I feel warm. Like a cat lying in the sunny spot. I kind of just want to stretch out and laze here for a while. I’m not sure how long I’ve been napping. I don’t even remember falling asleep. What’s the last thing I remember?

Wait, am I moving?

My eyelids snap open and I sit up straight in the backseat of the car. The car! That black, shiny one I saw in the rearview, that’s where I am now. Memories flood back and feel like they happened a decade ago, but I know this guy hasn’t taken me far since we just pulled out past the front gate with the iron wrought sign welcoming people to the ranch.

“Mmmm!” I want to yell, but my lips have been sealed shut with duct tape. My hands are taped behind my back too. I can see why we haven’t made it very far yet. Apparently this guy decided to use a whole roll of tape on me first. I must have had more fight in me than he expected.

Trying to stand up, I just hit my head against the driver’s seat and fall back.

“I wouldn’t fuck around anymore if I were you. If I’m feeling nice, I’ll just toss you in the trunk. And let me tell you, it’s pretty fucking hot in there right now,” the man sneers at me.

I want to scream, “Fuck you!” but it just comes out as a pathetic, “Mmmm!”

“And if you piss me off too much, just remember you ain’t strapped in. It’d be a damned shame if I was doing eighty miles down an old road and I had to stop on a dime for a deer or something. I imagine you wouldn’t be so pretty once you flew through the windshield.”

I swallow hard as I picture my crumpled body thrown from the car. I feel weak as I sit back and try to root myself to the seat. Nausea sweeps over me and I hope to God I don’t throw up in my mouth. Freedom from my father is worth fighting for, but it’s not worth dying for.

“Good girl. Looks like you might have some sense after all.” The man gives a nod of approval and switches on the radio. A hard rock song blasts so loud it hurts my eardrums, but I don’t care. At least it drowns out my sniveling. Tears blind my vision as defeat overwhelms me.

He’s won. He always does. My mother is dead because of him. And if I can’t keep money flowing into his bank account, I might end up dead too.

I slump down, giving up. Why did I ever think I could have more? That I could do more? That I could be more? Why did I ever let myself dream?

“What the fuck?” the man yells and jerks the wheel, kicking up even more dust on the road around us.

I sit back up and look out the window, squinting through the cloud and trying to keep from being thrown around despite my kidnapper’s crazy driving. I have no idea why he’s all over the road. He’s cursing a blue streak and twisting the steering wheel recklessly.

And then I see it.

The truck is racing up beside us at a breakneck speed. We’re like two race cars barreling down the track together. Right now it’s anybody’s race to win. It might even be a photo finish.

The car revs as he speeds up, and the truck falls behind. My heart drops as my hopes dash out of sight. I turn and watch as it pulls back up next to us and then bangs against us, pushing the car to the side.

Clang!

“What the hell is this shit?” The guy braces his arms and wrestles to keep the car on the road, but he’s edged over too far.

As we tumble I try to push myself out like a long plank across the backseat so I’m not tossed from the car. I try to stay stable as we flip over. I hit the roof and then the side as we roll. Glass shatters from the passenger windows and the sound of twisting metal is deafening. I’m wedged awkwardly, my arms still trapped behind me, sort of crouching on broken glass where the window used to be as the car lies on its side.

For a second nothing happens. Everything goes silent and I wonder if maybe I’m dead. Don’t they say you have an out-of-body experience when you go? Well, nothing feels real right now. It’s all so surreal, if I woke up in a cold sweat right now, that would make more sense than any of this.

The guy who snatched me groans. I think I can see blood trickling down his forehead.

Crack! Crack! Smash!

The windshield is a million spiderwebs being kicked in by a boot. All of a sudden, the pane explodes inward and the angry foot keeps kicking until the hole in the safety glass is bigger. Holden looks inside and his face is etched with deep worry lines as his eyes settle on me.

“Audrey! Are you all right? Are you hurt?”

“Mmmm,” I answer, shaking my head wildly. The truth is, I’m not entirely sure. I’m pretty shaken up and there’s so much adrenaline coursing through me right now that if I did have a broken bone or something, I’m not sure I’d feel it.

The guy in front starts mouthing off, “Who the fuck do you think you are? I’m gonna slice you up from your dick to your throat.” He rolls his head as he zeroes in on Holden.

Holden doesn’t say a word. His face flushes a deep purple and he gets back up so I can’t see his face. Travis is trying to pry open the heavy passenger car door and I figure Holden is on his way to lend a hand.

Suddenly his boot slams back through the windshield and stomps directly on the driver’s face. He smashes the heel of his foot into the guy’s face until the blood gushing from his broken nose and cracked teeth splatters over his cowboy boot.

Moments later, the door opens and the guys manage to pull me out of the upended car. They leave the man pinned into the front seat, bleeding all over the place as they cut the tape free from my arms.

Travis carefully peels the last strip free from my mouth and all I can do is sob as they surround me. I sink into their embrace, lost in their kisses that are covering my face.

“Thank you. Thank you for saving me,” I keep repeating myself like a broken record. It’s all so much to process, I can barely think straight.

“I thought we lost you.” Travis sniffs and I look up. For the first time I notice I’m not the only one crying. The guys both have tears streaming down their faces too.

“There was no way I was gonna let that shit-bucket take away the woman I love,” Holden murmurs.

My heart balloons and nearly leaps out of my chest. After all this drama, danger, and destruction, none of those things has left my heart racing like those words just did. Did he just tell me he loves me?

“The woman we love,” Travis corrects him.

In the distance I can hear sirens wailing. I look up quizzically.

“I called them while Holden followed you guys. It’s a good thing this asshole decided to do this at the end of the day. We heard you screaming across the field and jumped in the truck as soon as we could,” Travis explains.

“I love you, guys. I love you both so fucking much.” I lean into them and am sure they are the only thing keeping me from collapsing down on this parched earth.

“I love you too.” Holden nods.

“We both do. I’ve pretty much been in love with you since the day I saw you,” Travis admits sheepishly.

As the sirens draw near, I let myself feel their love. I let myself be open to whatever our future holds. The good, the bad, the confusing. I don’t care. All that matters is that they love me and I love them.

“This should be enough to get your father locked up, if that’s what you want to do.” Holden points to the car and the police vehicles closing in on us.

Even as the cars pull up and the police jump out, I can’t help but wonder if this really will be the end. Somehow it seems like my father has a way of washing his hands of the evil things he does. If there were just some kind of reassurance, some nail in the coffin that would give me peace of mind and let me know I never had to deal with him again, maybe then I could finally be happy.

Maybe then I could finally be free.