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As Zbirak shut the door, Cassie felt a tear slide down her cheek. Trusting Harris to do everything she could to find her, Cassie still couldn’t help the doubt that crept in. The farther she got away from Harris, the harder it would be for the detective to find her. Two words sprang to mind, and she wished she could send them directly into Harris’s brain.
Please hurry.
37
Joseph Zbirak was nothing like Cassie imagined. On the phone, he had been calm and collected, though not cold. He’d been in good humor, which had struck her as odd. That was nothing compared to how he was in real life. It was a strange way to describe someone so calculating and dangerous, but it was the only word she could think of to describe him.
Polite.
Of course, that was cancelled out by the fact she was handcuffed in the back of a panel van, headed to who knew where.
Cassie struggled against her bonds, but there was no hope. They were cinched tight enough around her wrists that she wouldn’t be able to slip out. And the metal anchors bolted to the side of the van definitely weren’t going anywhere.
All she could do was wait and see what happened next.
They drove for over an hour. Maybe longer. She could feel the difference between Lake Shore Drive and the countryside. The roads were rougher, and there wasn’t as much traffic. The stopping and starting made her nauseous, seated the way she was in the back.
For his part, Zbirak stayed quiet. He’d put on some light jazz and drummed his fingers along the steering wheel. Sometimes he’d hum along to a song she didn’t recognize. If they’d been in different circumstances, he’d look like nothing more than a delivery driver, happy to be going about his day.
It didn’t take long for Cassie to figure out he was much more than that. The van smelled of bleach and orange. The back was like a mobile workstation, with a couple of shelves bolted to the side opposite her. There were dr
awers full of mysterious objects that rattled around every time they turned a corner. There were also tools hanging off hooks in the back. Hammers and saws and electric trimmers.
Everything was spotlessly clean. If anyone saw the inside of the van, they’d think Zbirak was a maintenance man or a lawn care service worker. But she had a feeling these tools weren’t just for show. They were practical. Which meant he likely used them on human beings. And he was a lot more dangerous than he initially appeared to be.
For the first time, a trickle of fear slid down Cassie’s back and into the pit of her stomach. She’d been in terrible situations before, it was true, but that never made it any easier. And now she had no choice but to wait for Harris to find her. They’d left her personal items at the hotel, so Zbirak wouldn’t discover that she wasn’t Rose Sherman. The comms device had been knocked out, and Rose’s phone had been left behind. All she had to rely on was the GPS device, and a lot of luck.
Now, she regretted acting so confident all of this would work out.
It was too late to take it back. As the van rolled to another stop, Zbirak cut the engine and hopped out onto loose gravel. Cassie’s heart rate kicked up a notch, and she could feel the sweat pooling in her palms. Taking a deep breath, she calmed her mind. All she had to do was outlast Zbirak and keep Bob alive.
How hard could that be?
The door to the van slid open, and Zbirak slipped inside, barely rocking the vehicle back and forth. He was a slight man, but up close, she could see how toned he was, even through his jacket. He didn’t look big, but there was no doubt he could take care of himself. And he’d probably be fast, too.
“I hope the ride wasn’t too uncomfortable for you, Rose.”
Cassie debated how she should respond. She decided to reciprocate his civility. “Not ideal, but I’m doing okay.”
“Wonderful.” He smiled, looking like he meant it. “Now, I’m going to let you free. Are we going to have any problems?”
“No, sir.”
He hummed, as though he appreciated her courtesy. “Good. Please remember that my previous threats still stand. I will kill your baby and let it die inside you. Then I will kill your husband’s cousin and make you watch. I may even keep you alive long enough to kill the detective. Do you understand?”
“Yes, sir.”
Zbirak nodded his head and produced a key to unlock the cuffs around her wrists. Then he hopped out of the van and held out his hand. Cassie took it, careful to make it look like she was struggling around her large stomach. He took much of her weight as she stepped down to the ground. They were in a driveway.
“Where are we?” she asked.
The house was small and dilapidated. Zbirak looked out of place standing in front of it. He was too clean and poised to live somewhere like this. It was likely just a place he kept to hold people hostage. And torture them. And probably kill them.
“One of my many properties,” he answered. “Come along.”
Cassie followed him. He didn’t seem worried about her escaping. The house was surrounded by a forest, and they were a long way from anywhere populated. Even if she did manage to slip into the trees, a pregnant woman wouldn’t be hard to catch.
Maybe Cassie could use that to her advantage. If she shed the pillow and hung onto the GPS unit, would she be able to outrun him? Outsmart him? Maybe, but she doubted it. He would know these woods better than her. Besides, all he had to do was threaten Bob’s life, and she’d have to return.
