Page 70 of Rami

Tears clogged her throat. If he was dead, she’d never forgive herself. But there was no way of knowing if he’d survived. The cartel would kill her, but not before making her suffer. Or hell, maybe they’d decide to go back to their original plan and sell her. In either case, she’d never see Rami again.

Would never be held in his grounding embrace. Never feel his heart thumping in sync with hers or feel his warm, compassionate lips on her mouth. She’d never bathe in his goodness.

Instead, she’d be damned to a living hell.

A little ball of fire spun inside her. She hadn’t escaped that suffocating camper for nothing. Rami hadn’t risked his life to save her just for her to get pulled right back.

For him and everything he’d done for her, she had to fight. One thing was for sure—he would.

Hope flared in her chest.

Nothing short of a bullet to the head would take out Rami. He’d find her or die trying, and she had to hang on to that notion before she got sucked into the bleak despair that had consumed her between those four disgusting, rusted-out walls in the Mexican desert.

The needle marks burned on her arm. A fiery reminder of what waited for her if she didn’t escape.

Never again.

If she wanted to live, she had to keep it together. Had to outsmart these men and not break down—definitely not let them see her resolve falter.

Sixteen days with Marty and Wayne had shown her that sick people got off on hearing their victims cry and beg. That’s what they wanted. And she’d die silently before she gave it to them.

The men sat fifty or so feet away. If she could get her hands free, she might be able to run. She brought her attention to the ropes binding her. They were tight but not to the point of cutting off circulation. She could still wiggle, and because the ropes circled her biceps, her elbows and forearms had a bit of movement.

She glanced down at the yellow twine strapped over her chest. She needed something sharp. Placing her palms on the ground, she patted the earth around the base of the tree. Roots, bark, and dirt met her roaming fingers—nothing of use.

She mumbled a curse then glanced toward the van and campfire to make sure her captors weren’t aware that she was awake. The driver paced near the van, his phone to his ear, and Gabriel still sat in front of the fire.

Thank god.

Hopefully Gabriel was suffering from a severe concussion. Summoning a breath, Ivy chanced wiggling her butt as close to the tree as she could. She then leaned forward, bearing down on the ropes with all her weight. Moving her torso side to side, she stretched and scraped the rope against the tree trunk.

After less than a minute, sweat coated her brow and her breathing was labored. She was still exhausted from running, and her head beat like a conga drum.

She relaxed against the tree and took several breaths through her nose. Maybe it was wishful thinking, but the rope didn’t seem quite as snug.

The men started talking and Ivy caught a glimpse of the driver pocketing his phone. He stood next to Gabriel. Though they both seemed to speak fluent English, the driver spoke with a thick accent, and the only sentence Ivy could make out was “He’ll be here in twenty.”

Who’s “he”?

Her heart palpitated. She forced her body to go limp and closed her eyes before they caught her watching.

Was it possible Rami had gotten ahold of them? Maybe he was making a trade?

She wanted—no, needed—that to be true with her entire being.

“He’s going to enjoy her,” the driver said, leering again.

All the blood drained from her face. Rami wasn’t coming. It was someone else.

***

Driving the thirty minutes back to the rest stop felt like a setback. But the equipment that lay in the back of Taschen’s SUV would make it worth it. The drone would help immensely. They’d be at an advantage having eyes on the men—they’d know what they were up against. Not to mention they’d be able to see Ivy.

The gas station came into view along with the blue and red flashing lights of various emergency vehicles.

Jesus Christ.

“Whoa, stay back,” Taschen said, echoing Rami’s thoughts.

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