CHAPTER TWO
SOMETHING SLAMMED SHUT above me, clicking into place. The noise brought me back to consciousness, waking me up into an instant panic. My eyes flew open and my breath came out in ragged huffs. I was lying on my side, and it was dark. Too dark to see anything. My heart hammered with fear, and I felt like I was going to get sick. Beads of sweat rolled down my face and the hard surface I was lying on hurt my hip. Where the hell was I? What was going on?
Rough carpet rubbed against my cheek, irritating my skin. I reached up above me, stretching my stiff arm. My hand hit the ceiling. I pressed my palm against it. It was solid. I pushed, straining my muscles. The air was hot and stale. No. This wasn’t happening, it couldn’t be happening. This isn’t real, I told myself. I was in the trunk of a car. I flipped over onto my back and began banging on the roof of the trunk.
“Help!” I pushed against the roof. I balled my hands into fists and pounded. Frantic, I banged on the roof until my hands hurt. “Please, help me!” There had to be a way out. I rolled back onto my side and began to madly search for a release. I reached out in front of me, feeling for the metal latch. “Please,” I cried. “Somebody, help me!”
My fingers fastened around something hard. My eyes widened, and I sucked in a deep breath. Was it the trunk release? There was no way to tell, but I pulled it back anyway. Nothing happened. I curled my fingers around it and yanked it back with all my strength. My sweaty hands slipped off the little piece of metal and flew back. The top of my hand hit the roof of the trunk. White pain webbed across the bones in my hand, tingling along my fingers. I cradled my hand against my body, waiting for the sting to pass.
I was going to die. I knew it. I would swelter and die in this trunk. I kicked my legs against the side of the trunk and screamed. Oh, God. I would suffocate. The air was going to run out, and I was going to suffocate and die. It would be a slow horrible death. I swallowed a sob and clamped my mouth shut. I needed to save the little oxygen I had left.
As soon as I was still, I heard muffled voices coming from outside the car. My muscles ached as I struggled to keep calm while everything inside of me wanted to scream for help. Whoever was outside the car would have heard me, and they hadn’t helped me. And they wouldn’t. They had to be the two guys who put me in here. I moved my trembling hands over my mouth, pressing then against my lips to silence my chattering teeth. Hot tears silently rolled down my face, soaking the rough carpet beneath me. I moved to the end of the trunk, pressing my ear to the side to listen.
“Bitch saw the whole thing and called the cops. What the hell was I supposed to do?” he spoke. I recognized his voice right away. Terror turned my blood cold, and his face flashed through my mind. Eyes as blue as the summer sky. High cheekbones covered in day-old stubble. Tousled brown hair and full lips. I had been so taken aback by his good looks that I hadn’t suspected him of being anything but helpful. I was so fucking dumb.
“You could have left her,” a deep voice responded. I had yet to hear him speak but I was certain that voice belonged to the man with the dark eyes. “There’s no way she could have turned us in.”
“And that’s a risk you’re willing to take? I don’t think Nate would be too happy with that.”
“N-no,” he nervously stammered. “But bringing her with? She’ll slow us down. W-we could have…” he trailed off. “There are other ways.”
The guy with the blue eyes laughed. “Other ways?” His voice got louder as he leaned on the car. “You’re a fucking idiot, Jackson. Killing her on the street is too obvious and messy.”
Killing her on the street? A painful stab of horror pierced my heart. What kind of people were they? Cold fear crept over me at a dizzying rate. They wanted to kill me? Fuck the lack of oxygen. I needed out. Now. I pushed off the side of the trunk and started kicking, blindly aiming for the brake lights.
“Help me!” I screamed as loud as I could. “Help! Get me out of here! Help!”
Someone hit the car. “Shut up, you stupid whore!” Blue Eyes yelled. “No one can hear you!” he taunted. Panting, I became still. I sucked in a gulp of hot air. Nausea twisted in the pit of my stomach. How far was I from the city? What kind of a place were we in? It had to be secluded if no one could hear me screaming. Then again, he could be lying.
I took in another breath, coughing from the hot air, and screamed. I extended my arms and desperately clawed at the top of the trunk.
Blue Eyes hit the car again, though this time he began rocking it. “I said SHUT THE FUCK UP!” he screamed.
“Zane!” the guy called Jackson yelled. “Stop it!”
