Page 37 of Under an Oklahoma Sky

Silence met his declaration, so he continued with the short version of what had happened all those years ago. “I never meant for him to die, but I caught him assaulting a young boy. My rage took over. I threw him across the room, and when he came at me, I hit him. He went down, and his head struck the corner of a wooden chest.”

“And you went to prison for saving the boy? I would’ve thought they’d have given you a medal.” The incredulous tone was hard to miss.

“I wouldn’t let the boy testify. I took my punishment and did my time.”

Aside from the hum of the engine and tires against pavement, silence filled the truck’s cab. Seconds ticked by as Sherman absorbed what he’d been told.

“Why’d you tell me? You could’ve just let me go on thinking the worst of you.”

He took a deep breath and let it out. “Because if Sage will have me, I plan on being around for a very long time. I’d rather not have an enemy as my neighbor.” He paused. “And I’m sorry I pulled a gun on you.”

Sherman waved his hand as if to say it was fine. “A man in love will do anything when his woman is in danger. I would’ve done the same thing if the situation had been reversed.”

Adam was about to glance over at him when something large darted into the road.

He slammed on the brakes and yanked the steering wheel to the left. The tires lost their grip on the pavement, and the truck careened off the road.

He fought the wheel, but couldn't correct it.

A massive tree filled the windshield.

Every muscle in his body seized an instant before the truck slammed headfirst into the trunk with a bone-crushing impact.

Cramped in the trunk of Seth Chapman’s beat-up Ford sedan, Sage tried to turn over so she’d face the back of the vehicle, but with a spare tire and other junk taking up space, it was difficult to maneuver. She was terrified when he threatened her children and allowed him to lead her on foot toward the main road, waiting for an opportunity to give him a reason to regret kidnapping her and then run.

When they’d reached where he’d hidden his car across the road from her property in a small copse of trees, he’d used the knife to force her into the trunk. She’d followed his order because she knew how to escape from one. Years ago, Mark had shown her a video on YouTube after hearing about a woman in California who’d saved herself from a kidnapper after being locked in the trunk of her own car. If Sage could flip over, she’d be able to do exactly what she’d seen in the demonstration a reporter and police officer had put together.

What Seth planned to do with her, she had no idea, but it couldn’t be good. He’d already hurt or killed Benji, and people didn’t kidnap someone in the middle of the night with a hunting knife because they had something pleasant planned. Crazy was crazy—no need to analyze it until she escaped.

Country music wailed through the rear seat, so she knew it was useless to yell, even if they stopped somewhere. No one would hear her. The car hit another bump in the road, tossing Sage upward until she struck the top of the trunk before slamming back down. Almost every inch of her body smarted from the impact.

Pushing what felt like tools, cans, plastic bags, and other junk out of her way, she finally turned over. In the darkness, the glowing emergency trunk release was impossible to miss, just like the one in the video.

When she pulled on the plastic handle, nothing happened, and her heart sank. She yanked on it again, and her hand flew upward, smacking the metal above her. The handle came loose and remained in her fist, disconnected from whatever it had been attached to. Her knuckles stung as if hundreds of angry bees had attacked them, and she knew without looking that she’d taken a few layers of skin off.

The vehicle turned right, and Sage braced herself with her arms and legs. Panic was setting in, and she inhaled deeply, then coughed violently as fumes from exhaust and God-knew-what-else invaded her lungs.

Stay calm and find some way to escape.

She had to do everything she could to get back to her children… and to Adam. She had to tell them all how much she loved them and risk Adam not feeling the same way. Somehow, she’d been lucky enough to love two men in her lifetime, and damn it, the second man didn’t even know it. But Sage would tell him if she got out of there.

When she got out of there.

Another sharp turn sent her rattling around the trunk as the vehicle bounced over bumps and potholes. They had to be on a dirt road, but Sage couldn’t tell where. She’d lost all sense of direction and time not long after being ordered into the trunk.

If he hadn’t held that huge hunting knife so close to her chest, she would have gone on the offensive. But the man was at least eight inches taller and outweighed her by a good hundred and thirty pounds. Her best chance was to surprise him with something that would disable him when he opened the trunk again so she could run. Maybe she could even get the keys from him and drive away, leaving the jerk wherever he’d taken her. She’d call 9-1-1 as soon as she could.

Feeling around in the darkness, she tried to identify the objects in the trunk, hoping for a crowbar or something else she could swing at him. She figured it was too much to ask for Seth to keep a loaded gun back there, but that didn’t stop her from praying for one—or a miracle or two.

The car hit another hard bump, and Sage’s head smacked the trunk frame. “Ow! Watch the damn potholes, you idiot!” There was no way he’d heard her over the Trace Adkins and Blake Shelton duet blaring from the radio, but venting her anger made her feel a little better. At least it was pushing back the panic.

Her searching fingers found something hard, metallic, and heavy. Grabbing it, she inspected the object with both hands and figured out it was a wrench. She’d be more than happy to throw it at her kidnapper’s head when he opened the trunk.

That was one weapon. Maybe she could find something else.

After another minute of searching and bouncing around in the confined space, she found what felt like a canister. Shaking it, she heard the distinct sound of a pea banging around inside. It was a metal, plastic, or glass ball used to mix aerosol paint.

Perfect.