Page 153 of Shadows of You

And now, I might not get the chance.

48

ASPEN

My mouth felt like cotton,fuzzy and dry. My eyelids fluttered, flickers of light bursting into my vision. Everything hurt as if I’d been caught in a riptide and banged against the rocks several dozen times.

It took more than a few tries to bring my surroundings into focus. They were blurry at first like I had on glasses that didn’t belong to me.

Then I saw it. A simple, one-room cabin. A tiny kitchenette. A small sitting area. A bed.

And a person tied to a wooden chair next to me.

My stomach dropped as bile surged. Everything came together in a kaleidoscope of memories. Taking out the trash. The noise. Being hit on the head.

Someone injecting me with something—drugs, obviously.

“Steven?” I croaked.

His eyes were wide as he jerked against his bindings. His wrists were secured to the arms of the chair, and his ankles to the legs. There was some sort of scarf or bandana tied around his mouth so he couldn’t speak, only make muffled grunting noises.

What the hell is happening?

Then I saw what held me to my seat: zip ties at the wrists and ankles. That bile was back, panic hot on its heels.

“Who has us?” I whispered.

Steven’s eyes bugged wider as he tried to get out a name, but I couldn’t decipher it.

I tugged on the zip ties, checking their strength. They bit into my flesh with a sharp sting. I winced and muttered a curse.

My gaze swept the room, zeroing in on the windows at the front of the cabin. All I could see were trees, nothing that gave me a clue as to where we actually were.

I leaned forward in my seat, trying to balance on my feet. I wondered if I could get free if I broke the chair. Wiggling from side to side, I tested the furniture’s sturdiness. It seemed pretty well made. Maybe if I threw myself backward?

A noise sounded from outside. Footsteps on gravel? Or something being dragged?

My stomach cramped as I set my chair back on the floor. The door flew open, and a figure filled the space. They were backlit by the afternoon sun, making it hard to see.

They took a step inside, pulling a rolling duffel behind them. And as they did, a gasp slipped free. “Elsie?” I choked.

A sneer spread across her lips. “Do you know how tired I am of being called that stupid fucking name? Almost as tired of having to listen to your constant woe-is-me act. At least you had decent baked goods at the piece-of-shit café.”

My jaw went slack. It didn’t make sense. Elsie was kind. Thoughtful. She’d had my back with the podcasters. She’d helped me secure Oren. But there was none of that kindness in her now.

It was as if she’d completely morphed in front of my eyes. The slightly jumpy woman with the warm smile was gone. There was only a snake now.

She laughed. “What’s the matter? Cat got your tongue?” She inclined her head toward Steven. “This one couldn’t shut up. Finally had to gag him.”

Nausea swirled as my mind raced. I tried to put things in order and figure out what I needed to do. The countless YouTube videos I’d watched flashed on repeat.

“Never let them get you to a secondary location.”

Well, that ship had sailed. But then another instruction stuck in my head.

“Stall. Buy yourself time so you can get out.”

Maybe if I could figure out what the hell her motives were, I could talk my way out of this.

---