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They’re all sick.
The room falls silent. It seems his energy has drained as well. What’s his next play? If he truly is sorry, then why am I here, tied to a chair? Why would he go through the trouble of kidnapping, drugging, and tying me up just to apologize?
“How could you act like nothing happened when I saw you after?”
His mouth forms a hard line as he shakes his head, shrugs, and then shakes his head again, telling me there’s no reasonable answer. He finally says, “I had to tell myself that you were doing great, that you were getting the life you always wanted.”
I let out a bitter laugh. “A life with nightmares, thanks to you. I could’ve had that life without the added PTSD.”
“If I could go back and make different choices, I would.”
“But it’s too late for that. You know what happens next.” He’s going to jail right next to Pearl. I look around the room and then back at him. “They probably know by now who took me.”
“I told you I wasn’t going to hurt you.”
He pushes his chair back, walks toward me, then unties the knots. As soon as the rope loosens and my hands are free, I lunge forward and grab the gun. Putting the table between us, I slide around and keep the gun pointed at his chest.
“Don’t get any closer to me,” I warn.
The gun is heavy in my hands, so I keep both wrapped around the handle, steadying it. He casually walks back to his chair and sits down, leaning on one elbow with his hands folded in his lap.
“I’m going to walk out of here,” I threaten, “and I will shoot you if you come after me.”
After a simple nod from him, I run out the front door, glancing over my shoulder once to see him staying seated. It’s not until I’m outside that I see that we’re in the middle of nowhere. Heavy wooded trees surround the house, and the long winding road disappears in between them. I run to the police cruiser, searching the front seats for my purse. I spot it on the floorboard on the passenger side. Again, with a quick glance, checking that he’s not coming, I run around the car, open the door, and grab my purse. My fingers tremble as I power on my phone. The seconds feel like eternity. My heart pounds against my ribs. When the apple finally disappears and the phone lights up, I call Paxton.
“Where are you?” he snaps.
“I…I don’t know. He took me to a secluded wooded area.”
“Chip?”
“Yes. It was him. He’s the one who kidnapped me. Well, not Ari or the other girl, just me. He’s taken me to some ranch.”
Someone says something in the background, but I can’t make out what they said.
“Martinez says that he found your location. We’re on our way. Are you hurt? Where is Chip now?”
Bang!
I jump and jerk my gaze up to the house where a single gunshot rang out. The air around me gets eerily quiet, as if nature itself is holding its breath. Noooo! I shake my head violently. My head screams at me to run toward the house, but my feet stay rooted, freezing me in place. I squeeze my eyes shut. This is why he wasn’t worried about what would happen next. There was no next for him.
“What was that?”
“Kali!”
“Answer me!”
It takes a moment for me to regain my senses and hear Paxton yelling through the phone. “I’m here. I’m okay.”
“Was that a gunshot?”
Tears roll down my cheeks as emotions get clogged in my throat. “I think…” I hiccup. “I think it came from in the house,” I mutter, staring at the open front door.
“Was Chip in the house?” he murmurs, understanding the heaviness.
“Yes.”
CHAPTER 44
