Page 64 of Take Me Back
My brilliant—okay,terrible—plan is ready for action. Carefully and with as little movement as possible, I’ve loosened the rope on my wrists, but not enough to free them. I’m still working at it, but I’ve run out of time.
I focus on the stars above before I shift to see the lights coming from an island in the distance off to the left. It’s so much farther away than I hoped.
Thoughts of the shark in the water yesterday almost deter me, but what other choice do I have? Don’t try to save myself?
This might be my last chance.
I say a quick prayer before rising to my feet and launching myself over the side.
The men are already shouting when I break the surface of the water, and the drone of the motor silences immediately.
Tugging hard at my wrists, I free one and then the other, and needles of sensation stab into me as I attempt to take my first stroke.
Oh fuck, I didn’t plan on this. Being locked in one position has all my muscles freezing up when I try to use them. My thigh cramps as I kick.
My lungs burning and the roar of blood filling my ears, I keep kicking.Gotta get to the island.By sheer force of will, I start to stroke.
There’s a splash in the water.
Someone else jumped in.
Noise comes from behind me. Saltwater stings my eyes as I focus on the light of the island and try to swim faster than whoever is coming after me.
Something grabs my ankle and I kick out, hitting the person behind me. Vander? I don’t even care. I stroke again and again, but I’m not fast enough.
An arm wraps around my waist, yanking me back against a body. “You’re gonna pay for this.”
The voice belongs to the other man. Not Vander. I thrash against his hold in the water. A wave crashes into us, and I inhale at the wrong moment. Coughing to try to expel the liquid, I lose all forward momentum.
The motor starts again, coming closer.
“Get her to the boat. I’ll take her.”
I kick and struggle, trying to escape his hold, but it’s a losing battle. My elbow connects with his ribs, and the man grunts before burying his fingers in my hair and dragging me facedown.
Can’t breathe.
Finally, he lifts my head, and I suck in a breath just as he hands me off to Vander.
“Fucking idiot. Could’ve killed yourself. Now I’m going to make sure you wish you had.”
I struggle as Vander yanks me over the side and drops me onto the bottom of the boat. The other man climbs in, spilling water over me. Chills rack my body as I shake, not only with cold, but fear.
What the hell are they going to do to me?
Something, maybe a fist, connects with my jaw, and everything goes dark again.
* * *
“She’s fine. Real fine.”
My head aches, pain coming from my temple this time, but through the pounding, I feel someone stroking my hair.
“I like ’em blond.”
“And so do the rich dudes with money,” another voice says. This one is more familiar.
“Fucking perverts. Probably gonna chain her up and fuck her until she can’t take no more, then buy a new toy.”
