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“What’s going on, Darin? You barely give two shits about local history, telling me it’s ‘nerdy’ and ‘boring,’ so I know something’s up. Out with it,” my dad says.
Darin blows out a breath, locking his gaze on mine. I nod, indicating he should give him the shortened version.
“Someone took Everleigh. We’re pretty sure it’s Colin Fry, who used to run the company Will recently purchased. Will and I are at her last known location, but it’s a parking lot with nothing around but some decaying businesses in the distance.”
I hear tires squealing through the phone as David, Darin and Everleigh’s dad, mutters curses. “I’ve turned around and am heading in your direction. I need you to tell me exactly where my daughter’s last known location is.”
Darin gives him the address, describing the surrounding buildings, but Darin’s dad cuts him off. “I know that area well. Yes, there is a bunker beneath that lot. It was owned by a former, very paranoid veteran. He was well known for conspiracy theories and fears of nuclear meltdowns. When the Three Mile Island accident happened, he was offering to let people stay in the concrete bunker beneath the lot… for a fee, of course.”
Hope glimmers inside my chest.
“How do you get inside the bunker?” I interrupt, my hands shaking from anticipation. I’m more than ready to save the love of my life.
“From where you’re standing, if you look to the right, you’ll see a small group of trees and what appears to be a hill behind it.”
Darin and I immediately head in that direction. I hear Everleigh’s dad say, “Now walk around the other side.”
I’m already there, spotting the door. Putting my hand on the knob, I’m already anticipating ways to break the fucking thing down if it’s locked.
“You’re going to lose me. Cell service won’t work,” Darin’s dad says. “Go through that doorway and continue down the hallway. You’ll probably need to use the flashlights on your phone because it will likely be dark. There is a small room and if you walk through it, it opens to a large room, roughly the size of the parking lot you were standing on. I’ll be there in about twenty minutes.” The line goes dead before Darin can even thank him.
Turning the knob, it opens. Darin and I turn on our flashlights and grab our guns. He nods at me as I head in first, leading the way, adrenaline flowing through my veins, not bothering to wait for Bryan and Savannah.
The only thing I care about right now is getting to her.
A sense of foreboding washes over me, causing me to hurry forward, removing the safety on my gun.
My woman is in trouble.
I feel it within every cell inside my body.
I just hope I’m not too late.
twenty-one
Everleigh
Fearwellsinsidemeas I stare at the combination of rage and desire on Colin’s face. The heat in his gaze makes vomit rise in my throat.
Like an inchworm, I wiggle my body across the concrete floor, away from Colin’s leering gaze.
One of my biggest fears is being raped.
After listening to what Savannah endured at the hands of her cruel stepfather, there is nothing more horrific in this world to me.
But I refuse to just lie there and give in. Despite the wooziness I’m feeling, I will fight with every ounce of strength inside my body.
Not just for me, but for my babies.
My eyes are focused on a pipe running up the wall across from me, hoping that if I manage to crawl to it, I can grab hold of it and pull myself up. Maybe there is a bolt or something I can use to cut these ropes.
Hands grab my hair, jerking my head back. Pain courses through my pounding head and down my neck.
“Where do you think you’re going, Everleigh?” His foul breath hits my face as he leans over me, causing me to wrinkle my nose in disgust, nausea swirling in my stomach. “Oh, what’s the matter? Will’s breath smell so much better?” He gives another tug, making me yelp as he tries to roll me from my side to my stomach. I fight against him, searching my brain for all the self-defense moves I’ve learned over the years, and of course, from Will.
“You fucking bitch.” He grunts as he struggles against me, still unable to get me on my stomach. One hand releases my hair and punches me in the nose, making me scream as blood spurts out. He uses my distraction to roll me onto my stomach, his heaving breaths hitting my ear.
Victory is in his voice as he says, “I’m gonna fuck you up the ass until you bleed for making this so goddamned hard.”
