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Muffled sounds came from the left.
Ari struggled to see anything. Could barely make out any shapes. “Bella?”
More of the same noises. Something bumped on her left.
It had to be her.
“Bella!”
The doors slammed shut behind her. Weight shifted as Neil and Diego got into the front and closed those doors.
Someone gunned the gas.
Ariana flew backward. Crashed into the doors.
Tires squealed as the vehicle turned a sharp corner.
She flew to the left. Landed on someone.
Ari recognized the lacy dress that had once been her costume.
“Bella!” she whisper-yelled.
Her friend squirmed and muttered, but didn’t say anything.
Ariana felt around.
Duct tape covered Bella’s mouth.
She reached for it.
A bright light blinded her. “Don’t touch that!”
Her lungs deflated.
With the light still blazing in her eyes, footsteps sounded on the hard floor coming her way.
Hands grabbed her.
ChapterTwenty-Five
Bella struggled against the restraints, still unable to believe her father and Neil had managed to get her after everything she’d done to protect herself. She still couldn’t figure out how they’d gotten into the party. Ariana and Damon were supposed to make sure nobody got in who hadn’t been invited.
Yet they managed to circumvent every security measure put in place. How?
Not that it mattered now. She was taped up in the van, hardly able to move, and Ariana was with her.
A bright light lit up the back of the van. It felt like an assault on her eyes after having adjusted to the darkness. It was impossible to tell who was behind the flashlight. But he was fighting Ariana, and she was giving him a run for his money.
They would both be covered in bruises after this.
Maybe if Bella had fought that hard in the house, she would still be in there. Her father and Neil might’ve given up and walked away, admitting defeat. But old terror had seized her, and her muscles had turned into mush upon seeing their faces again.
It was like she was a little girl, unable to defend herself against the giant bullies in her life. If she survived this, she needed Ariana to teach her how to fight back like that. She was the kind of woman Bella wanted to be, if she could ever uncover that kind of confidence within herself.
Maybe it wasn’t too late. She could still fight for her friend who’d just risked everything for her.
Nobody had ever done anything like that for Bella.
