Just as Breanna finished her project and sent it to her supervisor’s email, she leaned back in her chair and sighed. For a while, she wondered if she’d be able to complete it at all. Brad had definitely put her under a spell, and she couldn’t stop smiling and laughing. Her co-workers noticed her change, and they even commented on it. Remarkably enough, it didn’t embarrass her.

Whatever Brad had done to her, he’d given her more self-confidence than she’d had in a long time. He’d made her feel good about the person she was, inside and out.

The phone on her desk rang, and she quickly answered it. “Thanks for calling Upbeat. This is Breanna. How can I help you?”

“Hi.”

The man’s voice on the other end of the phone was not Brad’s. Disappointment crashed over her, but when she recognized who it was, her nerves jumped with anxiety. She repeated in her mind, Tom will not ruin my day!

“Hi,” she answered softly.

“I want to apologize for yesterday. I overreacted, and I realize that now. I want to come by and see you tonight. I have a surprise for you.”

She tightened her grip around the phone. “Tom, I have plans tonight. One of the girls at work is having a bridal shower.”

Holding her breath, she waited for him to snap at her.

“How long will you be?”

What? No temper? “I should be done by nine o’clock.”

“I’ll come by then.”

Closing her eyes, she leaned her elbows on the desk and rubbed her forehead. The headache that always happened when she was nervous about pissing Tom off crept upon her. “Tom, I don’t think tonight is a good night. I didn’t get any sleep, and I’m going to be so tired.”

“I know. I didn’t sleep, either. I felt so bad for upsetting you.”

She pulled the phone away from her ear and looked at it. Who was this guy? Tom would never say things like that. “Really?”

“Yes, really.” He breathed heavily into the receiver. “That’s why I need to see you tonight. I can’t wait to tell you about the surprise.”

“Can you tell me now?”

“I suppose I can. You see, my parents are going to give us ten thousand dollars for our wedding, so I’ll be flying to Colorado to see them.”

“What? But Tom, we aren’t getting married.”

He laughed. “I know I’ve never really proposed, but we’ve known for years that we would eventually marry. My mother’s heart isn’t doing so good lately, and so she wants me to come see her. She’ll give me the money then. I know you’ve never really met her, but she loves you so much. She’s thrilled we are finally tying the knot.”

She groaned and lowered her head to the desk. Her stomach churned with dread. How long had she wanted him to ask for her hand in marriage, the right way? And now that he was talking about it, all she could think about was to turn and run, screaming as loud as she could.

“I... I...”

“We’ll talk about it tonight.”

“No, Tom. Not tonight.” After she said the words, she held her breath. She’d never been so forceful while talking to him. For sure, he’d start yelling at her now.

“Babe? What’s wrong?”

She arched an eyebrow. Babe? When had he ever given her nicknames, especially since he knew she hated them? “I’m just saying that tonight is out of the question. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

An audible sigh came through the phone. “Fine,” he muttered. “I’ll see you tomorrow afternoon.”

“Afternoon?” Shock shook through her again. “You will be awake then?”

“Yes. I’ve gotten a few days off from work so I can to go Colorado.”

“Oh, okay. Well, I’ll see you tomorrow afternoon then.”

“Love you,” he said before he disconnected the phone.

Her chest tightened with the mere thought of telling him they were over. She didn’t want to marry him. But how could she tell him now?

She was going to be sick, she just knew it.

Breanna returned to her computer to look over her emails. She had two more articles to skim through before leaving work. She wouldn’t have time to get a gift for Rita, so she’d just give money. Besides that, Breanna was too frightened to go home now, just in case Tom didn’t want to wait until tomorrow. He’d never listened to her before, so why should he start now?

People started leaving for home, but Breanna stayed at her desk and worked. She noticed an email from Brad, so she quickly opened it. He had sent it two hours ago. Why hadn’t she noticed sooner? But all he said in his message was that he was leaving to go home, and he hoped she had a good night with the girls from work. He signed the message, Yours always, Brad.

Her heart lightened. If she asked him to help her with Tom, would he? Being with Brad always gave her courage.

She turned off her computer and gathered her things to leave. The party for Rita would start in about forty-five minutes. If she left now, she might be able to swing by a store and pick something up.

As she left the office, she switched off all the lights. When she walked into the lobby, she noticed the lights were off upstairs, as well. Not often did she stay this late after work, but this was the first time she’d ever been the last one out of the office. But she knew the janitors would arrive shortly.

Just as she reached the door, the cell in her purse buzzed. Fear caused her to be immobile once more. It was Tom, she just knew it. She had to tell him the truth tonight. She couldn’t go on jumping at every little thing like she’d been doing for the past five years. Breanna refused to be a meek little rodent all of her life.

She pulled out her cell and noticed someone had texted her. It was Amanda. Hey, Bre. I forgot and left my gift for Rita’s party in the warehouse. Will you pick it up for me and bring it with you? It’s on Howard’s desk. Thanks!

Sighing heavily, Breanna smiled. Oh good. It wasn’t Tom after all.

