Page 68 of Abandoned

The tires squealed with another turn.

God, help me!

Chapter Nineteen

Zara couldn’t catch her breath. How was this happening again? What do I do? First, breathe.

She forced a deep breath in but was assaulted with the musty scent of old car mixed with intense body odor from the front seat. She needed to get out of here for more than one reason.

The handle of the door at her head was broken clean off. That door wasn’t going to open from the inside at all.

Pushing herself up, she got a look at her kidnappers. Ernie and Rainie. She knew it.

They really didn’t realize how much trouble they were going to be in now, did they?

Zara sat up. “You two are idiots.”

Rainie flipped her hair. “I told you you’d pay, and here we are. I have the perfect plan. We’ll never have to deal with you again. And no one will ever find you.” Her head gave a snooty little wobble.

Zara needed to get out of here. Why had she left her purse and phone in the car? Of course, a dead phone wouldn’t have helped either, but her gun would be super helpful right now.

She had to outwit these fools, and while that wouldn’t be too much of a challenge, desperate criminals could be irrational and unpredictable.

The handle on the door to her right was intact, and as long as the child locks weren’t engaged, she should be able to get out that way. But now she needed the right timing. At a stop sign or light, Ernie would be able to jump out a second behind her, and outrunning that man would probably be impossible. Will was faster than Zara, and Ernie had outrun Will.

Rainie jerked the steering wheel back and forth down the back road, sending Zara sliding across the back seat. Rainie laughed.

Ahead, the road curved in a sharp turn. Rainie was going to have to slow down, and the grass came right up to the asphalt. It was now or never.

But she had to time it perfectly. She had to be quick. She had to land right.

Jesus, I need Your supernatural help on this one. Catch me.

Rainie slowed the car.

Zara moved her left foot to the right side of the hump in the center of the floor.

Rainie slowed further and began to turn.

Zara opened the door, kicked off the floor, and flung herself out the door.

The ground rushed at her. She spun herself in the air and landed on the ground and rolled down the slight embankment. Grass and pebbles scraped her bare arms and legs.

Screamed cuss words echoed from the car.

As soon as Zara’s momentum slowed, she jumped to her feet. She tried to memorize the make and model of the car. Old white boat of a Chevy. She couldn’t make out the model and couldn’t spot the license plate before Rainie whipped the car around.

Time to run. Hopefully Zara’s lungs would cooperate. They were already tight.

She jumped the creek that ran parallel to the road. Where to go though?

She knew this road and was able to pull up a map in her mind, so she knew where she was, even if she wasn’t sure where to go.

But was Ernie going to follow her?

Glancing over her shoulder, she spotted him jumping from the car and yelling.

She darted into the trees.