Page 65 of Saltwater Promises
Chapter 27
That morning, Lynn got a text message from Mike that read, “Closing in today. Can’t wait for your show tonight!”
So it would all be over soon.
And he was still coming!
Lynn’s stomach did a few more jumps. She’d felt sick all day, mostly because her show was now a reality. It was here! She’d been having nightmares where she was in the gallery, alone, wearing the pink dress she’d bought for the occasion, when a wave came crashing in through the windows and swept everything away.
None of that was going to happen, though. It would all be fine. She’d get down to the city extra early, try to eat something, and then do her best to enjoy the moment – or at least, she would try not to shrivel underneath all the attention. After that, she’d be sure to never agree to a show again!
She was in the bathroom applying a spot of makeup when the doorbell rang.
That was odd. She wasn’t expecting anyone.
Lynn opened the front door to find a man dressed in an extremely tight suit. “Mrs. Campbell?”
“Yes?”
“I’m…Roy Rogers. Nice to meet you. I’m your ride.”
Lynn peered onto the driveway where a black car was waiting. “Oh, that’s very kind, but I was just getting ready to leave. I’m happy to drive myself.”
“My orders are to take you to the airport. You’ll be picked up from there.”
She bit her lip. Why hadn’t Miguel told her about this? He told her about everything else. “That’s really okay, but thank you.”
He let out a sigh. “All right, look lady, you at least have to sign the paperwork saying that you refused the ride. It’s on you if you’re late. Traffic is already building up, you know.”
She didn’t like how pushy he was being, but she didn’t want to get the man in trouble. “I’ll be fine. Where are the papers?”
He pointed to the car and Lynn followed him out. She waited as he opened the back seat and fumbled around.
The suit became even more stressed as he bent over. Why was it so tight? The guy didn’t have an inch to give. It couldn’t be comfortable to drive around like that.
He took a step back. “Go ahead. I left the pen on the seat.”
Lynn leaned down, but didn’t see anything there. “Is it – ”
At that moment, a cloth went over her nose and mouth. Lynn tried to scream, but it was too late.
The world went dark.
When she woke, she opened her eyes slowly as her view came into focus. She was in the backseat of the car, buckled in, with her hands and feet bound by tape. At first she thought it was dark out, but then she realized that the back windows were deeply tinted.
The driver, Roy, was up front, humming along to a song and tapping his fingers on the steering wheel.
There was a piece of tape over her mouth, but Lynn was able to reach up with her bound hands and tear it off.
The driver didn’t seem to notice. Bewildered about what to do next, Lynn let out a piercing scream, which surprised the driver, causing him to jerk the car momentarily.
“Keep it down back there!” he yelled, turning around to point a finger in her face. “Or next time I’ll wrap that tape all the way around your head!”
She stopped screaming. “What’s going on?”
“Don’t worry about that,” he said.
“Whoareyou?”
