Page 33 of Trust in Me
Shit. The driver was running, headed into the wooded area at the end of the road, with officers in pursuit. I joined the chase. I looked over my shoulder as we passed the van.Fuck.Avery was in there. Was she hurt?
A Jeep Wrangler pulled up behind the stopped police cars. I caught Drew getting out of it in my peripheral vision as I sprinted, gun drawn, with one thought:I need to get back to my girl.
25
Avery
Icametoasthe van jolted. My elbow hit the side of the van, shooting pain down my arm. My head was fuzzy as I tried to make sense of where I was and what had happened. I’d been standing outside the hospital. I was waiting for Brax. The silence, the crickets, the sunset.
The smell of old cigarettes before someone grabbed my arm. They’d forced me in here. I tried to look around the area. It was dark, with only light from the windshield, but I made out a few shadows. My purse was within reach. I pulled it toward me as the van swerved again, tossing me to the other side.
I dug through my purse. Could he hear me from where he was driving? The front seats were visible from where I was. Sirens wailed. So we were being chased. The police presence was at once comforting and unnerving. He wouldn’t be able to stop, even if he heard me. Would the police save me? Or would the chase force the man who’d kidnapped me to do something crazy and endanger both of us?
Was one of the police officers Brax?
I moved my hand around the bottom of my bag, looking for something. A weapon, maybe. It wasn’t like I routinely carried a weapon, but with all the crap I kept in my purse, you never knew what you’d find.
My hand closed on something pointy. I pulled it out. A pencil? Who was I, John Wick? I tossed it back in as the van lurched again. My fingers touched a familiar piece of plastic. My phone. I curled my fingers around it. The police were already following us, but I needed to get in touch with Brax. I needed him to know I was okay.
I held the phone low as I tapped out a message.
Avery:I’m in the back of a van, the police are following us.
Avery:I’m okay right now but if something happens just know
I hesitated. What was I going to say? Was it too early to…
The van pitched again, tossing me back. Fuck. I might not get another chance. I typed out the rest of the message and hitSendjust before the phone fell from my hand as the vehicle screeched to a stop and I hit the side of the van again.
My entire side was going to be bruised. I looked at the front of the van. From the light filtering into the seats, the door was open. The man who’d grabbed me was gone. I crawled across the floor of the van. It was clean, something I hadn’t appreciated when first kidnapped, but it seemed strange now. Like, did the guy clean his van out before abducting me? Was this a rental van?
I shook my head. I was going crazy. I ran my hands over the side, looking for a handle without success. I was about to climb into the front seats through the small opening when the side of the van started to move. The door opened, revealing a head of jet-black hair.
Drew?
“It’s okay, little one.” He extended his hand to me. I took it, hating the quiver in my hand. He tugged me forward, gently coaxing me out of the van.
“I, um, Sir…” I trailed off. Where had he come from? How did he know?
His face creased in a smile. “Just Drew outside the club, little one. You’re safe now. I’ve got you.”
I stepped to the ground next to the van, my knees buckling. Drew swept me up into muscular arms without a moment’s hesitation. He carried me past several police cruisers, parked to block the road, all with lights flashing and doors open.
I leaned my head against Drew’s muscular chest. He was solid, safe. But he wasn’t mine.
“Brax?” I managed the one word.
“He called me, sweetheart. He’ll be here. He’s working to get the guy who took you. I’m going to put you down now, okay?” He set me down gently in the seat of a Wrangler and stepped back.
“My, um, bag. It…” I gestured toward the van.
Drew followed my hand. “I’ll go get it. Are you okay here for a minute alone?”
I nodded, my head falling back against the headrest.
“We can go home now, baby.” Brax entered the small room where I’d been sitting for the last hour.
I’d given my statement to a couple of officers. They’d shown me the picture of the man who’d snatched me. It had taken me a minute, but I’d finally recognized him. Anna’s stepdad. The guy who’d hit on me, demanded to be seen that day in the pediatric ER. He’d admitted to stalking me, and to setting the fire to my apartment after he saw me with Brax. The idea that someone had been watching me made my blood run cold.
