Page 58 of Stolen Faith

Once Rowan was secured, the knife left her throat. Izabel saw Brennon was standing too, hands now behind his back.

Barry and his guys all pulled out guns, pointing them at her. The mercenaries also had their guns out, one each targeting her, Brennon, and Rowan.

“We’re walking to the van,” Barry declared. “And you’re not going to try nothing, or the bitch dies.”

She and Rowan exchanged a glance. If he gave her the slightest indication this was their chance, she’d take it. She trusted him and his instincts. Rowan took a quick glance around the room, and she could practically see him tallying up the odds; in particular, he studied the three mercenaries. Then—dammit—he shook his head subtly, just once.

They left the cabin with their captors. The woods around them were thick. There were four cabins grouped together and the road—or perhaps driveway was more accurate—was a narrow dirt lane.

One of the mercenaries led the way as Tweedledee retained his tight, bruising grip on Izabel’s upper arm. Brennon was next with Dum and another camo-clad redneck, the men shoving Brennon every few feet to prove their tough-guy status. Rowan was flanked by two of the mercenaries, both of whom held one of his arms, though their guns were trained on her and Rowan respectively. TiffaniGrace and Barry walked alongside them, hand in hand, like they were simply out for a stroll in the woods.

Izabel glanced at the vehicles. There were two cargo vans parked side by side, the back doors open. There were no seats in the van, just rough flooring, and the front seats were separated from the back by thick cage-like wire.

In addition to the vans, there were two more expensive SUVs, both black with dark-tinted windows.

Izabel worried they were going to be separated, so she was surprised when all three of them were tossed into the back of one van. Who was the other van for?

Once they were inside, the three of them were secured to the side walls of the van, which had been outfitted with eye hooks and straps that were wrapped around their waists. They had to sit facing forward rather than with their backs against the van walls, in order to avoid painfully squishing their hands between their bodies and the vehicle.

The doors were slammed behind them, the three of them cast into relative darkness, the only light coming from the front windshield. Izabel heard muffled voices outside, though she was only able to pick out a few words. Things like “get them in the van” and “be careful or he’ll start bleeding.”

Rowan’s sigh confirmed what Izabel was thinking.

“We’re not their only prisoners, are we?” she asked.

He shook his head. “Apparently not.”

Tweedledee opened the passenger door, hopping into the van, as one of the mercenaries slid behind the steering wheel and started the vehicle.

Dee glanced back over his shoulder and grinned maniacally at them. “Might as well get comfortable. You got a long ride ahead of you.”

* * *

Izabel came awake with a jerk when the van came to a stop and the engine turned off. She wasn’t sure how long they’d been driving, but it felt like an eternity. For a long time, she’d kept her eyes toward the front, watching as they emerged from the woods, making their way to a major highway. She could see the road before them through the wire cage, and she wondered if she should worry about the fact the captors weren’t trying to hide where they’d been or where they were going.

Izabel had been shocked to discover they were in Virginia when the van merged onto the interstate, passing signs for Harrisonburg and Staunton and Blacksburg. After a few hours, they crossed into North Carolina, and then into South Carolina. After that, exhaustion took over, and she closed her eyes.

“Where are we?” she asked, barely able to see Rowan or Brennon. It wasn’t night, but they’d stopped in what appeared to be a dimly lit parking garage.

“Georgia,” Rowan answered. “We took the exit for Atlanta.”

Atlanta.

“So we’re in the city?”

“It would appear so,” Rowan replied. “Last stretch was side streets, not much on them to help distinguish exactly where this is.”

They listened to the muffled voices outside, the opening and closing of car doors. It sounded as if the other van was being unloaded first.

Izabel’s stomach churned as they waited for the doors of their van to be opened.

“Listen,” Rowan said quietly. “Once we get out of here…keep your eyes on me. If there’s a chance you can run, you need to do it.”

“Us,” Brennon said. “What about you?”

“I can’t run with my legs cuffed like this. I’ll slow you down and lower your odds for success. I’ll create a distraction and—”

“No,” Izabel said, unwilling to let Rowan sacrifice himself for them.

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