Page 65 of Keeping Astrid

As it was, there was nothing around the place. She hadn’t heard any traffic noise or even any planes flying overhead. All she’d heard were birds squawking as they flew by.

Fear burst to life at the thought of her possible demise.

No! I can’t think that way. I’m still alive, and I will get myself out of this.

She had no idea how she was going to manage it, but she would somehow. No way was she going to be a victim. Well, more of a victim than she already was seeing as she was stuck in a cabin in the middle of nowhere.

There had to be a way she could get away. Was it possible to crab walk or something with a chair attached to her legs? Or maybe she could tip the chair to the side and then worm her way across the floor. Anything was possible. And if it hurt her, she didn’t care. If she gained her freedom, what were a few bruises and cuts?

All she had to do was wait it out. Pity she hadn’t thought of this the previous evening. Stress and fear had exhausted her, and she’d slumped into a restless sleep. Not tonight, though. She had no idea how long it would be until darkness fell, but, tonight, she was going to stay awake.

The slamming of a car door had her sitting a little straighter. Had help arrived? No, if anyone was coming to help her, they’d arrive in a stealthy manner. At least she thought they would. Wasn’t that how special forces operations happened? Everyone would step quietly so as to not alert anyone of their presence. At least, that’s what she assumed was how they were done.

A quick look at her kidnapper confirmed it wasn’t help arriving. Clearly, whoever they were, the man in the room with her expected them. He was positively bouncing on his feet, as though Santa Claus was about to open the door and present him with a sack full of gifts.

Astrid shook her head, trying to clear the humorous thoughts. Where were they coming from? Was she delirious? Had there been something in the food that was now just affecting her?

She kept her eyes glued to the door, waiting to see who was going to come in.

A tall man wearing dark clothes and dark sunglasses stood in the doorway. The sun shone in directly behind him, the sudden light burning her eyes, and she turned her head away.

I’ll close them for a second and then when I open them, I’ll be able to see the guy better. I need to be able to give a description when I get rescued.

“What the fuck, Pedro?” The heavily accented voice bounced through the small space. “You know that she is no longer a concern. No one is going to be happy about this.”

Astrid blinked rapidly as she opened her eyes, but the man who’d entered the cabin now had his back to her.

But he confirmed what Cass had heard on the web was true—she was no longer of interest to the cartel. If that was the case, why had Pedro taken her?

Nothing made sense.

They were still talking about her, only in rapid Spanish. Pedro looked smug as he argued his point.

The door was wide open. Astrid twisted her hands and feet against her restraints, trying to loosen them. The movement causing the chair to rock a little. The quicker she moved, the more it rocked until it teetered and she clattered to the ground. Her head hit the wooden floor and pain bloomed through it, but she gritted her teeth and tried to move—for what purpose she didn’t know, but her flight instinct was kicking in. No matter how hard she tried, she hadn’t moved from where the chair had tipped.

Footsteps stomped toward her.

While the stranger may have said that she wasn’t to be messed with, perhaps he’d changed his mind. Or Pedro had convinced him that getting rid of her was best for all of them. Astrid felt in her bones that her time was up and she hadn’t even moved an inch in her escape attempt.

The tears that she’d somehow managed to keep buried deep burned the back of her eyes. Her thoughts turned to Callum. Apart from thinking that he would come and rescue her, she hadn’t allowed herself to contemplate that returning to him may not happen—even though it looked likely now.

Why hadn’t she taken the leap and told him she loved him before he’d left? Now he’d never know.

“I love you, Callum. I’ll find you in my next lifetime,” she whispered.

“I’m sorry I have to do this, but it’s for your own safety.” The man with the heavy accent was standing over her now.

Astrid knew she should look up and face her killer, but she didn’t want to. She didn’t want the last thing she saw to be the man who killed her. She wanted the image of Callum’s soulful eyes burning with desire as he entered her, to be the last thing she thought of.

She waited for the punch of pain from a bullet as it pierced her skin. Would she even feel it? Or would she feel nothing?

“Time to sleep.”

Pedro looked at the woman’s slumped body Javier had knocked out with the butt of his gun.

“Why did you do that?” he yelled at Javier, angry at how the man had come into the cabin and berated him as if he was a child.

Javier stalked toward him. Pedro straightened his spine; he wasn’t going to be intimidated by the guy. He didn’t care what Javier kept saying. He didn’t care that Mr. Rook had taken the target off Astrid’s back.

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