Page 92 of Zain

He sighed, long and arduous. “I’ll pull over and wait a few until they get there.” He slowed the vehicle, and it bumped over a gravel road down a sharp decline.

“Good. And Drake? No one better live.”

“Got it, got it.” He punched the button, hanging up. “Bitch.”

Dana’s chest pumped erratically. The need to get up and run was so overpowering she couldn’t keep her hands from trying the binding at her back.

“I knew you were awake,” said Drake, her soon-to-be killer, his tone ominous.

She wet her lips but didn’t respond. He adjusted the rearview and locked his eyes on hers. A breath caught in her throat.

Droplets of sweat dotted his skin. The whites of his eyes were dull and almost as gray as his skin. Despite his rapidly declining health, a spark flashed across his face, lighting his eyes for an instant.

He might be weak, but he had a personal stakein her demise. The vehicle slowed further, rocking over uneven terrain. “We’re gonna sit tight a few minutes until some friends come.”

“Whoopie,” she sang with disdain.

He grunted. “I gotta piss.” He got out and slammed the door. The car shook with the force, rattling Dana even more.

Okay, think.She had a couple of minutes tops before he came back. Using her shoulder to keep her balance, she swung her feet forward so they lay flat on the floor. Grunting and straining, she dragged herself into a sitting position.

Glancing out the window to her left, she caught her creepy friend walking through the grass toward a set of bushes. Rather than reach for his pants, he lifted his shirt, likely to inspect the wound.

Now was her chance.

She inched to her right and reached the door. Panic beat a steady, wild drum against her breastbone. Straining her hands toward the door, she fumbled her fingers along the smooth plastic until she caught the door handle. He’d hear her open the door. She’d have twenty seconds max before he made it back.

Question was, how fast could she run with her hands behind her back? Likely about as fast as she could fight in the same position.

Sucking air through her nostrils, she held her breath and pulled on the lever. The door hinges moaned as she stumbled from the car. Her kneesbuckled beneath her weight, but she threw herself forward, breaking into a run.

“Fuck!”

Drake’s frustrated cry set fire to her heels. A shot rang out.

Dana cried out as the bullet smacked into bark. She ducked, but splinters showered her face. She darted into the woods. Branch after branch swiped her face, neck, and arms. She dodged and swayed, missing the largest ones. Her assailant’s maddened footsteps crunched over gravel.

Dana wove between trees and bushes, ducking low to conceal herself. Her legs burned and wobbled, her muscles struggling to counteract the imbalance her tied arms created.

Her breath was frantic, barely audible. Her feet and shoulders screamed, her calves were on fire—but she didn’t slow down.

Throwing a glance over her shoulder, she spotted his hunched form, but he was far behind. He might not catch up, but he could damn well blow her head off.

Her toe caught a tree root, and she went down. Her knees connected with the hard, knotty veins clawing up from the earth. A grunt barked from her chest upon impact. Pain exploded through her core as she struggled not to fall on her face. The last thing she needed was to lose consciousness again.

Branches cracked in the distance behind her.Not close, but not as far as she’d like either. Staying on her knees, she shuffled behind the tree that’d taken her down. With her back pressed against the solid strength of its trunk, she closed her eyes and listened.

Slowing her breath, she focused on the noises around her. Birds fluttered and cawed in the treetops overhead. Water rushed somewhere close by—likely the waterfall. A car whizzed on the highway in the distance.

Another snap of a twig and the unnaturally fast rustling of leaves.

Tears stung her throat, and she clamped her lips tightly together to stop any noises that might escape. Opening her eyes again, she assessed her surroundings. There were trees as far as she could see, but about ten feet away, they dipped toward a ravine.

She had to keep moving before he found her. Drake would lose stamina soon. All she had to do was outlast him and pray Zain found her.

This outcome wasn’t impossible. Not when Zain was involved. If—

A ringtone broke through the calm air. Dana jumped and dug her spine deeper against the trunk. Bark dug into her sore scalp.

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