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I push at Jake’s sleeping body, whispering in his ear, “My kidnapper is here. We need to run.”
“Come back to bed,” he groans.
I grab his sweatpants and tee shirt from the chair before I shake him. “Wake up. We need to get out of here.”
Jake jolts upright on the bed. “What the ...”
I press my finger over his lips. “Shh.” I point outside the bedroom. “Someone is trying to get into the apartment.”
“Fuck,” he mouths, grabbing his sweatpants and tee shirt and covering his muscular body. “Go to the window. We’ll go down the fire escape.”
I nod as Jake grabs the keys to his car and I snatch my purse from the bedside cabinet.
We pause as we strain to hear something scraping the doorway.
I ease open the window, calm and patient, because this window is the creakiest one in the apartment.
We slip through the window onto the fire escape, the cold air brushing against my cheeks. Jake takes my hand as we silently descend the cold metal staircase. It feels like an eternity, but each step is smooth and calculated.
It’s still quiet outside. Only the pounding of my heart is loud enough to betray us.
Reaching the bottom, we pause for a moment as we stare at his car parked on the roadside, knowing we need to run to the street.
Jake looks up from the bottom of the fire escape, his eyes scanning the darkness for any sign of pursuit.
And just when my adrenaline ebbs slightly, there’s a crash, like wood splintering as it slams against a wall.
“Run.” Jake hisses.
Chapter 26
Jake
With Ella strapped in the passenger seat beside me. Her eyes are wide with fear, but she remains silent, trusting me to get us out of this mess.
I try to keep calm as I press my foot on the gas pedal, trying to get as much speed as possible but not make too much noise.
I know it won’t be long before the man realizes we’ve escaped via the back of the apartment, but I don’t want the sound of the car letting him know any sooner.
“Go faster.” Ella’s wide eyes are on the road behind. “We can lose them in the town.”
Only when I think we’re out of ear’s reach, do I slam my foot on the pedal. The tires squeal as I take a sharp turn, the car fishtailing.
Ella grabs onto the dashboard, her knuckles white with fear.
“Where are you going?” she screams. “The town is that way.” She points behind us.
“Walker’s home!” I yell back, my eyes fixed on the road ahead. “Call him and tell him to meet you at the end of the public access to the beach.”
Ella grabs her cell. Her eyes meet mine as she waits for a response.
“Oh fuck,” she mumbles. “He’s not answering.”
“Call Gabe.”
“Jake—“
“Call Gabe! Let him know what’s happening.” My voice is sterner than she normally hears.
