Page 6 of Resurgent
I tidy up the apartment a little more, wiping the kitchen counters and starting the dishwasher. Just as I’m about to leave, I impulsively open the freezer, remove the necklace from the waffle box again, and put it on. For a minute, it feels like his strong hands lightly gripping my throat again, not a cheap silver chain. I’ll keep it for a few more days. Just until Kenzie gets home. Satisfied, I turn out the lights and let myself out of the apartment, locking the door behind me.
It’s completely dark now, and muggy like only Charleston can be in the summer. I hurry down the stairs, eager to get home and text Walker and Gemma to tell them I found the passport.
A figure steps out of the shadows, sending prickles of awareness tingling up my spine.It’s probably someone who lives here, I tell myself. But there’s something ominous about it. About him. And the way he’s walking directly toward me…
My stomach knots with a sense of foreboding, and my palms suddenly feel clammy. I instinctively turn to run, but there’s another figure behind me. It’s dark, but I can tell he’s burly, and now my skin is crawling. I pick up the pace, almost running now, but the one behind me grabs me roughly, covering my mouth with his thick, rancid-smelling hand. I freeze, terror sending adrenaline flooding my veins. The cold sharp tip of a knife presses into the soft flesh near my jugular—a warning. I swallow hard. I don’t dare move, but my heart is slamming in my chest. My Krav Maga classes didn’t prepare me for being held at knifepoint.
“You sure this is the girl?” the one in front of me asks, his English barely understandable with a thick Hispanic accent. “You remember what happened in Costa Rica. I don’t want to get in trouble with the boss.”
“Por supuesto,” the other guy says. “Who else could she be? She just came out of the apartment and locked the door. She fits the description. She’s got the necklace. She’s definitely the one.”
Oh God. They think I’m McKenzie. I’ve somehow got to tell them I’m not. I’ve got to get away. I’ve got to warn McKenzie.Think Charlotte!But then a dirty, foul-smelling cloth is pressed over my mouth and nose and I can’t think of anything. My head feels thick and fuzzy, and my stomach turns over with nausea. My eyes droop with heaviness but I fight to stay awake, willing my rubbery legs to propel me to safety somehow. But it’s no use. I picture Liam’s face smiling at me from the photo on his passport as the darkness swallows me.
