Page 144 of Liar's Point

No.

She wouldn’t do it. She wouldn’t give up. She gritted her teeth and strained against the zip ties until tears streamed down her cheeks.

The car slowed and then made a turn. Where were they going? So much time had elapsed. And with every minute that went by, they got farther and farther away from anyone who might be trying to find her.

She should have listened to Alex.

And even before that, she should have listened to her gut.

She should have known that no matter what she did, no matter how far she ran or where she hid, Malcom would find her and bring her back. Because he couldn’t let go. He could never let go. He was all about control.

The car slowed again and swung a left, and Cassandra’s stomach roiled. Bile filled her throat, and she swallowed it down. If she threw up now, she’d probably choke on her own vomit.

Beneath her ear, the sound of the road changed pitch. It was bumpier here, like uneven pavement. Or some crappy dirt road in the middle of nowhere. They jostled along over ruts and ridges.

Where on earth was he taking her?

She pressed her feet against the side of the car. At least she had her feet free. Maybe she could kick him in the face when he opened the trunk. It might be tantamount to suicide if he had a gun pointed at her. But she had to do something.

She needed to move her body so that she was facing out and get her legs in position to kick something. She struggled to roll onto her back, but her knees were crammed against her chest. She bent her legs back awkwardly and managed to roll toward the back of the car.

A faint glow caught her attention.

A fluorescent release pull. If she could get her hands on it, maybe she could open the trunk and jump out at a stop. Or at least get someone’s attention.

Suddenly the car turned sharply, then slammed to a halt.

Cassandra held her breath. She listened. Sweat trickled between her breasts as she tried desperately to come up with a plan.

The car shifted as the driver got out. The door slammed.

Heart pounding, Cassandra bit her tongue and waited.

***

Nicole emerged from the restroom to find the bullpen nearly empty.

“Where’d everyone go?” she asked the officer sitting at his computer. “Neil?”

“Huh?”

She crutched over to his cubicle, glancing at the conference room that, minutes ago, had been filled with cops. Now the door was open, and the room was empty.

“Brady and the feds and everyone else,” she said. “Where are they?”

“Uh...” He glanced over his shoulder. “I think they left? Emmet headed out the back with Owen.”

Nicole hurried down the hallway, her stomach sinking with every step. No way. They wouldn’t dare leave her behind.

Would they?

Fury swelled inside her as she pushed open the door and stared out at the employee parking lot.

A Lost Beach police car was turning out of the lot, followed by an unmarked gray sedan that probably belonged to the feds.

“No freaking way.” She pulled her phone from her pocket.

“Nicole!”

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