Zane must have taken his hands off the car, for it suddenly stopped moving. I heard shoes scuffle on loose gravel. I took in a ragged breath and listened. “Don’t tell me what to do, you worthless piece of shit!” Then I heard the sound of a fist smacking flesh. A second later someone huffed in pain.
“This is your mess,” Jackson muttered before making a strangled noise of pain. “If you hadn't roughed up Phoebe in the alley this all could have been avoided!”
“Goddamn it!” Zane started. “I swear to God I’m going to—” he cut off when a phone rang. I swallowed hard and realized that I was shaking uncontrollably. I pulled my arms to my chest. I couldn't see a way out of this. I was stuck in the trunk. Zane and Jackson were not going to let me out in time. I was going to die.
More gravel crunched as Zane walked away, his voice fading. “Yes, sir. We ran into a complication. It’s been taken care of. We are picking her up now. Yes, sir, we will.”
I thought of the girl in the alley. What did they want from her? And why were they so mad at her? I remembered the look in Jackson’s eyes before I hit the ground. He was angry, so angry, as if having to deal with me was the last thing he wanted to do. My thoughts switched to Lynn and my sister. What was going through their minds? Had they come looking for me? Did they assume I wandered off and would be back? Fear audibly bubbled in my stomach, and I hoped that they were okay. They were smart, both of them. It wouldn’t take long before they realized I was missing. The police would be looking for me soon. And they’d find me. They’d have to. Everything was going to be okay.
Suddenly the trunk opened. I was momentarily stunned by the bright sunlight. I gulped in a breath of fresh air. Blinking in the harsh light, adrenaline surged through me. I pushed myself up, prepared to make a mad run for it, but someone grabbed my arms.
“Going somewhere?” Zane sneered. His fingers dug into my skin. He smiled and twisted my flesh.
“Get off me!” I screamed and struggled. I turned my body to the side and twisted my arm, breaking free from his grasp. I curled my fingers into a fist and hit him as hard as I could in the temple. My blow was strong, but not strong enough. The pain it caused only fueled his rage.
In a swift movement he brought his hand back and smacked me across the face. Hurt stung the corner of my eye. Still, I didn’t give up. I wrapped my fingers around his wrist and pressed my nails into his skin before dragging them down. He grunted in pain and head butted me. My ears rang, and I felt disoriented. He grabbed my shoulders and pushed me down.
My arms buckled and I fell back into the trunk. I pushed myself back up, but Zane was right there, reaching for me. I opened my mouth to scream as his fingers wrapped around my neck. My voice died and my throat burned as he tightened his grip. My pulse pounded against his fingers. I brought my hands up and grasped his arms in a desperate attempt to break away. I squeezed my hands around his forearms, which were tight with hard muscle.
My vision blurred, and I lost the strength in my hands. My arms flopped down to my sides, the back of my hands smacking against the car. My body shuddered, and I strained for a breath I couldn’t take. The blurriness darkened. My eyes darted to Jackson. He was standing a few yards back. His arms were tightly crossed across his chest and his dark eyes conveyed nothing but pure rage. I hated him for just standing there, watching. I knew he would not help me.
Just when I thought I was about to pass out, Zane released one hand and reached behind him, pulling a needle from his back pocket. He used his teeth to pull the cap off and jammed it into my arm.
The liquid burned as it absorbed into my muscle. Still unable to breathe, the noise that tried to come from my throat was pathetic and weak. Zane let go of my neck and moved his hands to my arms, pinning them to my side. He kept his blue eyes locked on mine.
My legs began to feel heavy and my movements slowed. Zane chuckled and let me go. He tipped his head and ran his fingers down my arm, stopping at my wrist. His skin was soft and smooth, and his touch was deliberately gentle. He circled his thumb over the palm of my hand in slow movements. With his other hand, he fingered the hem of my tank top for a few seconds before slipping his hand under it. His eyes closed when he slowly dragged his hand up over my stomach.
Hot tears fell from the corners of my eyes. His skin against mine was revolting. Black dots clouded my fuzzy vision. His fingertips reached the base of my bra and he hesitated, enjoying the buildup he was creating for himself. He pushed his hand up, groaning when his fingers curled around my breast. Unable to scream, a muted whimper escaped my lips. I fought against my heavy eyelids. Zane licked his lips and pinched my nipple in between his index finger and thumb.
My eyes shut. I was so tired and weak. I tried opening my eyes again and failed. The last thing I remembered was Jackson’s voice, though I couldn’t recall what he had said. His deep brown eyes flashed before me until the vision faded. And then he was just a voice in the dark.