She hurried out of the building and headed toward her car. The warehouse was located at the other end of the parking lot, but Breanna didn’t want to walk. It wasn’t quite dark, but this time of year, the evenings were becoming longer, and since there was only one street lamp that lit her way toward the warehouse, she decided it was best if she drove.

When she climbed out of the car and walked to the warehouse door, a strange feeling crept over her. Cautiously, she glanced around her. The parking lot was empty. So why did she get the weird sensation that someone was watching her?

With an unsteady hand, she withdrew her work keys, opened the warehouse door, and entered. Most of the warehouse was dark, but one single light shone toward the back of the building at the loading docks.

Chills ran up her back, causing goosebumps to rise on her neck and arms. Why was she feeling this way? She listened for any voices, but she didn’t hear any. Brushing off the odd feeling, she headed toward Howard’s office. Her heels clicked on the polished concrete floor.

As she neared the office, she heard something else echoing in the building. She stopped and listened again. This time she heard voices.

“Hello?” she called out loudly. “Howard, is that you?” The voices stopped. After a few seconds passed with nobody answering, she tried again. “Hello? Is anyone here?”

Once again, silence greeted her. She shrugged. Perhaps she was hearing things.

She continued on her way, walking past a large printer. Out of the corner of her eyes a shadow moved. Suddenly, a man jumped in front of her. She screamed, but he quickly slapped his large, dirty hand over her mouth.

“Shut up, lady.”

Through the shadows, she couldn’t see much of his face, but she knew she’d never seen him before. His short black hair poked up all over his head, as though he didn’t know how to use a comb. His chubby face and wide body let her know she didn’t want to mess with him because he had more strength than her and he’d win. His narrowed, dark eyes looked mean. His glare could frighten any animal, and if that didn’t work, his putrid stench would make them pass out. Sweat mixed with another strong odor, churned her stomach.

“Are you going to be quiet?” he asked.

She nodded. Fear had frozen her limbs and her mind.

“Good girl.” He removed his hand and stepped back. In his other hand, he pointed a gun at her.

This can’t be happening! Although her mind screamed for someone to help her, the rest of her decided to obey the man.

“I don’t know what you’re doing here, lady, but you picked a very bad time to come to the warehouse.” His gaze ran over her. Frowning, he shook his head. “It’s too bad you came on this particular night. You see, my buddies and I are going to take some things from this place, and then we’re going to torch the warehouse. Unfortunately, we can’t have any witnesses. You understand, right?”

Fear raced through her. Losing control, her whole body shook. She clutched her hands together and pressed them against her stomach. The burly man would definitely kill her. The evil look in his twitchy eye let her know she would never make it out of here alive.

Tonight would be her last night in this world because Heaven awaited her. But even as she absorbed the information, her mind fought it. Why was this happening to her? Would someone come to save her?

He grasped her upper arm. “Lady, you look like you’re going to pass out. So I’m going to take you into this room.” He led the way toward Howard’s office. “And don’t be thinking of escaping, because it ain’t going to happen. I’ll keep my eyes on you.”

She didn’t answer, just nodded and followed him on shaky legs as he entered the office. Against the back wall was a brown leather couch that Howard insisted on having to help him with his bad legs and back.

The evil man shoved her. She stumbled forward, and thankfully, landed on the couch. On Howard’s desk next to the forgotten wedding present was some rope. The man grabbed it and tied her hands in front of her before kneeling in and tying her feet together. The ropes burned against her skin, and she was sure that because he’d made them too tight, she would lose feeling in her limbs soon.

“Now be quiet. I’ll come back to get you when we’re done.”

He turned toward the door, but stopped suddenly. His gaze moved to Howard’s desk, and especially, the phone. The evil man rushed to the phone and ripped out the cord from the wall, totally breaking any connection she’d have with the outside world since she’d left her cell phone in her car.

Once he left the room and closed the door, her tears finally poured from her eyes. She sobbed, but tried to do it silently. She didn’t want to give that man any reason to end her life any sooner than he’d planned. She shook so violently she couldn’t continue to sit up, so she lay down on the couch.

Her face hurt from the effort it took to cry so silently. She couldn’t die now! She was too young. There was still so much life she needed to live and people she wanted to see. She regretted losing touch with her brother, her only family. They’d been so close, so why hadn’t they stayed that way?

And then there was Brad... Oh, Brad! Tears fell faster, spreading across the leather beneath her face. Why had she denied her true feelings for him? Was she afraid of what she might find... that a devoted, responsible person like herself had actually fallen in love with him? She actually preferred the beach bum over someone who held a steady job. Why couldn’t she admit that she’d never truly loved Tom? She had only been in love with the idea of marriage, not the actual man.

As her sad and lonely life passed through her memory, she had no clue how long she had lain on the couch, sobbing. Her chest hurt as if a heavy truck rested upon it. Now she would never be able to tell Brad how she truly felt.

Suddenly, scuffling outside the office brought her alert. The man had returned, and he would definitely follow through with his promises. Hopefully, it would be painless and she would die quickly.

