Page 51 of Feint

I reached behind me for my car door handle, but he lurched and grabbed my wrist, twisting it up into the air. He smirked at me.

“Don’t scream. It’ll go so much better for you if you don’t scream.” His eyes narrowed as his grip tightened.

I threw my keys at him and screamed. There was no way I was going to sit here and not fight some man trying to hurt me. If I could just get to my glove box, I could get my gun that Mom had me buy after last year.

But he slapped me across the face, and I leaned against the car. I started to swing my free arm and kick with my legs while still screaming, anything to keep him off me and maybe get someone's attention passing by.

“I said, shut the fuck up!”

He raised his hand again, and pain connected with the side of my face.

Then, it was just darkness.

CHAPTER 21

ROSALIE

“You coming to?Good. Sit there, don’t struggle, and I won’t have to hurt you more, all right? Fuck, girl, you fight back like a wild creature—you know that? I didn’t want to have to rough you up, but you left me no choice.”

My captor’s voice from the driver’s seat washed over me as I regained consciousness slowly. My cheek hurt. He’d really smacked me so hard that I passed out? That was going to leave a bruise for sure. But that was the least of my worries.

I thought this guy knew Kordell. Why would he do something like this? Was this just a big prank Kordell was playing? But would Kordell really tell someone they could hurt me? I tried to say something, and that was when I realized he had gagged me as well.

“Mmm-mmm!” I tried to get his attention as I looked around the car.

My hands and ankles were tied up, and I was lying down on the back seat. Wait, no… this didn’t feel like a seat. I turned my head, and I saw the bike I had worked on today next to me. I kept looking around at the space. It was wide, and the only seats were at the front of the vehicle. I was in a van. This was the back of a van. I’d just become a movie cliché, didn’t I? Oh my gosh,wait… he had brought a second vehicle?! Who did that? But… There was no van by the custom shop when I left. Had he parked around the corner? Panic started to set in as my mind raced.

I tried to move and sit up, but every time he took a corner, it would throw me off-balance again, so I lay on my back and stared at the ceiling. There was no sense in completely panicking yet when I didn’t really know what was going on.

Kordell had joked about abducting me once, so I was still holding out hope that this was what that was. I really hoped it was at least. Otherwise, I was in some deep shit. And I didn’t know how I was going to get out of it.

“Not too much longer, and we’re gonna be home. Well, your home until you’re no longer needed. Then, not sure what’s gonna happen to you.” He glanced back at me and smirked.

His expression wasn’t warm and friendly, like it had been earlier this evening; it was cold and sinister. I swallowed as best I could and looked away from him. His gaze was intimidating, and I was honestly a little scared. If this was a prank by Kordell, I was going to kill him for not giving me any sort of heads-up for it. This was not a turn-on for me—that was for sure.

But he wasn’t lying. A few minutes later, it felt like we were driving down the bumpiest road known to man. The banging against the metal floor didn’t make my headache feel any better either. But when he pulled to a stop and killed the engine, I wished we were still driving. He got out of the van and slammed the door. I heard him speak to someone outside, but I couldn’t quite make out their words. But then the side door was flung open, and I closed my eyes against the bright light flashing in my face as I heard a bike drive away.

“Mmm!” I whimpered.

The light was removed from my face, but all I could see when I opened my eyes were bright spots everywhere, so I closed themagain. I blinked, trying to get the spots to go away fast, when I felt hands grab my body and pull me to the door’s edge.

“Mmm! Mmmmmm!” I cried out, trying to struggle against the grasp.

But it was no use. I was lifted and thrown over a strong, muscular shoulder. And when my spots started to clear as we walked, I kicked my feet HARD. But he laughed about my efforts to struggle and tightened his grip. We walked up the steps into the covered front porch of a house. It was too dark to really see any of the land around us, but this house was made out of wood and seemed pretty worn down based on the porch and railing I could see.

He pushed open a door and walked me through a house with old, wallpapered walls, and then I was falling backward onto something soft.

“Mph!” I groaned as I rolled onto my side.

I opened my eyes and looked around. It was a bed. I looked up at him with worry, my eyes getting wider. He reached out toward me, and I flinched and closed my eyes.

“Not gonna hurt you again right now unless you make me. Already told you that.” He tugged off the gag I had in my mouth.

“Uhhh… my head hurts,” I whimpered out as I moved my jaw around.

“Hang on. I’ll get you something for it.”

He walked out of the room, and I took a few moments to take in my surroundings.

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