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Pulling it free, I fumbled with shaky hands to dial the number I needed most.
“Kace?”
“Baby where are you?” Just the sound of his voice and him calling me baby did me in. I lost it.
We’d stayed on the line for a few moments and he promised he was coming for me. I’d wanted nothing more than to keep talking to him but when the car stopped and I heard someone outside I didn’t want to get caught so I quickly hung up, flipped the button on the side to silence the phone, and shoved it back into my pocket.
I needed to think, but the fear barreling through me was keeping me from doing so. If I could just hold him off until Kace came, then I stood a chance.
Come on, Superman.
Kace had said to stay awake, but I was struggling to not let the darkness take back over. Even though it was a warm night, I was still cold as hell in my jeans and short-sleeved top, and my body shook, chills running through every inch of me.
Be strong, be brave, and be kind.
I heard my mother’s voice in my head and I reached up pulling the necklace free from under my shirt. Rubbing the wedding ring that dangled from the chain, I answered back.
“Momma, I’m going to do my best to be strong and brave, but if I see Thad there won’t be any kindness I will ever show that man.”
If I manage to live through this, I thought,being kind will only come to those who deserve it. Yanked from my thoughts by the locks disengaging, I realized my time was up. The trunk lid opened and standing in the glow of the moon's light was the monster I’d worked so hard to free myself from. And here I was again mere inches from his grasp.
“Get your ass out of the fucking car, bitch.”
When I didn’t move, he jerked me up roughly by both arms and tossed me out of the trunk onto the ground. I landed on my hands and knees hard, gravel digging into both. He laughed maniacally and grabbed my hair, flipping my body to my backside and started dragging me over the rocks. My heart sank when I realized my phone must have dropped out of my pocket.
I twisted my head to see where he was taking me and could only make out a line of trees. Nothing else was around us and I knew that wasn’t good.
If I go in there I’ll never make it out.
I dug my bare heels into the dirt, wincing at the sting since my sandals had fallen off in the trunk. But I worked to slow him down and reached up with both hands, clawing at his wrists, doing anything I could to make him release my hair. I’d managed to do it once before, maybe I could again?
“Stop fighting, Teal. You have no chance of getting away from me again.”
I had a sinking feeling he was right when we entered the forest-like area. When he let go of my hair, I tried to scramble away and received an excruciating blow to my stomach. I cried out in pain and curled into a ball trying to protect myself.
All I could think was that I was glad Denver still hadn’t been in my belly. Thoughts of him had tears trickling down my cheeks. Thad hadn’t said a word about him because he didn’t care and that was fine with me. I didn’t want him speaking a word about my precious boy or going after him.
But I needed to get home to him.
As I lifted my head slightly to see what was around and what I could use to help me to get away, I froze as my eyes zeroed in on a sight to the side of me.
One that had my blood running cold.
My grave.
I was unable to move, the horror of the situation sinking into every part of me. Gasping for air, my chest tightened and I felt like I was suffocating.
“Oh, Honey, you still have a little time left so don’t panic quite yet. I have plans for you first,” he taunted, evilly.
He’d obviously picked up on my distress and what I’d seen. I didn’t know what other plans he had but nothing Thad did would be good. Right then it wasn’t my mother’s voice I heard, this time it was Kace’s.
You stay strong and fight with everything you have in you.
He was coming. I didn’t know how or when, but he would find me. With that, I took a couple of deep breaths pulling in some much-needed air as I worked to clear my head. I had to get out of here and in the open.
No time to think any longer when I felt rough hands grab my bare arms and pull me into a standing position. With Thad at my back, I did my damnedest to shove the fear down. His voice in my ear made me feel dirty and I cringed, my body revolting at the words he spoke.
“It’s time to be a good wife and give your husband what's due to him.”