There was no reason to watch death walk through the door, so she kept her eyes closed. Grunting sounds came from whoever entered, mere seconds before something large hit the floor. Within seconds came a loud, angry curse.

“You... killed her!”

Brad’s heart-wrenching voice snapped her out of her numbness and she opened her eyes. Brad lay on the floor glaring up at the burly man.

“Brad,” she gasped and sat upright.

He swung his head toward her. The relief etched on his face made her cry all over again. She wanted to hope they’d be saved, but since he was tied up, too, she doubted there was a chance they’d get out of here alive.

The man with the large belly laughed, folding his arms across his mid-section. “Today is full of surprises. Now I get to kill two people.” He left the room and closed the door behind him.

A trickle of blood spilled down the side of Brad’s head. The wound didn’t appear very critical, however, the situation was. “Oh, Brad! What are you doing here?”

He scooted on the floor, moving closer to her. She reached down, grasping at his shirt. As the two of them worked together, they were able to pull him up on the couch beside her.

He released a heavy sigh and leaned against her, kissing her forehead. “I’d actually returned to the office because I left my cell phone behind.” He rubbed his lips over her skin again. “But now I know the real reason I felt the urgency to come back tonight instead of waiting until tomorrow.” He lifted his head just enough to look out of the small window in Howard’s office that overlooked the warehouse. “What in the crap is going on?”

“They are stealing from the magazine, then they’re going to burn the warehouse down. With us in it.” She choked on a sob.

Brad cursed again. “I didn’t even know there was anyone here. I saw your car parked in front, and I decided to come inside to see what you were doing. All of a sudden, someone whacked me over the head.”

“Oh, Brad.” She cuddled closer to him, grasping the front of his shirt. His hands were tied behind him, so he wasn’t able to touch her. She couldn’t believe how much she missed that. “You really shouldn’t have come to find me. Now you’re in as much danger as I am.” Another tear slid down her cheek. “Who is going to rescue me now? Doesn’t the hero in the story always rescue the fair maiden?”

He offered a sympathetic smile. “I want to be your hero again,” he whispered in a tight voice.

She tried to stay as close as she could to him, but it wasn’t enough. Her body cried out to have his arms around her, holding her, reassuring her that he would save them.

“Do you hear that?” he whispered.

“What?”

“I can hear them talking.”

She kept silent as she strained to hear what Brad was listening to. Finally, she heard two voices, and one of them was the rough voice of their attacker.

“How much longer?” the burly man snapped.

“I think we’ll be finished within a couple of hours.”

“That long?” the burly man whined.

“Don’t worry. I have everything under control.”

“It’s hard not to worry. We’ve already found two people sneaking around. What if more come?”

“They won’t.”

“Can you guarantee that?” their kidnapper asked.

“Yes. Howard told me things would be quiet tonight. These two were not supposed to be here.”

“Brad?” she asked quietly. “Did you hear that?”

Brad’s expression hardened. “Yes. For some reason, the warehouse manager is in on this. That was a big mistake on his part.” He growled and shook his head.

“Can you see anyone?”

Brad stretched his neck to try to see out of the window. “I can see the fat guy, but I can’t see who he’s talking to,” he answered in hushed tones.

Soon, footsteps moved past the office, heading back toward the loading docks.

Brad sighed and turned to look at her again. “Sounds like we have about two hours.”

“I know.” Her chest wrenched again. “Two hours before we... die.”

“Tyger, my love.” He kissed her mouth briefly. “I wouldn’t want to die with anyone else but you.”

Tears blurred her vision and she buried her face in his neck. “Oh, Brad. Why is this happening to us? Why can’t we be somewhere else right now?”

“We can,” he said with such tender emotion. “All we have to do is dream.” He kissed the top of her head. “I want to hold you so badly right now, it’s nearly killing me.”

“And I want to feel your strong arms around me, comforting me, making me forget about our situation. I want to dream with you, Brad. Please, help me dream...” she ended with a sob.

“Don’t cry, my Tyger.” He rubbed his cheek against hers. “It’s tearing me apart.”

“Brad,” she groaned another sob as she placed her mouth over his. He answered back almost desperately. Her heart tightened. The kiss was good, but not great. How could it be when they couldn’t hold each other? “I want your arms around me.”

“Me, too,” he muttered against her lips.

“Did you get your cell phone?”

“No. I came here first. But there’s a phone on Howard’s desk.”

“No.” She took a deep breath. “The guy ripped out the cord. We won’t be able to use the phone.”

Breanna dropped her gaze to her bound hands. She was tired of being helpless since she’d been that way most of her life, and especially these past five years with Tom. She lifted her wrists to her mouth and using her teeth, tried tugging the knots of the rope loose. After a few minutes of trying, but only succeeded in getting rope burns on her mouth and wrists, she slumped over and cried with frustration.

“I can’t, Brad. I just can’t.”

Perhaps this was how her life was meant to be. Helpless. And she would die this way. Just the thought of not being able to help the man she loved crushed her heart more than anything.