Page 21 of K-9 Confidential

CHAPTER EIGHT

Her brain struggled to stay awake. She was so tired.

The vibration of an engine shook through her as Charlie stared up at the ceiling of the SUV. She’d tried replaying the moment everything had gone wrong, but it was just a waste of energy. Her attacker had won. In the end, she hadn’t been strong enough.

Now Granger and Zeus were at risk.

Her father’s life was in danger.

And she would be forced to do something terrible for the cartel.

Her frame bounced along the back seat of the vehicle, absorbing the uneven terrain. Every shift aggravated the pain in her body. The bruises were already pulsing. Her face most likely looked like a jar of spaghetti sauce. She could taste the blood at the back of her throat. And she had…nothing left.

Charlie twisted against the rope secured around her wrists. Seemed drug cartels knew better than to use zip ties. Too easily broken. The rope would take time for her to get through. Especially when she couldn’t keep her eyes open.

After everything she’d fought to leave behind, the past refused to stay where it belonged. What had been the point of running? Memories she promised never to recall surged forward with the slightest effort. She didn’t have the strength to stop them now.

That night had changed her life. And taken the lives of four others. She knew their names, had memorized their faces. She’d attended the funerals, out of sight, despite the risk of Homeland Security or her family learning she hadn’t been caught in the explosion. She’d learned about the families they’d left behind and worked two separate jobs to send them money every month. It’d been the least she could do to help replace the income they’d lost after the attack. Though it could never be enough.

She’d seen Granger at every single one of the services to pay his respects, and his stoic grief had felt contagious and deep and uncomfortable. At times, she’d imagined that grief had been for her, and it’d taken years to convince herself that Sage was right. That she’d been foolish to believe he wanted her for anything more than a resource. His confidential informant. The nights they’d spent together—the secret rendezvous—had most likely been surveilled and authorized by Homeland Security, and she’d gone right along with it for the chance of having something for herself. Something nobody in her family knew about, something that made her more than a soldier.

I was in love with you too.

Had he really said that? It was hard to remember as the pain in her face and head peaked. The burning sensation in her calf told her the bleeding from the bullet had stopped but that she wouldn’t get far if she managed to escape. Swirls of shapes danced behind her eyes. The kind that warned her she was about to fall asleep.

But she couldn’t.

Because she believed him when Granger had said he’d loved her. That he’d been searching for her. That he knew without a doubt she hadn’t died in that explosion. He was out there, looking for her right now. Risking his and Zeus’s lives for her in the middle of a forest fire. Not only against the people who took her but the terrorist army determined to bring down anyone associated with the US government. And she was just going to give up?

No. Granger deserved better than the woman who’d run at the slightest obstacle in their path all those years ago. She wasn’t that person anymore. And she wasn’t afraid.

“I’m going to be sick.” Charlie fought against the momentum of the vehicle and coughed up the acid lodged in her throat onto the floor.

“Hey! I’m going to have to clean that up.” Her abductor turned in his seat as she lost the contents in her stomach. The SUV’s course deviated, and he jerked the wheel back in place.

She pulled at the rope around her hands to test the slack. Grainy fibers scratched at the thin skin there, but she managed to create space. Enough to slide one of the seat belt buckles between her wrists. If she pulled with enough force, there was a chance the metal could cut through the rope. “Stop the car. Please. I don’t feel well.”

Charlie started coughing again, ducking her head between the edge of the back seat and the rear of the front. Her abductor hit the brakes, and she had to plant her shoulder to keep from sliding to the floor. Only the SUV hadn’t pulled to a complete stop.

Her abductor’s swollen gaze moved to the rearview mirror. Blood crusted around his nose and face, and a small thread of victory charged through her. For as much damage as he’d done to her, she was pleased to see she’d gotten a couple shots in. The SUV lurched forward and exceeded its previous speed, as though he’d spotted something closing in. Or someone. “I recommend you swallow whatever comes up. We’re not stopping.”

For the first time, Charlie realized the interior of the SUV was darker than usual. No light coming from the instrument panel. Nothing ahead. They were driving without headlights. To make an escape. “Granger.”

He was alive. He was coming for her.

The drugging effects of trauma dissipated slower than she wanted, but they were receding, second by second. Granger wouldn’t be able to see the SUV as long as the headlights remained off.

If she wanted out of this in one piece, she’d have to earn his attention.

Charlie angled herself a few inches off the back seat. Her ribs screamed for relief, but she couldn’t think about that right now. The rope caught against the empty seat buckle, and she pulled at it with everything she had left. Which wasn’t much, but the threads were already coming apart. Holding her breath, she kept her gaze on the driver and tried again. Another bit of rope unraveled. At this rate, she’d secure the use of her hands after her abductor delivered her to the cartel.

She gritted through the pain flaring through her upper body. She could do this. Shehadto do this. For the sake of all those people who would pay the price ifSangre por Sangrewon. Lightning struck behind her eyes as the last of the rope broke free. Feeling surged into her hands, and she took her first full breath since being hauled into the vehicle.

The driver wasn’t going to stop. He wasn’t going to slow down, but throwing herself from the vehicle was sure to finish the job he’d started back in those woods. She couldn’t wait until they arrived wherever the hell they were going either, and the longer she thought it over, the less chance she’d have of escape.

This had to happen now.

Where Granger still might be able to get to her.

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