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"He said he was going to kill her." The kid’s voice cracked. "I wouldn't let him. I swear to God, I wouldn't let him."

"Hands."

Both hands came up. He was a big kid, easily six-three.

"Where is she?"

"I don't know. She got loose. I swear I wasn't going to let him hurt her. I told him that. He hit me." His voice dropped. "I think she went toward the crates but I didn’t want to tell him."

"Zoe." I kept my eyes on the teenager and raised my voice. "Zoe, it's Adam. It's over. Come out."

Silence.

"Sweetheart. I've got you. Come out."

A scraping sound from my left, behind a stack of wooden crates near the far wall. Then a hand appeared on the edge of a crate that was lying on its side, braced against the floor. Then Zoe pulled herself out of it, straw in her hair, a cut above her eyebrow dark with dried blood, her shirt torn at the shoulder.

She was the best thing I had ever seen in my life.

She made it three steps before her knees went and I was already moving. I caught her before she went down, both arms around her, and she grabbed the front of my shirt with both fists and held on.

She didn't make a sound. She just shook.

I held her tighter. "I've got you."

"He had a gun," she said into my chest.

"I know."

"I couldn't get to the panic button."

"I know."

"The crowbar wasn't where it was supposed to be."

"Zoe."

"What?"

"Stop talking."

She laughed, a short bark, and held on tighter. I hugged her close, relishing the feel of my woman.

Over her shoulder, the kid hadn't moved. He was still standing with his hands up, tears running down his face.

"Did you call the police?" Zoe asked, her voice muffled against my shirt.

"Nash caught a fatality on the highway. Nolan O'Rourke from Onyx is closer, he'll be here first." I pulled back enough to look at her face and tipped her chin up. The cut above her eyebrow had bled and dried. There was going to be a bruise. Something cold and hard moved through me looking at it. "Who hit you?"

She jerked her thumb at the big guy. “Lance. With a tape gun. Then he rolled me in shrink wrap.” She grimaced with disgust. “I should have fought harder.”

“Honey, he has a foot and a hundred pounds on you,” I tried to console her.

“It was a fucking tape gun, Adam,” she groused.

It was at that moment I knew she was going to be just fine. I changed tactics.

“What was going on here, anyway?”