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As she put her phone back in her pocket, she turned to face the door, still pacing. The door flew open with a loud bang. She screamed as three men in black ski masks burst into the room.
Her mind spun. What should she do? Could she fight back? Would they hurt her or take her or both? They had to be hired by Jeremy, but was he one of them?
She looked at Nicholas. He was in the corner of the room, huddled into a ball, looking terrified. What a pansy. She wished Hunter was there. He would have pulled out a gun or his fist, and he would have defended her. Nicholas was useless. A whining little boy in the corner. It was up to her to defend herself. At least Opal wasn’t there to witness this. It would be hard enough trying to get away from them, if she had to get both herself and Opal out, it would be much harder.
As she got into a fighting stance, she recalled her gun. She’d stashed it in the top drawer of the little table near the door. The one right by her side.
Vanessa tore open the drawer and grabbed her gun. She pulled back the slide and pointed, then squeezed the trigger.
Actually firing the gun was terrifying and exhilarating. As many times as she’d gone to the range to practice, this was very different. There was a person, a real live living person at the other end of her aim this time. But, this was a person who was coming to hurt her or abduct her. She had no choice.
Her first shot went too far to the right and hit the wall. Drywall and plaster trickled to the floor in pieces.
She aimed again, but in her panic and heightened emotional state, she was shaking. One of the men was close and swung at her. She stepped out of the way, fired again, and missed again.
Another man grabbed her arm and had the gun out of her grip in seconds. She felt instantly defeated. She had failed miserably.
She was lifted off her feet and thrashed around, trying to break free. “Nicholas, help!”
But she didn’t expect him to do anything. She couldn’t see him, but she suspected by now that he was in tears, hiding under a bed.
Her thrashing only made them hold her tighter. She screamed as loudly as she could. Maybe one of her neighbors would see or hear. Surely if someone saw three men in masks carrying her out as she kicked and screamed, they’d call someone, wouldn’t they?
She kept screaming, hoping to alert someone, until one of the men shoved something into her mouth. She choked, and her eyes teared up. She fought harder, pulling at her arms and legs to do anything. To hit one, to break free, to gain any sort of upper hand. But with three of them and one of her, she was no match.
If Nicholas had managed to get up and attack one of them, or use her gun to shoot one, maybe things would be different. The rage burned inside her chest every time she pictured him curled in the corner. She was trusting this man to have Jeremy locked up and keep Hunter out of jail, all while keeping Opal safe?
She felt like everything was falling apart. Where was Hunter? Was Opal safe? What would happen to her now?
One of the men put a cloth over her face. At first she thought, well that’s stupid, I’m already gagged. But then the room started to spin, and she realized it was something else. She felt herself being carried out of the apartment, and she heard sirens in the distance.
The hallway twisted around her, and her arms and legs no longer responded to her brain telling them to move. She was limp weight.
None of her neighbors’ doors opened. Apparently, someone cared enough to call the police or an ambulance or something, but no one stepped out to help her.
She felt the morning sun on her face and knew then that the sirens were too far away. Help would not reach her in time. Blackness closed over her as she heard a van’s door slide open. She vaguely felt herself being thrown in before her remaining senses failed her.
