Page 40 of Tactically Acquired

The van took a hard right and I slid on the ground, crashing into the wall of the van. That was gonna leave a bruise. When the van swerved again, my body jerked the other way, and this time, my arms snapped somehow and the bonds broke suddenly, freeing my hands.

“I did it,” I mumbled behind the rag shoved in my mouth. I had no idea how I managed that, but I had done it and now I was one step closer to freedom. I grabbed the gag around my mouth and tore it off, then started on the ropes around my ankles.

As I worked them off, I kept glancing over my shoulder, sure that at any moment, they would turn around and catch me trying to escape. But as I tore the rope from around my ankles, I found they were still more focused on whatever was going on out there than me.

If I stayed in here, I was going to either die from their reckless driving or at their hands. I had to escape now. I got to my feet, grabbing the side wall of the van as I headed for the back door. This was insane. Hell, I was insane. Thinking of jumping out of a moving van was not only reckless but extremely…insane.

“Hey! She’s escaping!” the man in the passenger seat yelled.

I didn’t have time to think of a better option. I flung one side of the door open, my eyes widening in horror when I wobbled perilously close to the edge and nearly fell out. I grasped the top of the van just as I was about to slip out and took a moment to catch my breath, but that turned out to be a moment too long.

I was grabbed from behind, my hair being tugged hard as the man tried to pull me back into the van. I screamed—mostly out of anger and a strong desire not to be taken for a second time—then kicked with all my might, just like I did in my films.

Honking distracted me just as I sent a swift kick into the man’s stomach. I spun just in time to see Craig in my periphery leaning out the passenger window of an SUV, shouting something at me. I grinned at him, waving in relief. But that too was cut short when the door came swinging back at me, smashing my fingers between the door and the top of the van.

“Holy shit!” I screamed, trying not to let the tears welling in my eyes spill down my cheeks. “That really fucking hurt!”

The man grabbed at me again, but now I was really pissed. I threw my elbow back, hoping to catch him in the head, but my aim was all off. I got him in the shoulder, which worked well enough to break his grasp. I spied a crowbar on the floor and dove for it, not thinking twice as I jumped to my feet and spun, swinging with all my might as I screamed like a banshee.

I winced as the bar cracked against his skull, reminding me all too much of how fragile the human body was. The man dropped with a thud on the floor of the van right beside me. Kneeling beside him, I poked him with my finger, cringing when he groaned. At least I didn’t kill him.

Yelling drew my attention away from the man on the floor. I couldn’t concentrate on him when I had more important things to think about. I had to get my ass out of here. I flung the door open again, this time making sure the door didn’t come back to hit me. The SUV swerved back behind us and Craig stuck his head out the window.

“—jump—van—here!”

That was so broken up, but I thought I got the gist. “You want me to jump to you?” I shouted.

“—fucking—there!” Then he pointed wildly behind me, his eyes wide.

I spun around and gasped as the man struggled to his feet. It was now or never. I shoved the door open again and stepped tothe very edge. This was insane. Absolutely fucking crazy, but it was now or never. I could make the jump.

The SUV lurched forward just as I bent my knees. I let out a scream as I catapulted myself through the air, landing with a thud on my belly on the hood of the SUV. Screaming as I started to slide, I grabbed the windshield wipers and held on for dear life as the SUV struggled to stay steady as traffic zoomed all around us. There was no way to slow down with semis roaring past us and cars acting like this was the Atlanta speedway.

“What am I supposed to do now?” I shouted at Craig.

He was already climbing out his window, grabbing me by the arm and pulling me closer to the passenger side.

“You have no idea how fucking cold it is out here when you’re driving eighty miles an hour!” I shouted.

“Then you shouldn’t have jumped on the hood of the fucking vehicle!” he shouted.

“You told me to!”

“No, I didn’t!”

“Can we argue about this when I’m not hanging off the front of the car?”

“It’s technically an SUV,” he retorted, earning a scalding glare from me. He glanced behind him, checking the traffic, then turned back to me. “Alright, we’re going to do this on three.”

“Do what on three?”

“I’m gonna pull you off the hood and through the window!”

I peered over the edge of the vehicle and swallowed hard. That seemed impossible, but what the hell? I could do this. I wanted to do my own stunts. There was no better time than the present to do just that. I nodded and took a deep breath.

“One. Two…”

On three, he yanked hard, pulling my body off the hood of the car. I hit the mirror with my hip and was almost inside the window when a semi went roaring past, honking his damn hornat us and scaring the shit out of me. I screamed and nearly fell to the road. I would have been squashed like a bug if it weren’t for Craig’s strong grip.

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