Page 103 of Caught in the Crossfire

“Let’s go,” Fisher said. “If you fight us, you’ll regret it. Scream, and we’ll gut Dawn first, then you.” With that, he propelled Nicole toward the side exit away from the crowded yard.

Nicole’s heart sank. No one was in sight. She’d hoped someone would be near, see the abduction, and go for help. Looked like she and Dawn were on their own for a while.

Mason would find her. Hurting Mason was the point of taking her in the first place. They didn’t need Dawn. Maybe she could convince Fisher to let her friend go.

The men forced them toward the trees to the left of the property. Her breath caught in her lungs. Were they planning to kill them in the woods and leave their bodies for Mason and Linc to find?

No. Resolve hardened inside Nicole. She had a wedding in two months and one day. She was marrying Mason no matter what these thugs planned.

Nicole and Dawn stumbled in the darkness as the men dragged them deeper into the trees. “Where are you taking us?” Nicole asked.

Fisher shoved her back against a tree and slapped her. Her head whipped to the side as the crack of sound broke the silence in the woods. “Keep your mouth shut,” he hissed.

Tears stung her eyes, but Nicole refused to let them fall and give this jerk the satisfaction of knowing he’d hurt her. Her cheek felt like it was on fire from the blow.

Satisfaction bloomed in his eyes when she remained silent. “Move,” he ordered and jerked her into a fast walk at his side.

As they progressed through the woods, Nicole’s cheek began to swell. She prayed Mason kept his head when he saw her. The group emerged from the woods onto a little used side road where a large black truck was parked in the shadow of the trees.

Nicole and Dawn exchanged glances. This wasn’t good. While grateful they were still alive, if the men took them from the area, she and Dawn would be harder to locate. “Please, let Dawn go. I’m the one you want.”

Fisher unlocked his truck with a remote and shoved her toward the cab. “Get in and keep your trap shut or I’ll gag you. Don’t get any bright ideas about trying to escape. Patton has a gun on him, too. He loves that gun. Give him an excuse, and he’ll demonstrate his skill.”

Without other options available, Nicole climbed into the backseat. Dawn followed her inside. Patton shoved her over, hopped in beside Dawn, and aimed his gun at Nicole. “If either of you moves, I’ll shoot the other one. At this range, I can’t miss.”

Fisher cranked the powerful engine and sped away from the woods.

Although Nicole attempted to keep track of the turns, she was soon hopelessly lost. The roads didn’t have signs and the countryside looked the same to her. Too bad she didn’t have breadcrumbs to drop.

She still had her phone. Hopefully, Fisher would stash them in a room by themselves and she could call for help then.

“Get their phones,” Fisher ordered his partner in crime.

Patton waved his gun. “You heard the man. Hand them over.” An evil smile curved his lips. “Unless you want me to take them from you by force.”

Since the idea of either of these men putting their hands on her made Nicole want to barf, she handed him her phone and nodded at Dawn to do the same. He gave them to Fisher who turned them off while he drove and tossed them on the floor.

When they emerged onto a highway, Nicole saw what she needed to orient herself. Fisher had taken them by the back roads to Highway 18. Soon, he took the Cherry Hill exit and raced toward a destination known only to him and Patton.

He drove through town and several miles into the countryside before turning onto a dirt road. Fisher pressed the accelerator to the floor.

When they emerged from the heavy tree cover into a clearing, she saw an old campground with multiple cabins scattered throughout the area.

As she glanced around, she noticed the motorcycles parked in front of the cabins and a main lodge. Fisher had driven them into the middle of a camp occupied by a motorcycle gang?

Fear for Mason’s safety exploded inside her. He might be trained by the military’s best, but he couldn’t use weapons and he was outnumbered. Even Linc wouldn’t be able to even the odds.

Fisher parked in front of the lodge and yanked open Nicole’s door. “Out.” He wrapped his fingers around her wrist and jerk her from the truck.

“What you got there, Fish?” A man with a gravelly voice sauntered from the lodge and gawked at Nicole.

“Bait.”

Gravel chuckled. “Pretty bait. You pulled off the plan after all, huh?”

“Told you it would work.”

He inclined his head toward Dawn who now stood beside Nicole. “And this one?”

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