After Ryder disappeared to buy some snacks and water, I swung my body around and found my purse in the backseat. After much effort, I managed to slip my right foot through the straps and drag it onto my lap. Then, I unzipped the top with my teeth and dug around for my phone. My nose brushed against an old tube of mascara, a packet of tissues, a tampon…but no phone. That’s when I realized that Ryder must’ve taken it when he looked for the car keys earlier. Bastard. I flung the purse back just as Ryder pushed open the convenience store door.

Once he slid back into the driver’s seat, he popped open a bottle of water and brought it to my lips. With a little tilt, ice water slid against my parched tongue and ran down my throat. It felt good to slake my thirst, and it’d feel even better when I parted ways with this lunatic. “We almost there yet?” I asked between bites of granola bar, which he also fed me with his free hand.

“Twenty minutes or so.”

“Why did you restrain me back there? Were you worried I’d run?”

“I told you, I like tying women up.”

“Seriously, Ryder.”

“Bet you wish you had your phone, huh?”

“Ry—”

“I ditched it in the trash can outside Home Hardware.”

“That was a new iPhone!”

“I’m sure you can afford another one. They’d use that phone’s GPS to track us.”

“We could’ve just dropped it back off at my place. You didn’t have to—”

“Did you tell anyone we were meeting for coffee?”

“No.” Like hell I’d tell him Galliana knew everything.

“Good. We’ve got our bases covered, then.”

A short while later, the car slowed down until the wheels finally ground to a halt on a gravel road in the middle of nowhere. “We’re here. Let me get your door.” Ryder popped off the seatbelt and walked over to my side, opening the passenger door for me.

“A true gentleman,” I said sarcastically. I swung my legs out, then lurched forward until my shoes hit gravel. I squinted at my surroundings. Nothing but tall, yellowed grass for miles. Several hundred feet ahead I spotted a collapsed, abandoned structure of some sort, but couldn’t make out too clearly what it was. “Where the hell are we?”

“My old home, for a while,” Ryder explained, tugging on my elbow. “Come on, I’ll show you.”

I jerked from side to side as I walked, my chafed wrists burning up. Why the hell had he tied me up back at the parking lot? Was he suspicious of me? I didn’t show any discomfort though. I had to make him think I was in control, and that this was still my plan.

“We’re here,” Ryder announced after a short, ten-minute walk.

I looked around, bewildered. “You mean this dump—you used to live here?”

“Yeah. When my dad kicked me out at seventeen, I had nowhere to go. I was about three weeks away from turning eighteen, and I had nothing in my name. No money, clothes, food, shelter, friends, or family. I hitchhiked out of Northbridge and somehow ended up here, where I stayed with four homeless kids for a while. The city calls this dump The Turning Place. Some rich guy bought the land fifty years ago and just sat on it. Never did anything with it, and doesn’t seem like he even remembers buying it. It’s been trashed over the years, and it’s a breeding ground for addicts looking for a private place to shoot up. When I came here at seventeen, a group of Lost Boys took me in. They offered me a spot on this ratty sofa and nicknamed me Villain. We were close friends for several years, but eventually fell apart.”

“Why’d they call you that?”

“Because they said I played a convincing bad guy.” Ryder sighed. “Of course, if they’d known that my last name was Ainsworth, they probably would’ve beaten me to a bloody pulp. My dad was one of the people spearheading an initiative to raze The Turning Place and turn it into a strip mall. He wanted to curb the homelessness problem here and kick all of us out. He said it’d provide a tax haven for the wealthy and boost the economy at the same time. Of course, his proposal was rejected. Twice.”

“It’s still a dump,” I pointed out.

“And it’s perfect for our photoshoot, don’t you think?”

“You’ve put a lot of thought into this.”

“My ass is on the line.”

“So is mine,” I pointed out.

“We’ll hide out here for a few days. I’m going to drive back into town later and dump your car. Then I’ll print off a couple pics and mail the note.”

“Wouldn’t it be faster if you dropped it off?”

“Too suspicious.”

“You’re not actually going to dump my car though, right? It’s just a figure of speech?”

“I’ll park it at Home Hardware. How’s that?”

“Someone could break into it while I’m stranded here,” I reasoned.

“Occupational hazard.” Ryder shrugged, twirling my key ring around his thumb.

“What if we’re caught trespassing?”

“No one comes here, trust me.”

“You’re too cocky. Pride goes before a fall,” I chastised.

Ryder pulled out his ancient flip phone. “Say ‘help me.’”

I rolled my eyes. I could feel my runny mascara stinging my lash line. “I don’t look scared. I don’t even feel scared.”

“Should I rough you up a bit then?” Ryder suggested.

“What do you mean?”

“I can grope you if you like. Pinch your tits. Would that make you scared?”

“Don’t you dare,” I warned, cheeks flaming. “I’m fine, thanks. Just take the damn photo.”

Ryder aimed the phone at me and I looked away, willing tears to fall from my irritated eyes. Once the shutter clicked a few times, Ryder examined the photos. “These will do. I’m going to go take care of the rest. You stay put, okay?”

“What, you’re leaving me in this godforsaken place? What if drug addicts come and ask me what I’m doing here? Or what if a wild animal attacks me?”

“Then you’re shit out of luck, my friend,” Ryder said, taking pleasure in my mounting anxiety.

“Why can’t I come with you?”

“Told you, I’m dumping the car.”

“And how long’s that going to take?”

“Not sure.”

“Like hell I’m letting you leave me in the middle of nowhere! First sign of danger, I’m getting the hell out of here.”

“I’m kidnapping you, remember?” Something about the way Ryder said it gave me the chills.

“It’s not real, remember?” I reminded him, my jaw tight.

“It is now. Sorry, Cally. You’re my last hope. I can’t take any chances.”

Before I could open my mouth, Ryder dragged me by the wrists to one of the gutted, rusty cars nearby. Then he whipped out another zip tie, shoved me inside the car, and tied me to the old steering wheel. “I’ll be back before sunset, I promise. I never meant to hurt you.”

I let out the loudest scream I could manage.

“Cry as loud as you want, sweetheart. No one will hear you,” Ryder said, cold as ice.

“You won’t fucking get away with this, Ryder.”

“I already have. You’re here, aren’t you?” His tone was devoid of emotion now, and in that moment, I had a bad feeling about this plan. My plan was no longer mine. I’d let a sociopath take me out into the middle of nowhere, and now I was tied to a car.

Minutes later, I heard my Porsche roar away and saw the cloud of dust it left in its wake.

Fuck. My. Life.