

“Fuck, London, think .”

The man at my door bangs on the window. “Give it up, bitch,” he sneers.

Refusing to it give up, I put the truck in reverse and slam my foot on the pedal, ramming into the car behind me.

I repeat this maneuver again when I shift into drive and ram the van blocking me.

The asshole standing in front of the truck is forced to jump out of the way to avoid being crushed. Too bad I missed.

“You crazy fucking bitch,” he spits.

Just as I'm about to shift the truck into reverse, the guy I almost hit puts his fist through my window, shattering it. I climb over the center console, but I’m not quick enough.

The door is wrenched open, and a hand clamps down around my ankle, pulling me back.

Twisting to my back, I bend my other knee, and with all the force I can muster, I kick the motherfucker square in the nose, and he roars with pain as blood seeps from his nose.

When he loses his grip on my ankle, I crawl over to the passenger seat, open the door, and jump out of the truck.

The second that both feet hit the pavement, I take off.

I don’t get ten feet before I’m tackled from behind, and the guy on top of me knocks the air from my lungs and shoves my face into the gravel.

“Tase the cunt, Rico,” I hear another guy say.

The next thing I know, it’s lights out.

“Hey,” someone whispers. “Hey, are you okay?” the voice says again. I blink my eyes open and, through blurred vision, try to locate the source.

“She’s waking up.” Beside me, I hear shuffling. I try to move, but my body feels stiff. “Where am I?” I ask, confused. My vision clears, and a young woman no older than nineteen or twenty appears.

“We don’t know where we’re at. None of us saw where we were brought. We just woke up in this room together.”

I sit up and lean against the wall, ignoring how badly my body aches. Then, I get a good look at my surroundings. My heart drops when I realize what the girls mean by ‘us.’ There are seven other women in here besides me, and none of us knows where here is. “How long have you all been here?”

“I’ve been here two days. My name is Anna.”

“I’m London.”

Anna points to a blonde-haired girl. “That’s Sara. Then you have Olivia, Karmen, Brianna, Dee, and Marcy. Olivia and Dee have been here the longest. Five days.”

“And none of you know where we are?” I ask.

“No,” Marcy answers. “The guys who brought us here don’t talk to us. They just come by once a day to bring us food.”

I look around the small room. It’s barren aside from a single lamp.

There is no furniture, and the carpet looks old and dingy.

It smells like sweat and mildew. Off to the side of the room is a bathroom.

Standing, I walk over to the door and find it locked.

Beside the door is a boarded-up window. Everyone startles when the sound of the lock on the door engages.

I take two steps back when the door swings open.

Standing in front of me is the bastard I kicked in the face.

I smirk when I get a good look at his slightly crooked and swollen nose.

The guy conveys his displeasure by stepping forward and backhanding me across the face.

I counteract by lunging at him. And because he’s taken off guard by my actions, I’m able to get several kicks in, including another blow to his nose, making it gush blood once again.

“Enough,” a new voice barks at the same time I’m being pulled off the son of bitch. Once I’m contained, I get a good look at the other guy, who is now picking his bleeding friend up off the floor. “You’re a fucking disgrace, Carlos. Boss is going to be pissed you marked one of the girls.”

“The fucking bitch broke my goddamn nose, man.”

“We don’t have time for you to be a pussy, Carlos.

Boss is waiting for us at the port. He wants us to bring the girls.

” The asshole sweeps his gaze across the room to where the girls are huddled.

“Tie them up and bag them.” Then he pins me with a stare.

The asshole tries to intimidate me, but I’m not deterred.

I match his energy with an equal look of disgust.