Page 82 of Her Faithful Protector

I rise from my seat, my thoughts converging in my head with Ava at the center. Willem wants her, but he won’t hesitate to hurt her. To what scale—I don’t even want to know. But one thing is sure. I will end him. Today.

“He wants you in his lair, Jack.”

I decide, “I’ve got no choice but to meet that cockbag there.”

Sam sighs, “The question is, where’s his lair?”

29

AVA

When I open my eyes, the blinding white light has vanished, replaced by a darkness that hovers between a cave and a closet. Disoriented and disconcerted, I try to ascertain my surroundings. I’m inside a cargo space of a car, likely a van, lying on the floor with a blanket covering me from head to toe. I detect a slight vibration indicating a steady speed on a smooth road, likely a highway. I don’t know how long I was unconscious, but chances are, I’m now far away from Helena.

Overwhelmed by weakness, my feeble senses barely register the existence of my own body. The knowledge of my arms being tightly bound behind my back is the only tangible sensation I perceive.

With a rough, jarring maneuver to the right, the car halts. The door swings open. I feign slumber as one of my captors peeks under the blanket. The abrupt change from darkness to light made my eyelids twitch, but he doesn’t seem to pay any attention as he places the cover back over me and closes the door.

“Where’re you going?” That’s the bearded man’s voice.

“Taking a piss.”

“Be quick. We’re already running late!”

Then I hear the bearded man speaking on the phone. He mentions that he’s on his way, and the cargo is prepared for delivery. It’s clear that he’s talking to Willem, and unfortunately, the cargo he’s referring to is me.

Realizing that the other doors are open and the two men are outside, I hope the car uses a central lock, which would mean the door to the cargo space is unlocked as well. With a bit of effort, I manage to use my teeth to flick the cargo door open. Cautiously, I press my feet against it to push it, making sure to control my movements. It opens wide enough for me to slip out unnoticed by the men.

I press myself against the back of the van, scanning my surroundings. My heart deflates, sinking like a punctured tire. There’s no sign of life, and worse still, there’s nothing around to provide cover even if I manage to escape. Around me are fields as flat as the White House lawn.

I nudge the door using my shoulder, enough for it to click shut. The soft ground beneath me helps dampen any noise as I lie down and slowly crawl under the van. One by one, the men climb back onto their seats. I hold my breath, a mix of hope and fear.

To my surprise, the van drives away without me. I stay in my spot until it’s completely out of sight. Then, without wasting any time, I sprint toward one of the fields. Although I have no idea where I am, I know that any path will lead me somewhere, and that’s better than staying trapped.

After running for a few minutes with my hands still tied behind my back, I hear an approaching car. A glimmer of hope flickers within me—perhaps my day will finally take a turn for the better.

As the harsh sound reaches my ears, my gut instinctively clenches. It’s as if the vehicle is pushing itself beyond its limits,straining to move faster than its engine allows. My heart sinks once again as I recognize the all-too-familiar van.

I sprint, desperately trying to put as much distance as possible between myself and the road. The drugs coursing through my veins make it feel like I’m moving in slow motion, unable to gather any real speed.

Suddenly, the van swerves off the road, careening onto the open field directly in front of me. I quickly change direction, hoping to outmaneuver my pursuer. But the open space only allows my enemy to close the gap, as if they’re driving into a monster truck arena. Before the van even comes to a complete stop, the bearded man jumps out and swiftly apprehends me.

“No!” I scream, putting all my strength into escaping from him

“You always choose the hard way, don’t you?” he gripes, his arms tightening around me with a mix of force and anger, as if he could crush every bone in my body.

“Let me go. You know you’re not going to get anywhere with Willem. It’s only a matter of time before he meets his downfall, if not already. What did he promise you?”

He remains silent as his partner joins the scene to drag me back into the van.

I persist. “Release me, and I promise I’ll never speak a word about what happened in Clancy and Townsend.”

The soldier-like man, who no longer disguises himself, looks at his apparent boss, seeking an explanation for my statement. The bearded man grabs me by the neck, growling in my ear, “Shut the fuck up before I slice your tongue!”

“Look, I admire your loyalty. But where is Willem? Sitting on his throne? He doesn’t even dare to come and get me,” I challenge. “And you believe he’s going to give you what he promised?”

The bearded man releases his grip on me, and I’m thrustback into the van. I crash onto its unforgiving floor, sending sharp pain into my skull while my spine throbs with aches.

But I force myself to recover, looking at the soldier-like man. “You probably didn’t know what you’ve gotten yourself into. Get out while you can.”

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