Page 41 of Bolted

Lockhart laughs “You haven’t even left Denning yet Nate, do not play me for a fool. I have eyes everywhere. Bring me the girl or I’ll have your head on a juicy platter.”

“Yes sir,” I say cringing and the line goes dead. I look back towards the car, annoyed. I can’t give her to Lockhart. We just got back together. I have plans for us and I just know she will be as excited as I am when she sees the new life we can start together. Maybe I can make another deal with him? I just need a little more time to come up with a plan before I drive her back. My head spins and I head inside the mini mart.

Chapter 49

Sebastian

I slam my fist down on the dash in anger “What the fuck is taking Xavier so damn long inside that shithole?!”

Kaz looks at me worriedly.

“The signal is still dead Sebastian, breaking the car will not remedy this situation any faster,” Jamison replies from the backseat.

I turn to him with a glare, ready to rip into him when Kaz places her hand on my shoulder gently.

“We are going to find her, Sebastian, I swear it.” She says with a look of determination.

A loud bang sounds and we all jerk in the direction of the minimart. A man in a ball cap barrels out of the doors and flies passed our SUV towards a shitty little Honda. I jump out, looking back towards the doors, wondering what the hell is happening, when Xavier flies out next.

“Start the fucking truck!” He bellows.

I turn to look back towards the ball cap guy as he opens his driver door to get in. Our eyes clash and instant recognition hits me but before I can even blink, Nate is in the car and peeling away. I climb back in the truck to see Jonathan already in the driver's seat.

“Follow that motherfucker!” Xavier yells as he jumps into the backseat and slams the door.

Jonathan puts the truck in gear and we speed onto the road in the direction Nate took off.

“Where the fuck did he go?” I ask, more to myself than anyone else in the car. “There’s no way that shitbox of a car made it that far out of sight already!”

“Slow down Jonathan” Jamison chimes in from the backseat.

“Don’t fucking slow down!” I grit and twist in my seat ready to strangle my bastard of a friend.

“Slow the fuck down Jonathan,” Jamison says again while staring me straight in the eye “I’m pinging a location somewhere in the next few hundred feet.”

A sense of relief rushes through me and I turn back towards the road scouring the area.

“There!” Xavier shouts pointing to a set of trees lining the right side of the road. The Honda’s front end is smashed up against a tree, the entire front end crumpled. I’m out of the truck before Jonathan can fully stop the vehicle, running towards the car when I realize the driver side door is open and no one is in the seat.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck!” I scream, turning towards the wooded area. I catch a glimpse of movement and start towards it when Kaz screaming my name stops me dead in my tracks.

Whipping around, I see the back door of the Honda open and a figure sprawled across the seat while Xavier leans in, assessing the situation. My feet move so fast that before I can comprehend what’s happening my knees are crashing to the dirt in front of the open door. My little mouse is laying there, a blanket tangled around her body. Her wrists are bound and the bruising around the restraints tells me it was long term. There is a trickle of blood running down her forehead.

“Little mouse,” I whisper.

Wiping the blood with my thumb, realization sets in that she isn’t moving and my vision blurs.

“Sebastian, Sebastian,” Xavier shakes me, “She’s alive, Sebastian, but we need to get her to a doctor to assess the damage.”

Relief washes over me and I wipe my eyes frowning at the wetness on my fingertips. I look at Xavier but he doesn’t comment on it. He just turns towards Riley’s body and gently grabs her out before handing her to me. She feels so light in my arms. If I didn’t know any better I would think she’s lost weight. She feels so fragile. I settle into the middle seat with her cradled against me. Jamison leans over, producing a pocket knife and slicing the restraints quickly before sitting back into the passenger seat.

The drive back is a blur. I vaguely hear Jamison calling our personal physician for a house call and the sound of Kaz and Jonathan’s whispers in the seat behind me. Before I know it, we are back in the city and pulling up to my place.

Chapter 50

Riley

It’s dark. Nate must have put my blindfold back on. I shift in the bed and it’s then I realize my hands and legs are both free. And I’m not blindfolded, it’s just dark out. I bolt upright, unsure of where I am and what’s happening. A warm hand presses against my back then and I jump.

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