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My hackles rise and I turn to Mark, but it’s too late. A man materializes from the shadows and shoves a gun to his head. Mark curses and raises his hands in the air as the man pulls Mark’s weapon from his hip. Luke yanks me behind him as more men appear. I grab Barbara’s wrist and pull her closer.
Within seconds, we’re surrounded by a dozen men wearing all black. My heart pounds in my chest and I beg for a miracle that Dylan can sense something is wrong and sends the cavalry. But the door behind us remains closed.
A black car and an SUV slide to a stop nearby, dirt flying around the tires. “Hands behind you,” the guy in front of us says as two black-clad men approach with handcuffs. Luke glances at Mark, then meets my gaze. All I see is pure determination. “Do as they say.”
I nod and the men cuff us. They put a black hood over his head and drag him away. “Luke!”
A bag covers my head, and everything goes dark. Thick arms wrap around my middle and lift me off my feet. There’s a scuffle and Mark grunts, then something heavy falls to the dirt.
The trunk of the car creaks open and I land on a warm body. The door slams shut over me. “It’s ok, baby. Just stay calm,” Luke says, his voice muffled. His large frame takes up most of the trunk. He moves to his side, and I roll to mine. I grab onto his shirt behind me, just to have something to hold on to in the dark. The car speeds up and I grunt as Luke’s weight pushes me into the front of the trunk.
“What do we do?” I ask, my panic rising. He scoots closer, so my hands press to his stomach. I take a calming breath and let his warmth seep into me.
“This is about me. They’ll leave you alone if they want me to cooperate.”
“There’s so many of them.” Tears well, but I bite them back.
“I will not let them hurt you. I promise.”
He rests his head against mine and I let the tears fall.
“I love you, Luke,” I whimper.
“I love you too, baby. Listen to me. This isn’t it for us. I don’t believe that for a second. I’m going to give you a beautiful life with a beautiful family. We’re not giving that up. Not now. Not ever. Do you understand?”
The vision of our son, James, pops in my mind and older Luke’s words suddenly make sense.All you have to do is say yes.
“Yes. I’ll never give up.”
The car slows to a stop. “Stay calm, no matter what happens. We’ll get through it together,” he says right before they open the trunk. I’m grabbed and yanked from him, grunting as I’m flung over a broad shoulder.
“Luke!”
“I’m here, baby,” he says, not too far ahead.
“Aw, ain’t that cute,” the man carrying me says, but I ignore him and focus on staying calm.
I open my ears, trying to figure out where we are. The man’s footsteps crunch on gravel. I sense a group of men shuffling around us as we walk somewhere. We’re still outside, the summer evening heat making me sweat under the hood.
It grows darker, and the temperature cools a few degrees. I grunt again when I’m dumped onto cold concrete on my side. There’s a thump next to me.
“Liv?” Mark calls.
I sit up and scoot next to him so our sides touch. “I’m here.”
There are low voices, but I can’t make out a word.
“Where’s Luke?” he asks.
“I don’t know. He was with me in the trunk. Where’s Barbara?”
“Liv, she’s—” He cuts off as someone approaches, and I squint as the hood disappears.
I adjust to the fluorescent lighting overhead. My hair, damp from my sweat and tears, clings to my cheeks. Mark tenses and moves closer to me. We’re surrounded by dozens of men; all dressed the same. They line the far wall, ten across and three rows thick. Two have elaborate metal bands across their foreheads.
The man that took off our hoods sneers at us but doesn’t speak. I take in the spacious but empty warehouse and rack my brain for a probable location, coming up empty. We weren’t in the car for long, so we can’t be far.
Luke is on his knees in profile, his hood off as a man stands with a gun pointed at him. Our eyes lock and calm settles over me. A door opens to our right and more men enter, escorting someone else in handcuffs. Terror grips me when I meet my dad’s eyes. His hair mats to the side of his head and a wound trickles blood, drenching his ear and neck.
