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“Not if I see him first.”
????
Vince woke slowly, his head pounding in time with his heart. What had hit him? Keeping his eyes closed, too afraid of what added pain a bright light might bring, he raised a hand to his forehead, trying to think. The last thing he remembered was walking into the men’s room, feeling something sting him in the neck, and then ... what? Nothing.
But ... Raina! He touched his ear, looking for the comms. It was gone. Of course it was. Next, he patted his pockets and vest looking for his phone. Again, nothing to be found. Surprise, surprise.
He started to sit up and banged into something solid over his head. He yelped as pain shot through his skull.
Startled, he opened his eyes and inhaled. Darkness greeted him, along with the smell of old tires and oil, but soon his eyes adjusted and he could tell by the faint light that he was in a trunk. He wasn’t tied up, which would save time in executing his escape. Wondering how he’d come to be there was an exercise in futility with the gap in his memory. The main thing was to get out. And keep the sickness swirling at the base of his throat from coming up.
He raised his foot to kick out the back light when a voice caught his attention. He stilled and waited, willing the nausea to pass.
“...mess up everything. We can’t use him for bait if we can’t find her to pass the message on to!”
Vince frowned and shifted, grimacing at the shooting pains in his calf and shoulder. No one responded to the statement, then the man spoke again. “I’m telling you, I don’t know! And you will pay me or I’ll come after you and you know it.” More silence. “I broke into her house, but she fights like a ninja, I poisoned her at the hospital, but help was right there. I did it all! Everything you asked. So, you better have my money or ...” Pause. “You’re here? Why?” The person on the other end talked for a minute, then, “No, you do not have to take care of everything. I’m telling you, I’ve got this ... What? A cabin? How do you know that’s where he is? Uh-huh. Yeah. Fine. So, what do I do with this guy?” Vince strained to hear as the man paced. “Right. So, you don’t need him anymore? ... Fine ... yeah ... I’ll get rid of him and meet you there and we’ll take care of her.” Silence. “Right. Him too. And you’ll makethe transfer as soon as it’s done ... Good. Then I’m on the way.”
Vince felt around the trunk for the emergency release, but couldn’t locate it. However, his fingers brushed something hard, and when he explored the item, he discovered it was a wrench. Perfect.
Footsteps crunched on the ground. Gravel road or just frozen ground? The guy got back in the vehicle and the engine started. Soon, they were moving once more.
Fear for himself grabbed at him, but it was the one thing he couldn’t give in to. Other emotions swirled within him as well, such as desperation to find Raina. But apparently, whoever this guy was, he wanted Raina too. And he couldn’t find her.
Because Kevin had taken her. So, Kevin and this guy—and the person he was on the phone with—weren’t working together.
Who else could possibly want Raina out of the picture other than Kevin?
Questions and more questions spun in his mind while he worked on the carpet, pulling it back from the taillight. He maneuvered his body around the small space, trying to give himself room to kick the light. It took two tries, but finally, the light gave way and disappeared. Cold air rushed in and he breathed deep, relishing it on his sweaty face. Once again, he had to move slow so as not to alert the driver that he was awake, but he shifted so that he could see out the back. They were on a winding road, trees lining each side while they climbed.
And no cars in sight behind them. Great.
Vince clutched the wrench. It was time to get the upper hand and figure out what was going on. If he understood the one-sided conversation correctly, they were going to use him as bait to get to Raina. He snorted. Not in this lifetime. And now they didn’t need him because they’d found her.
When the vehicle pulled to a stop, Vince ignored his crampedmuscles and aching wounds while he readied himself for when the trunk opened. Through the broken taillight, Vince would be able to see the man coming. His biggest concern was if his kidnapper noticed the light, then he’d know Vince was awake—and ready to fight.
The door slammed and footsteps headed toward the rear of the vehicle. The trunk opened and Vince launched himself toward the individual.
The man jerked back, tripped, and fell on his rear. That gave Vince the time to leap from his “prison.” He landed on the ground while the guy rolled and lifted his weapon. Pain shot through Vince’s wounded calf and he went to his knees—an action that saved his life when the weapon fired and the bullet went over his head.
From his knees, Vince catapulted himself at the man, hooking his arm under the guy’s elbow and yanking up. Bone snapped and an agonized scream echoed around him. The gun tumbled from his grasp and Vince slammed a fist into his face.
The guy crumpled to the ground, unconscious.
Panting, wincing at his own pain, wondering if he’d popped a stitch or two, Vince scrambled to his feet and snagged the weapon. He checked it, then shoved it into the back of his jeans and hauled the man to the trunk and searched his pockets. He found the phone, but no wallet. Interesting. He snapped a picture of the unconscious man, then slammed the lid of the trunk. “See how you like it,” he muttered.
The pain from the broken arm might wake him up fairly quickly, but frankly, Vince didn’t care. For some reason, the guy had expected the drug to last a lot longer than it had. Vince didn’t question the why, he was just thankful it had worn off when it did.
He walked to the edge of the mountain and looked down into the drop-off. Probably where “bad guy” had planned to put a bullet in his head and drop him. He returned to the vehicleand searched the glove compartment. A rental. He continued his search. There had to be some clue in it as to where he could find Raina. If they hadn’t needed him anymore, it meant they knew where she was.
And they were going after her.
All he could do was pray he could figure it out and find her first.
CHAPTER
TWENTY-FOUR
Raina let out yet another groan of frustration. What was Keith—she was having a hard time calling him that, but whatever—doing? Did he really think he’d be able to get to Michael?
