Page 48 of Choose Me

"Or I can shoot him in the head." She threatened as if it were a casual choice between two mundane options.

"I'll do whatever you want. Just please let him go. He's hurt and needs medical attention."

"Both of you move your asses, or I will blow his brains out and then shoot you in the stomach."

"We'll go," Everett interjected.

"Good choice," Margaret growled.

We walked side by side towards the van and watched when she opened the back of it. "Put your hands out in front of you." Her gun stayed pressed against my belly, and Everett noticed, shaking his head not to try anything rash.

We both put our hands out and tightening zip ties on our wrists echoed through the silence.

"Now, put these hoods on." She handed each of us black hoodies to place over our heads. Once they were on, I could hear duct tape crackling open, and she began wrapping it around the bottom of the hood to ensure we couldn't take them off. I tried to calm my breathing, but I was claustrophobic, and the combination of being restrained and having my sight taken from me sent panic through my body.

"Get in the van and don't move. If you try anything, I will shoot Loverboy's brains out. Understood?"

"Yes." I croaked, my throat dry with fear. "We understand," I responded. My hands trembled as I reached for Everett, clinging to him like he was my lifeline.

The door slammed shut behind us, the darkness shrouding us with each passing moment. The engine started, and the van lurched forward. Outside, sirens blared as cop cars approached the crash site, driving right past the van we were captive inside.

My head throbbed painfully, my vision swimming as black spots crawled across my eyes. A jolt of pain shot through my head, leaving me woozy with nausea, and I clung to Everett for support. His voice pulled me away from the darkness, threatening to take me under.

"Are you okay, baby girl?" he murmured softly.

"My head is killing me," I whimpered.

"You might have a concussion." He said urgently. "Do me a favor and stay awake. Try not to go to sleep. Keep talking with me."

"I'm trying, but I'm so tired. I want to close my eyes for a few minutes," I replied weakly, fighting against the fatigue that threatened to overwhelm me.

"Keep your eyes open, Ava," Everett implored desperately. "I don't know where she's taking us, but I will figure out how to get you out safely. When I do, I need you to be ready to run."

"I won’t leave you." I declared stubbornly despite the uncertainty pressing down on us.

He sighed heavily, his hands still bound as he clasped mine tightly."I know. But you have to think about the baby."

"I'm not talking about this with you because James and the rest of the team will find us, Everett. We will get out of this together."

"God, you're fucking stubborn." He whispered hoarsely.

"I called for help, so it won't be long before James finds us. I know it."

My words felt feeble and fragile as I spoke, but I had to convince myself everything would be okay. But, my fear ate away at my courage with each passing second.

26

TWENTY-SIX

JAMES

"Look out!" Ava's voice cried in the background before a loud crash sounded through the phone.

"Everett? What happened? What's going on?" I yelled into the phone. Brock and I were waiting for the agency suburban to pick us up.

There was no response on the other end.

There were muffled voices and loud scraping noises before the phone went dead. I called him back, but the phone went straight to voicemail. I tried Ava's phone, which also went to voicemail.

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