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The door is kicked open, and bits of wood and metal splint off the door frame from the force of it. A sob tears from my throat as Nathan enters the room, his gun pointed directly at us. If I could breathe, I’d feel relieved, but the slow suffocation I’m experiencing leaves no room for celebration.
The belt tightens around my neck, making it impossible to inhale, all I can do is gasp for small breaths. My eyes find Nathans, and even though on the exterior he seems cool as ice, his eyes are burning with rage. His jaw clenches, clearly seeing the fear in my own eyes. I know he’s on the verge of losing all control, I can see the frustration from not having a clear shot, Tony is effectively using me as a human shield. Part of me wants him to shoot anyway, become a martyr simply to rid the world of the evil that’s standing behind me, slowly strangling me to death.
“Let her go, Anthony,” Nathan says through gritted teeth. Anthony. That must be Tony’s real name. How does he know that? How did he know where to find me?
It doesn’t matter, I’ll tuck those questions away for later if I even make it through the night. My throat burns from struggling to breathe, and the skin around my neck feels like it’s being ripped in half by the belt.
“NO! You’ll just kill me,” Tony cries from behind me, pulling the belt even tighter, making it impossible for me to get any breath at all. All I can do is claw at the leather, and plead with my eyes, plead for Nathan to help me. I know at this point I’m panicking, my fight or flight is begging me to escape, but I’m powerless.
The room is closing in, and darkness from losing so much oxygen starts clouding my vision just as I see someone else come through the doorway. Sheriff Donahue.
He has a gun too, and it’s pointed at the back of Nathan’s head. He doesn’t even know he’s there, his eyes are still locked on me and Tony. All I can manage to do is reach out my hand toward Nathan, attempting to warn him.
I barely register Nathan’s back stiffening as he feels the barrel of the Sheriff’s gun press against the back of his head before everything goes completely black, and I’m gone.
Chapter Fifty
Nathan
I feel the hard barrel of a gun almost in the same instance as Callie slumps to the ground and passes out. FUCK!
“Lower the gun.” I recognize the Sheriff’s voice instantly. The music drowned out his approach, just like it did mine. I point my gun to the ground, mentally preparing for what’s about to happen next. I fucked up, I let someone sneak up on me because I was too focused on what was in front of me. I fucking failed her. Again.
“Now, drop it to the ground, and kick it across the room.” I reluctantly do as he says, feeling the pressure of his gun against my skull the entire time. He would have done it by now if he intended to kill me, but he still has plenty of time and opportunity to change his mind, so I don’t risk it.
For the first time in my life, I’m not ready to accept that I might die. If I die, then Callie is left to the mercy of these bastards, and I can’t let that happen. And, if there is any chance we survive this, I want to live for her, for a life together.
“Fucking shoot him, Donny!!” Tony screeches from across the room, Callie still lying at his feet.
“Shut up, Tony!” The sheriff yells back, clearly frustrated with him.
“Donny Donahue?” I can’t help myself. “That’s a dumb name.” I’m rewarded with a whack to the back of the head so hard I drop to my knees.
“Donny is because of my last name, you dimwit,” the Sheriff sneers at me, his ego too fragile to take the jab. My head is throbbing, but I’m fine. I’ve taken worse hits, but they don’t know that. I keep my face down, holding my head in my hands, giving them the false assurance they need to continue their conversation as if I’m not here.
“Why don’t you just kill him? Then we can take the girl and get the cash for her, and deal with his body later tonight.” Tony suggests to the Sheriff, stepping over Callie’s slumped body on the floor. His foot bumps her leg, making her stir. Her eyes flutter open but they quickly close again.
My chest constricts, seeing her lying there and not being able to go to her yet. All I want is for her to be safe in my arms, but I’m still racking my brain trying to figure out the best way to get out of here without either of us catching a bullet. Then, what Tony said finally clicked in my brain -Get cash for her?
My stomach drops, realizing what he means. He intends to sell Callie. That’s the missing piece all this time. I never understood how they could be so brazen, why they were being so persistent. I thought they were just perverts, freaks trying to lure women off the side of the road. They still are, but really, they’re in it for money.
My hands fall from my face, no longer in the mood to hold up my façade. I’ve always heard that human trafficking is a huge issue in the United States, never seeing it for myself on American soil. For it to be happening in my own backyard makes me sick.
“How does an officer of the law get involved in human trafficking?” I can’t help but ask, too angry to care if there are consequences.
“I’m not!” The Sheriff yells, pushing his gun harder into the back of my head.
“You are too involved, Donny! Don’t act like this is all on me.” Tony puffs up his chest, trying to convey toughness, when he is anything but.
“I get the cars towed, that’s it! I don’t ever lay eyes on anyone involved. You promised you wouldn’t leave any mess behind for me to clean up, Tony. This is all on you!” His shouts rival the volume of the screamo music blasting through the cabin, and I recognize his words to be a guilt-laden confession. He regrets his involvement, but it’s too late, he’s in too deep.
Tony doesn’t respond, he simply paces the room, shaking his head. He’s obviously in over his head and he doesn’t know what to do, giving room for the Sheriff to speak up again.
“I’m not interested in killing people in cold blood, I only came back to get Doris. I’ll convince her to keep her mouth shut. Just let me take her home, then you can do whatever the hell you want with these two,” the Sheriff explains, “but Doris, she doesn’t deserve any of this.”
“And Callie does?” I ask, my voice sounding cold. Deadly. Even to my own ears.
“Shut up,” Tony grits in my direction.
