AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“But I don't want to go anywhere with you. I just want Duncan,” I wailed.
I began to cry, the thought of being alone with this stranger the last straw. Tears ran down my face, and I started to hiccup, the alcohol and tears making my esophagus spasm.
“Well, too bad. You get me. You'll love me. You'll see. I just know we're destined to be together.”
He opened the door to a car and began to push me in. I braced my arms on the roof, bracing my body so he couldn't, and locked my legs. He stumbled when I didn't go in willingly. My father had told me the statistics of kidnap victims, and I didn’t want to be one.
“No. I said I don't want to go.”
Somehow in my drunken state, I managed to lift my leg, kneeing him in the groin. He buckled over, curses falling from his lips, and I took my chance. Spinning, I wobbled on my heels, but only made it a few steps before he was on me. Grabbing my leg, he yanked me down hard, my balance going off-kilter. I barely had my hands out in front of me before I was bracing myself against the concrete.
Realizing I needed to scream, I opened my mouth to belt one out when he climbed up my body, sitting on my back. Thrashing, I tried to knock him off me to no avail. Until my real knight showed, stopping him from taking me. The weight lifted off me, and I scrambled away, rolling over. When I realized who it was, I quit fighting, my body even more tired now after the exertion.
“Oh, Dunc,” I cried. “I was so scared.”
“Ssh, LJ. I got you.”
He helped me up, checking me over quickly for injuries. “Come on, babe. Let's get you home. I'm sorry it took me so long to get here.”
“You're here. That's all that matters.” I kissed him, happy to be safe in his arms.
PRESENT
Blinking,I came back to the present, finding Simon's hands on my face as he watched me. “Back with us, Lenn?”
Nodding, I licked my lips, swallowing back the tears that wanted to emerge. “Yeah, I'm here. I remembered something.”
Twisting, I looked at the twins, matching expressions of concern and devastation on their faces.
“Your recollections triggered my own memory. I remember you guys in the hallway. You were there one second and then gone. When I woke up again, he was there, walking me out. He kept saying I was his princess, that he was Blaze, and we belonged together. I… I think he’d planned to kidnap me that night. If you say he was the bartender there, then that’s how I must’ve been drugged. He slipped it in one of the drinks you guys might have given me.”
Simon and Slade looked to another, guilt on their faces. I shook my head, trying to stop them from taking that on. “It’s not your fault. For all we know, he spiked multiple, hoping I’d get one of them. When he tried to push me into a car, Duncan showed up and stopped it. But he…” I stopped, the words becoming thick in my throat.
“He must've followed you and chased you off the road. He was there, watching, and when he saw you were okay, and Duncan had survived,” he swallowed, never dropping my eyes. “He must’ve improvised, stolen that car and made sure to finish the job that time,” Zane relayed, finishing where I couldn’t. The guilt sat heavy on his face from his earlier confession.
“It’s still not your fault, Zane.”
He nodded, but I saw his struggle to accept it. “I can’t believe Adam's your stalker, and he killed Duncan. Holy shit.” Zane stated, dropping the picture to the ground. I reached out and squeezed his hand, hoping he got my message. I locked eyes with Slade next, the torment there mirroring my own. Reaching out, I grabbed his hand too with my other, threading our fingers. I stood between the twins, as we processed the new information.
“It's not your fault. It's not my fault. It's his, and I think it's time we show him how strong we are as a foursome. We know who he is now. I say we use that to our advantage.”
Slade pulled me close, wrapping me up tight, not caring that my hand remained in Zane’s. I knew I'd never get tired of being in his arms. He had a way of hugging you with his whole body, making you feel cherished and safe.
“Let's go tell your father. Looks like I have an employee to fire.”
Call it the gas, or even the realization that four years ago had all been orchestrated, but whatever it was, Slade saying he had someone to fire had us all bending over in laughter.
It felt nice to laugh for a second. We made our way through the door when I realized something. Crying out, I stopped dramatically, a tear falling down my cheek as I stared up at the charred remains.
“What's wrong, Peach? We'll get this guy. I promise.”
Shaking my head, I wiped a tear. “It's not that.”
“Then what is it? Tell me.”
“It's my toaster tongs,” I wailed.
Slade looked at me, rolled his eyes, and then threw me over his shoulder, playfully swatting my behind.
