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“She’s going to have our children doing it as well.” I can see it already. A dozen or so little rug rats following her around the house like she hangs the moon, decorating every space she can find.
Before Levan can add to the discussion, blinding lights flash in front of us. “Son of a bitch,” I hiss as I try to swerve, but the asshole follows, hitting us head-on. We flip over numerous times, glass shatters, metal crunches. My head hits the crossbar as we settle on the roof. Zak is missing, thrown in one of the flips, and Levan is out cold.
My head grows dizzier by the second as I hear snow crunching under someone’s booted foot. “Well, damn,” a voice says before I feel a poke in my arm.
Grogginess takes over, and I realize I’ve just been drugged. “You’re dead,” I mutter—or think I do—as I pass out.
* * *
Abilene
As I stare up at the ceiling, I know my guys were in bed when I passed out. They promised a night to remember, and they came through. With their hands and mouths for I don’t know how long, and I wanted more, but my body gave up, and I conked out. I slept like the dead all night, not awakening once, which is entirely foreign to me. I’ve always had trouble staying asleep. Plagued by nightmares, I would dread the night.
But last night, I was at peace for the first time in I don’t know how long, and I’m disappointed to find that Val, Levan, and Zak aren’t here. They didn’t say they would be, I had just assumed they would. The longer I stay in one spot, the more agitated I become, so I toss the covers off and head to the bathroom to pee and brush my teeth.
Once finished, I twist my unruly hair in a quick bun and slink to the closet to put on a pair of thick black leggings and one of the looser sweaters they bought for me. I’ve always preferred comfort over everything, and these are two of my favorite things.
Leaving our room, I slip downstairs in hopes they just woke up early and the bed wasn’t cold because they never joined me. Spotting a clock on the wall, it’s past nine in the morning, and for the first time in years, I don’t feel an urgency to be doing something. I look forward to having a sip of coffee and savoring a plate of toast.
Entering the kitchen, I see the coffee maker on, but no one is here. I feel…antsy now. Something is off about the house, and I’m not sure what. Even as a child, someone was usually in the kitchen or close by. But the place feels empty. Abandoned, I suppose.
“Hello?” I call out. Not only does Levan’sbebiastill live here, but Ana is on full-time. I don’t think she’s ever lived anywhere else, and they have a few other staff members that have routinely been here during the day. The silence surrounding me grows eerie and worrisome. “Is anybody home?” I look down hallways, expecting someone to pop out.
They don’t.
“Ana?” I shout louder, hating how my voice reverberates off the walls. Still no answer. Scuttling down the hall to her room, I knock on the door and wait a few seconds before poking my head in. “Ana?” She’s nowhere in sight.
Before I can seek outBebia’sroom, the doorbell rings. Positive someone else must have heard it, I head that way, expecting a person to be answering the door by the time I get there.No such luck.Unlocking the bolts, I open the heavy door to see a message carrier.
“Yes?” My eyes roam the property quickly.
“Abilene Bondar?” He briefly looks up from his clipboard before flipping it towards me. “Sign here.” An envelope rests under one arm, which he trades me for the clipboard. “Have a nice day.” He’s gone as quickly as he came.
Closing the door, I flip a lock and rip open the sealed manila folder. Pulling out a photo, the air in my lungs evaporates as I see not just one but all three of my men tied to chairs. Blood has dried on their faces, and Zakar has a splint on his leg. The black-and-white image is slightly grainy, but I can tell they’re all unconscious.
Reaching further into the package, hoping there’s a note, I find nothing. Flipping the picture over, there’s an address and a time scribbled on the back. Peering at the same clock from earlier, I see I have an hour to make it there, or whoever has them will start hurting them.
Frozen to the spot, I have no idea what to do. Normally, I’d ask one ofthemfor help. They’d have a plan; I don’t.How do I even handle a weapon?And I have no money for their captors, if that’s even what they want. I’m ill-equipped to deal with a situation like this.
But the longer I stare down at the image, concentrating on their injured bodies, the more time is wasting, and I don’t know if they have a specific person they would call to help with this other than each other. So it’s up to me.
“Oh God.” It’s up to me to rescue them.
Me.
The girl who jumps at her own shadow.
The girl who avoids dark rooms.
The girl who couldn’t save herself.
Pulling myself together is not easy. I’m in a state of panic that feels like I’m walking on thin ice, waiting for it to crack and the water beneath my feet to swallow me whole. I must be strong. I must be smart.
Inhaling and exhaling deeply to try and calm my nerves, I make my way towards Levan’s office. He keeps almost everything in there, so hopefully, there will be a weapon I can use and not wind up killing someone that doesn’t deserve it. Opening and closing the drawers of the desk, I find nothing. Next, I pop open the bench behind his desk that sits in front of the window.
Bingo!
Guns, knives, swords? Everything I could need, except I have no idea what that would be. Taking a bag from the side, I place a couple of sheathed knives in it, along with a small gun that doesn’t look as intimidating as the larger ones. I see a grenade and debate whether I even want to try it, but I wind up grabbing it too. Zip ties, handcuffs, and a baton are added next.
