Dirty Dealers

“Don’t act like you know,” I say in her ear.

She’s already on it, accelerating her small scooter. Her breathing goes faster, and my fear intensifies as a result. Lowering my face, I press my closed eyes against her shoulder.

The noise of engines is all around us, loud and intimidating. Ava lets out a little wail and accelerates more on the Vespa. It’s wide open, going as fast as it can, but we can’t outrun these men. The black SUV swerves in closer to us, and we’re right against the side of the mountain.

“Slow down!” I cry, gripping her waist. “You’ve got to stop!”

“I can’t!” she shouts back. “They’re right behind us!”

I look over my shoulder and my heart drops. A huge black vehicle is right on our tail. Any unexpected moves, and it’ll roll right over us.

“What do they expect us to do?” I cry.

The truck that had been crowding us suddenly accelerates and shoots ahead of us on the narrow road. A junky old farm truck shoots past where the SUV had been, and just as fast, another vehicle shoots up to take it’s place, matching our speed.

I hear the noise of a door opening. It’s a sliding door. I didn’t expect it, since the car beside us doesn’t resemble a mini-van. Either way, the door is open, and I can just make out the form of a man standing in the dark space.

Two arms like steel bands fly around my waist, and I’m jerked into the dark open mouth of the van.

“NO!” I scream, but my hands slip off Ava’s waist.

For a moment, I’m suspended in thin air with only the man’s arms around me. I flail, trying not to let my feet hit the speeding asphalt below. My hand makes contact with what feels like bungee cord as I’m dragged into the van and thrown against the opposite wall.

He doesn’t give me time to react, he’s back out the door, leaning into the brilliant space of light toward Ava still racing at the same speed on her Vespa. The SUV behind her is forcing her to keep the pace. As fast as he grabbed me, the man whips her off her scooter. Her scream is loud and strong, and tears spring to my eyes. Just as fast, they’re back, and she’s flying at me with her arms flung out like a starfish. She lands on top of me, and I roll with her until we’re both in a heap on the floor of the strange vehicle.

The three vehicles slow, and I hear the Vespa continue speeding forward on its trajectory before flying off the side of the cliff. It’s not long before the sound of an explosion echoes from behind us.

Ava and I are sitting on the floor of the strange, square-shaped vehicle clinging to each other. Our arms are around each others’ waists, and I can feel her straining, trying to see anything.

“What’s happening?” I say in her ear.

She rises on her knees, and her head moves forward and back. “The three vehicles are lined up. We’re in the middle.”

The centrifugal force tells me we’re racing around the curving road of the cliff. “They’re taking us to him. Then we’ll find out if this is going to work or not.”

Heartbreak

Kass

I’m sitting on a rubber mat covering the floorboard with Ava right at my side. Our arms are around each other, but we’re equally defiant.

Truthfully, she might be a bit more defiant than me.

“Isn’t this a pretty sight?” Blix’s tone immediately makes me shudder. He’s using his torture voice, which means his humanity is completely shut down. “Ava Wilder… The rumors do not exaggerate. You’re as beautiful in person as you are on the lips of beggars.”

I feel her jerk away. “Don’t touch me,” she hisses.

His laugh makes my skin crawl. “We have a stop to make. Then we’ll see how serious your husband is about getting you back.”

“The king doesn’t negotiate with terrorists,” she says, and I admire the confidence in her voice. I wish I wasn’t so fucking afraid, but I know what he’s capable of.

Every now and then the vehicle we’re in will jerk to the right or left, and we take a little tumble before quickly righting ourselves on the empty floor. It smells like the inside of a gym.

“You’re being very quiet, Kass.” Blix is at my shoulder, but I don’t move. “What could possibly be going on behind those empty eyes?”

My jaw tightens, but I don’t answer. Nothing about me is empty, but I’m not about to feed the monster.

Ava is another matter.