Page 10 of Love Undercover
She grunted and scooted up, wincing as she lifted her bound hands awkwardly. All she felt at first was the rough carpet lining the trunk and that foam they put around the seam of the lid to keep moisture and debris out. Then her fingers fumbled over a little plastic pull, and a surge of elation bubbled through her chest.
Every muscle in her body relaxed, and she practically flopped down, breathing hard and laughing softly like a loon. Now she simply needed an opportunity. Maybe he would stop for gas or a bathroom break.
Or a bathroom break for her. She shifted as the pressure on her bladder made itself known at the reminder. With her mind settling a little, she was much more aware of her body’s needs. Luckily, years of teaching had trained her to hold it for unhealthy amounts of time.
The consistent speed of the vehicle made her heart sink lower and lower, though, and the panic started again, an insidious chillthat crept through her chest and squeezed like a frigid hand around her ribs.
She shut her eyes, focusing on slow, even breaths again. Like a kid having a meltdown, all she needed to do was count slowly.
In:one, two, three, four. Out:one, two, three, four. Again.
Moss green eyes.
Apologetic and concerned.
Attentive and focused.
It was his eyes that made her decide to climb over that balcony into his waiting hands. Some element of trustworthiness existed in their depths, and she was so sure that he didn’t want to hurt her.
Then he’d shoved her into his trunk. To be fair, he hadn’t hurt her, but why had he taken her?
She could think of no reason someone would want to trash her apartment or what any of them were after. It was clear Greg was in over his head with something, given that the FBI had questioned her earlier that day. But she didn’t understand why anyone thought she would know anything about it.
Fizz you, Greg!she wanted to shout. It washisfault she was huffing and puffing inside this god-awful trunk with her shoulders screaming from her inch-worming around.
The steady rhythm of the car engine and the wheels over the road lulled her into a half-sleep. She wasn’t comfortable enough to truly drop into unconsciousness, but she was too bored to stay fully awake.
It was the slowing of the vehicle that snapped her into full awareness. Even though she didn’t totally fall asleep, she wasdisoriented when she opened her eyes and couldn’t see much of anything.
Stupidly, she tried to sit up and thunked against the roof, letting out a panicked sob when she tried to pull her hands free and found them still bound. The space tightened around her, and the urge to stretch her legs became unbearable. She heaved in gasping breaths that made her lips tingle as she yanked against the restraints and kicked at the walls of her prison.
Calm down, the rational part of her mind commanded—the one that dealt with tantrums on a weekly basis. But her thoughts continued to spin wildly until the car lurched to a stop, jolting her into motionlessness.
Instead of letting her rapid, panting breaths continue, she trapped the oxygen in her lungs, straining to hear movement outside of the car. Then she remembered:the latch!
She huffed out a breath and shifted, wrapping her hands around the pull to open the trunk. Without thinking of what came after, she yanked hard and heard the latch release, a triumphant gasp escaping her lips as cool night air breathed against her sweaty body.
But since she hadn’t planned her next step, she recognized the dilemma of her back facing the outside world.
Not wanting to waste her opportunity, she twisted, throwing her legs out and using the momentum to roll out of the trunk. But there was no time to gauge the distance to the ground, and she wasn’t able to get her feet under her. She ended up flopping into the dirt on her knees, hissing as the gravel bit into her shins through the thin fabric of her linen pants.
“What was your plan from here?”
She yelped at the calm, rumbling baritone and lurched up, whacking her head on the bumper of the car. Without her hands, she flopped back down toward the dirt, tucking her chin to avoid smacking her face on the ground.
“You know I could hear you moving around in there, right?”
She glared at him as he leaned over her, absolutely no humor in his face. A navy sky glittered behind his head, and she momentarily forgot about her predicament to marvel at how many stars were visible.
And then he slipped a hand around her arm to haul her to her feet. She stumbled, but he easily kept her upright, not even shifting his weight as counterbalance.
And it was no wonder. Now that she wasn’t straight terrified out of her mind, she took in his sheer bulk. She was no tiny woman, and he dwarfed her.
Without much explanation or warning, he tugged her forward, drawing her attention to the building in front of which they’d parked. He reached back to shut the trunk, almost as an afterthought, and barely broke stride.
Meanwhile, her legs wobbled like jelly, and she stumbled to the porch steps of a small cabin-like home. The dark windows looked like many sightless eyes, and the opening scene of a horror film flickered across her memory.
This is where people go to die.
