Page 38 of Hunted Innocence

Chewing on the warm, crunchy fried chicken, I pause when the door starts to open. I don’t know who could be coming in here. But something niggles at the back of my mind that this is not good.

Taking my purse off, I slide it across the room and underneath the cot, hoping that because it’s black, it will blend into the floor and be unnoticed by whoever is on the other side of that door.

When the door finally swings open, I’m met with a person dressed in black from head to toe, including one of those ski masks. I almost burst into laughter, mainly because I’m terrified as hell, but also, it’s like a movie with that mask on. And nervous laughter is a thing. All I can do is think aboutHome Aloneand the Wet Bandits. I have no idea why, but that’s the first thing that pops into my head.

“Get the fuck up,” the voice growls.

It’s a woman’s voice, and my heart slams against my chest. I don’t know why, but why would a woman be here? I expected it to be Landon, not a woman.

I stand, and my food falls to the floor, but I don’t attempt to pick it up. I want Orion or whoever is here to find this shit. I want them to know that I did not leave of my own free will. Pressing my lips together, I follow the masked person out of the room, then out of the back of the building, where there is an old piece-of-shit four-door pickup truck waiting.

How the hell did they get here unnoticed? Orion stopped at a gate that had one of the guys guarding it and had to open it forus to pass through. A hand on the center of my back pushes me forward, and I stumble as I approach the pickup.

“Get the fuck in,” she growls.

She’s trying to hide her voice, growling with every word she says. It’s odd, but then again, nothing about this scenario is normal. I just hope that whoever discovers I’m missing can find me. Though I’m not sure how. I have no way for someone to track me.

Climbing into the back seat of the pickup, I look ahead at the driver and try to make out who it could be. It’s a man, but he’s not wearing a mask. The truck lurches forward, going in the opposite direction of the entrance gate, and I am taken through a very rough and forestlike exit.

Now I know how they got here unnoticed. This isn’t even a road. The truck dodges, bobs, and weaves as the driver attempts to miss holes, tree stumps, and branches. I hold on to a handle next to the door, gripping it tightly in an attempt to keep from slamming against the door and window.

Then the man at the wheel slams his foot on the brake right in front of a clearing that leads to a road. I watch as he turns his head and his eyes meet mine.

I gasp at the sight of him.

At the sight of those eyes.

I know those eyes.

The other person takes the mask off and turns to look at me as well. It is a woman. I knew it was. But I didn’t realize it was a woman I once knew—well. If I could gasp again, I would, but the fact of the matter is that I can’t breathe.

It’s not just two strangers.

I know them.

I also thought they were dead.

But they aren’t.

I open my mouth, then snap my lips closed again. I’m not sure what to say. I am not only breathless, but I am also speechless because my supposedly dead parents are looking back at me.

Chapter Sixteen

GRAYSON

“What is that?”I ask.

I’ve been walking around this small-as-fuck holding room where Nadine was being held, but when I dip down and look under the bed, I see something there. A black bag. Crouching down, I reach for it and grasp a strap. It’s Nadine’s purse. The moment I bring it to the bed and plop it down on the mattress, I recognize it as hers.

“It’s Nadine’s,” Orion states.

Turning my head, I look back at him, surprised to see him standing there again. “Put the club on lockdown. Trying to get some surveillance, but we don’t have much out here.”

“Why not?” I ask.

His lips curve up into a grin. “If you don’t see it, does it exist?”

I chuckle. I suppose he’s correct, but I throw something else at him. “If you see it and keep it, you can use it as insurance.”

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