Page 126 of Hold Me Before You Go

Who the hell was this guy?

“What happened?” I asked again, looking at Margo, then to Sarah.

“He came into the bookstore and ordered a coffee,” Margo whispered. “I made his coffee, handed it to him, and told him to have a good day.” She looked away from us, focusing on the door again, going completely still.

Sarah picked up the rest of the story. “I was at the counter and noticed him looking around. I didn’t think anything of it. It wasn’t until he happened to be the only one in the store…” My friend shook her head, her bottom lip wobbling. She inhaled a choppy breath as the memories came back to her. “He knocked you out first with the butt of his gun. I heard you drop. I should’ve called Michael. I don’t know why I didn’t…I just had to get to you. Margo tried to fight him, but he—he pushed her back into the wall, and she hit her head…Then, it was just me.”

My throat burned.

“He pointed the gun at me and made me help load you both into the car. He said if I didn’t, he’d kill both of you in front of me, and then he’d kill me.”

It came back to me then. Rossy had just stepped out to get us all lunch. I was in the back of the stacks, rearranging titles. I didn’t even see him come up from behind…

The door was kicked in then, revealing the man. Behind him was deep blue water, the Columbia River. I heard the usual noise of the docks outside, but it sounded far away. I wanted to scream, but the gun hanging from the man’s shoulder had me biting my tongue.

I didn’t know who this man was.

I’d never seen him before in my life.

That scared me. A lot.

Was this one of my father’s men? Someone from the past looking for more revenge?

Questions flew through my mind as he stared down at us. Margo was right. He was young—very young, no later than twenty at most. He was just a kid.

He didn’t give some snarky comment about me being awake like I expected him too. In fact, he didn’t say a fucking word, his eyes bouncing between the three of us as the cold air behind him seeped into the dirty room.

My eyes dropped to his free hand, noticing the slight tremor.

When he finally spoke, the unsteadiness in his voice gave me the confirmation I needed. This man wasn’t cold. He wasnervous.“We have to wait until nightfall to leave. There’s too many fucking people out right now.”

“Please,” Sarah whispered. “Just let us go.”

The man’s head snapped towards her. “What did I tell you about talking?” he shot back.

“Leave her alone,” I growled.

When his eyes met mine, his head ticked to the side. “I can’t believe you’re the one everyone is making a fuss about,” he noted as he kicked the crappy door shut with his foot. “Honestly, I don’t get it.”

“Then let us go, asshole,” Margo hissed from my other side.

“We won’t tell anyone. Please let us go,” Sarah begged some more.

In a flash, that big gun was no longer hanging over his shoulder.

“All of you shut the fuck up!” he seethed, waving the AR-15 at them and keeping it on Sarah. “I don’t want to hear another fucking sound from any of you, or I’ll blow your fucking head off!” He turned from us, mumbling something about how Jack would be disappointed in him.

Jack.

Jack.

I knew that name.

It hit me, rocking me so much so that a small gasp left me. The man spun to me, the barrel of the gun right in front of my face. “I said shut up!”

I bit down on my tongue, nodding rapidly. There was no way in hell I would risk the lives of Margo and Sarah. So I kept quiet, obeying him.

Once he turned away from me, I looked over to Sarah, making sure she was somewhat okay and then to Margo. Sarah was quivering, pale as a ghost, and tears wouldn’t stop falling from her eyes. Margo, on the other hand, seemed to be in shock. She wasn’t looking at me or Sarah, only at our captor. Her eyes flashed with something I couldn’t make out, and even more guilt settled on my shoulders.

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