Page 71 of Instinct & New Identity

“My turn!”Valannounced. “Vince,Ihad you in the exchange, andIhope my gift conveys just how muchIappreciate you letting us stay with you for so long and even bringing us here toGeorgiain the first place.”

“You didn’t…”Vincebegan to tell her, but she cut him off.

“Zip it.”Sheheld up her hand. “Justaccept the gift and be happy about it.Besides, you don’t know what the gift is yet.Youmay hate it.”

There was definitely a high possibility he would hate it.SinceIhelped her order it,IknewValhad gotten him one of those portraits where you make people look like royalty.ItwasVincepainted to look like a king, with a crown and everything.

Oh, and also,Harrywas sitting in his lap.

And it was huge.Sobig, in fact,Valhad been keeping it atRuthie’splace the last two weeks.We’dleft it inRuthie’scar tonight because we all had food to carry in when we first got here.

“Stay right there,Vince, it’s inRuthie’scar.We’llbe right back.”

“Why is it inRuthie’scar?” he asked.

“Don’t ask,”Imuttered to him.

“ShouldIbe scared?”

“Maybe a little,”Iinformed him with a grin.

Just asValwas getting up from the table, it startledDash, causing him to bump into her.Shefell backward onto the chair she had just been sitting on but ended up taking her glass of coquito eggnog with her, spilling it all over herself, the chair, and a little onDash.Inhindsight, perhaps we went a bit too strong on the rum in the coquito.

Several people jumped up to help clean, andIhelpedRuthietake care ofDash, who was shaking like a leaf, the poor guy.Valwas still in the kitchen trying to clean herself up, soIoffered to go in her place.

“Grab your keys,Ruthie,I’llgo with you to get it,”Itold her.

We made our way out the door as everyone else continued to clean up or assistVal.Iwent to the trunk of her car, andRuthieopened the rear driver’s side door and reached in to slide the protective blanket off so she could push the frame towards me from inside the car.

AsIbegan tugging on the frame,Iheard the sound of a car revving its engine behind me.

I looked over my shoulder curiously, and saw a large, dark van speeding down the residential street.Thesliding door was already opening before the van came to a complete stop right next to us, two men jumping out.BeforeIcould register what was happening, one of the men was swinging what looked like a bat at my head.Ifell backwards to the ground, my eyes blurring asIfelt strong hands grab each of my arms and pull me upwards.Itried to squirm away from them, my movements disjointed and my vision getting darker.Itried to scream, but not much came out.Myarms struggled to move, butIgave it everythingIhad.

"Stop fighting, bitch,"Iheard one man grunt. "Staystill andIwon't fucking shoot you."

"Cat!"ThatwasRuthie'svoice.Itwas immediatelyfollowed by the sound of two shots, which made my head spin even more than it already was.

My legs were pulled up, andIwas lifted by two men, one at each end of my body, and thrown into the back of the van.Moregunshots rang out.Iturned my head to try to glance out the open door of the vehicle to my left, whenIfelt a crushing blow to my head, and then it was lights out.Completeand utter blackness.

28

VINCE

POP. POP.

The hell was that?

“Were those gunshots?”Ellieasked from across the room.

I didn’t answer.Threemore pops filled the air, andIknew those were additional gunshots.Closeby, too.

I was on my feet and instantly racing to the door as soon as the final pop sounded.

As soon as the door was opened,Iheard a car racing down the street.Ablack van going way too fast for a residential area sped off toward the main street.

“Cat!Ruthie!”Iyelled, hoping they were ducked down safe somewhere.Iheard moaning noises asIran up toRuthie’scar at the end of the driveway.Iregistered her body tucked protectively on her side, hiding near the rear driver’s tire.

Hearing my voice, she yelled back, “Ohmy god, they took her!Theytook her…and just…threw her in the car!”

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