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Chapter Eleven
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When the guards took Alex away, she wanted to scream and beg them to take her instead. She knew what they were capable of, and she didn’t want him to go through it. She knew her fate was already sealed.
All she could do was lie there and wait for him to return. When she heard the key in the door once again, she knew it hadn’t been long enough. Sure enough, it was a different set of guards that entered. The looks on their faces said plenty.
She saw the duct tape and knew she was going somewhere. Or to be disposed of. Ziva always said she’d never go without a fight. Doing so with Alex somewhere, possibly within earshot, meant risking his life as well as her own. She’d never do that.
Getting off the bed, she walked to the guard, turned around, and placed her hands behind her back. Although she wasn’t making a ruckus, the guard grabbed her arms forcefully, pulling them up and winding her wrists and hands together tightly. I can only imagine what you would’ve done if I’d decided not to be so compliant.
As before, the blindfold came next. The guards didn’t want her to see where she was coming from, giving her hope they weren’t about to kill her. Dead girls don’t talk. This tidbit of knowledge wasn’t enough to cause elation. Things could change very quickly.
As they made their way through the halls, she could hear someone talking in the other room. She tried to make out what was being said, or at least hear Alex’s voice. All she heard was the faint sound of a woman’s voice. Please don’t tell me they have more women prisoners here. Although she wanted to call out and help in some way, there was nothing she could do. I’m not even able to help myself.
Ziva felt the butt of the rifle push against her back, reminding her to keep moving. She wasn’t setting the pace. The guard who had her by the arm led the way. She knew he was taking his time, and it obviously had nothing to do with her safety or well-being. Given how roughly I was thrown in the trunk, no one cared.
Her traveling accommodations had improved as they tossed her into the backseat of a car instead. “Stay down and don’t move. If I hear one word from you, I’ll pull the car over and put a bullet in your head.”
Ziva didn’t have to be told twice. She knew they were itching to do just that, so what had prevented them? Could Alex have said something to get her released? Released might be too strong of a word. I still have no idea where they’re taking me.
She was filled with questions that couldn’t be asked or answered. All she could do was lie still and wait to see what happened next. Since she hadn’t slept, she forced herself to relax so she could regain some strength. No matter what was in store, she needed to be both mentally and physically prepared.
Thankfully sleep did come. Although Ziva was haunted with thoughts about the girls, she still had an overwhelming feeling they were being taken care of. It was strange because all these years no one had ever lifted a finger to assist her. She’d have guessed it was Alex, but he was under lock and key. It couldn’t be Myla because she was too young and didn’t have a job to support them. There’s no one else, yet I feel as though they’re better off, more than they’ve ever been. Maybe it’s the hit on my head. I’m delusional. If I am delusional, I don’t want to believe lying in Alex’s arms last night was a dream. I’ve never felt so secure and at peace, which was ironic, given the truth of where we were. Yet in his arms... I felt protected.
She knew it was out of her hands now. She could only hope what she felt in her heart was happening. If so, it was all worth it. My life will not have been for nothing.
Ziva heard the car horn blaring then the slamming of brakes, causing her to fly forward, ramming against the front seats before dropping to the floor. The guards cussed in their language about some idiot who had just cut them off. She heard a door open as a man shouted for the driver to move his vehicle. That’s when she heard the sound of glass breaking, and then a loud thud.
She couldn’t tell what was going on. She heard a gurgling sound from the driver. Then nothing.
Her hands were still taped behind her back, and she was awkwardly wedged between the seats with no way to maneuver herself into a defensive position. She was a sitting duck for whoever approached.
Ziva lay there, holding her breath. She could hear footsteps crunching, getting closer. It wouldn’t be long before they found her.
Whoever it was, was able to stop the car and obviously take the guards out, so they weren’t people she wanted to cross.
The back door opened and a man’s deep voice bellowed, “Miss Gryzb, we’ll have you out of here in a minute. We just need to secure the perimeter first.”
They knew her name? And addressed her formally? Ziva knew from his accent he wasn’t local. He didn’t sound like Alex either. With all her studies of languages, she’d guessed the stranger was from a southern part of the United States. And she felt... relieved.
As promised, the man returned and lifted her from the car. He removed her blindfold first. “Who are you?”
“Doug Attwood. Here to rescue you.”
She looked at him closely. He didn’t resemble Alex in any way, so it probably wasn’t a relative. This man had much lighter hair and looked like he’d seen some action. “How did you know I was in trouble?”
“I’ll let Bennett explain the details. Right now, we have to get you out of here. It won’t be long before someone makes a call about what went down.”
Ziva looked by the passenger’s door and saw one of the guards lying in a pool of blood. Then she turned and saw the driver hunched over the steering wheel. She assumed he was dead as well. Doug was right, if they didn’t get out of here quickly, the locals would have a swarm of armed thugs ready to retaliate. She didn’t know who Doug Attwood or Bennett were, but they seemed like a better option than staying where she was.
“Would you mind?” She turned her back to him so he could remove the duct tape.
“Don’t move.”
She could feel the cold steel of a blade brush against her skin as he cut the tape away. Within seconds, she was free.
“There are two SUVs that’ll be on us if we don’t move now,” Doug said, grabbing her hand and dragging her away from the car.
