The man had a gun pointed straight at her.
Katherine’s world stilled, her heart lodged in her throat and mind worked in overdrive. She raised her hands in the air as she faced her attacker. He wore military-style fatigue pants with a stained tan T-shirt. Wrinkles along his brow told her he was older than she was, maybe middle aged. He wore his hair short, and a full beard covered the bottom of his face.
Not one tingle of recognition rang inside her.
“I don’t want you to hurt anyone,” she said, hoping to take his attention off Ollie.
He tilted his head to the side, and a twisted smile curved his cracked lips. “Isn’t that funny. You don’t want me to hurt anyone, but you had no problem using your power to ruin other people’s lives. Seems a bit hypocritical, don’t you think?”
“You have the wrong person. I didn’t ruin anyone’s life, at least not on purpose. I don’t even know who you are.”
Bailey barked non-stop from where she stood on the other side of the fence, nearly drowning out her own thoughts.
The man huffed out a humorless laugh. “Shocking. Too self-absorbed to even know the chaos you caused. It’s a good thing I’m here to set things right.”
Her brain went into overdrive, trying to both decipher who stood before her as well as how to get away from him. She might not know the woods outside of Cody’s house well, but the path they took the day before was to her left.
Which meant the ravine Ollie fell down wasn’t far away.
If she could make a run for it, she could get down the ravine and hide. Her phone was in her pocket. She could call Cody, and he’d find her. It might be a long shot, but it could work.
The man tapped the gun against the side of his head. “I can see those wheels spinning. Not a good idea to try and come up with some stupid-ass plan.”
Refusing to show her fear, she inched up her chin. “Why not? You think I should just do whatever you tell me? Accept my fate without even trying to fight back?”
“You can try, but then I might have to put a bullet in that poor, helpless kid. The way these two trees part, I have a perfect shot. He’ll never see it coming.”
An icy terror like she’d never known flooded her system. “Please,” she said, her shaking voice belaying her every emotion. “I’ll do whatever you want. Just don’t hurt him. He’s a little boy. He’s done nothing wrong.”
Begging for her son’s life broke her heart in two and created a soul-deep hatred for the man standing in front of her. She’d never been a violent woman. She’d always believed communication created understanding. But right now, all that bullshit washed away, revealing a mother who’d rip anyone to shreds if they hurt one hair on her child’s head.
But she had to keep her cool. One misstep wouldn’t just put a bullet in her head, but potentially one in her son’s as well.
“As long as you do what I say, I’ll leave him alone. But one wrong move and I make no promises.”
“Just tell me what to do. I swear,” she said. “I’ll do whatever you say.”
“Glad to see I’ve gotten your attention.” He reached into one of the pockets on the side of his pants, pulled out a red bandana, and tossed it her way.
She snatched it out of the air.
“Tie that around your eyes. I don’t want you seeing where we’re going. I’d knock you out but hauling your ass to my truck would be too much trouble. But first, toss me your phone.”
Her hands trembled as she handed over the phone then hooked the fabric around her face. The smell of stale cigarettes and sweat threatened to activate her gag reflex. She was tempted to tie the bandana in a way that she could catch a glimpse at where this man was taking her. But she couldn’t risk doing anything to upset him.
At least not with Ollie so close.
A hard yank on her elbow pulled her forward. She tripped over her own feet, struggling to stay upright as she was dragged along. Twigs snapped and leaves crunched with each step. Her mind spun as she tried to figure out which direction she traveled.
Time was an illusion. Her heartbeat the only sound in her ears. Her compromised vision messed with her senses, and it took every ounce of will power to put one foot in front of the other. When she stepped on loose stone and the heat of the sun beat down on her face, her fear spiked to a new level—they were out of the woods.
The energy around her shifted, and the feel of her captor’s body next to hers made her want to recoil. But she stood tall, refusing to let him see how shaken she was.
“Now that we’re by my truck, I don’t have to worry about keeping you awake.”
She opened her mouth to scream, but something hard smashed against the side of her head. Her body crumpled to the ground and her eyes slid shut as one thought played on repeat in her mind.
At least Ollie’s safe.
