It only makes me want to redouble my efforts to escape. I throw myself at the door handle, and my fingers brush against the cold metal when his strong arms wrap around my middle and he pulls me back.
“No,” I yelp.
“Stop,” he growls in my ear. “We won’t hurt you, but you need to stop. Please.”
Before I can open the door on the other side, the second stranger opens it from outside and climbs into the cab. With the motor still running, he faces me and hands me my purse. Then he takes my hand, pries open my fist, and puts something cold and slippery in my hand.
It’s my knife.
I stare at it, not understanding. He’s giving me back my weapon? After a moment, the big man takes the knife from my hand again, opens the blade, and carefully places the handle back in my palm.
“There. Now you can stick it in Carter’s ribs if you want. Especially if he tries any of his alpha bullshit on you.”
I think I might be in shock. Or these guys are the worst kidnappers I’ve ever heard of. And what the hell does he mean withalpha bullshit?
“For fuck’s sake, Troy,” the man on my rights says. “What if she does stick me with it?”
Troy’s smile grows. “You won’t, will you, honey?”
My hands shake. I look from one to the other, trying to decide what to do. There’s no getting out, and to be honest, there’s nothing out there for me either. The man who grabbed me, Carter, was right. I’d freeze to death if I stayed here.
“Where are you taking me?”
I hate that my voice trembles. I hate giving them any indication that I’m scared. But then they probably understood as much when I tried to knock Carter’s teeth out with my elbow.
“Our home is two miles from here,” Troy says. “You can wait out the storm there, and we’ll see about getting you a tow in the morning.”
I ponder this for a moment. I don’t want to go to these men’s home. But in the warmth of the truck cabin, with my hands thawing painfully, I don’t know what else to do. I can only trust them to honor their word that they won’t hurt me.
“Can’t you just drive me to a motel or something?” I glance from one to the other. “Is there someplace else I could stay? I don’t want to intrude in your home. Please, just drop me off somewhere.”
The men exchange a look. I don’t know how to interpret it, but it’s not sleazy or scheming. If anything, they both seem concerned. Troy grips the steering wheel so hard, his knuckles turn white. Carter, on my other side, takes a deep inhale through his nose then lets it out slowly.
“There’s nothing around for miles,” he says finally. When I open my mouth to protest, he says, “I’m not lying. You can check online. Clearwater is too far away. We’d get stranded halfway there, not to mention the fact that we’d have to return home somehow. We’re only out on the road because Troy’s mother asked us to help her get the animals in at her farm. We should’ve left much earlier. We don’t want to get stuck out here any more than you do.”
I chew on my lip, worrying. If I asked them to do it anyway, and they got into an accident because of me, I’d be guilty of whatever happened to them. But staying overnight with a couple of complete strangers—a couple of strangemen—is even worse. Isn’t it?
“Whatever you decide, you should do it soon,” Troy says. “Another inch or so, and this road will be too dangerous to drive on.”
“Fine,” I snap. “I’ll go with you.”
The tension in the truck cabin releases suddenly. Both men breathe a sigh of relief. I don’t understand why, but some of the intensity wafting off them lessens, making them seem more human. Troy moves the car into gear and carefully takes off down the road. It’s slow going. The snow is still coming down hard, and I’m suddenly glad I’m not the one navigating in this weather.
“So,” Troy begins. “What’s your name, miss?”
I grit my teeth, wondering if I should give him my real one. But if they wanted, they could easily root through my purse and read it off my driver’s license, so I go for the truth. “Emma.”
“Emma,” he repeats. “Pretty.”
He watches me from the corner of his eye, and I’m not sure if he’s talking about my name—or me. It should freak me out. It’s cheesy as far as pickup lines go, but I don’t get a skeevy vibe from him at all, which is surprising. My gift for recognizing assholes hasn’t steered me wrong yet, which has definitely been a good thing when working in diners and bars where the clientele is often less than polite.
“What were you doing on the road this late?” Carter asks.
I glance at him and find him studying me closely, as if I’m interesting. He has removed his knit hat, revealing dark hair much shorter than Troy’s shoulder-length blond mop.
“I just got off work,” I tell him. “I’d never drive in this weather if I didn’t have to. But I didn’t have anywhere to stay. I wanted to get back home before the storm really turned nasty. The diner where I work will be closed tomorrow, so I won’t have to get out again.”
I want to smack myself the moment the words leave my mouth. I just told him nobody would be waiting for me tomorrow. That’s the last thing I should be telling the man who basically kidnapped me off the side of the road. I should probably tell them I have a boyfriend waiting for me at home.
