“Throw her in.”
“She’s fucking heavy.”
“Fuck you,” I said under my breath. I wasn’t that heavy. Before I could protest more, I heard the door to a van open, and I was pushed inside. I heard another man follow me in, and the two front doors opened. They closed again, the engine turned on, and then we were moving.
“Hands straight out, bitch.”
I put my hands out, still blind. My head was reeling from being carried upside down. I felt a rope wrap around my wrists, tight.
“That fucking hurts,” I said.
“Shut up.” He tightened the rope further then knotted it off.
“Lay back on your side.” I complied and felt the van’s rough plastic bottom against my face.
“Cross your ankles.” I complied and he wrapped another rope around them. He tightened it, then I heard him sit back.
Blind and tied, I lay on the floor of the van, alone and terrified. I wanted to cry and scream, but I knew that would only make things worse for Rex. I had to keep my cool.
“Where are you taking me?” I said.
“Shut the fuck up,” the man in the back said.
I struggled against the ropes, then lay back, limp. I knew there was nothing I could do but wait for Rex to come find me. He would find me, and he would win. I had to believe in him; otherwise, I was done for. The van kept moving through traffic, slowing down and speeding up, and my body was thrown around at its whims. I had no idea where we were going, but I had recognized the name “Clutch.” I knew that was one of Michael’s guys, so I figured we were headed back to Drake’s. I didn’t know what Michael planned on doing with me, if he was going to kill me to get back at Rex or if he was going to use me as bait, but I was terrified.
The kidnapping happened faster than I had thought possible. They were obviously professionals, and moved fast and quiet. I doubted Rex even heard anything, which was why he hadn’t gotten involved. That was one small victory, at least. With Rex still out there, I had a chance. If he had tried to rescue me and had gotten shot, everything would be over. I’d be as good as dead.
As I bumped along the hard, rough floor of the van, I silently began to cry. I kept it as quiet as possible, but the tears forced themselves up through my chest. I was terrified, blind, and tied up, and I had no idea what was going to happen to me.
Chapter Nineteen
Finally, the van stopped. I heard the men climb out of the car and slide open the back door. Rough hands grabbed me and pulled me, and then I felt myself lifted again, upside down.
“Careful with her,” a new voice said. “How’d it go down?”
“No problems,” the guy holding me said.
“Good. Put her downstairs.” I thought I recognized the voice, but I couldn’t place it. I didn’t have any more time to think about it though, because the guy carrying me started moving again. We went through a door, down some stairs, and into a damp smelling area, probably a basement. They placed me down on a cold concrete floor. I guessed we were in Drake’s, but I wasn’t sure.
“Stay here. Don’t make any noises. We’ll be back.”
“Wait, please. Don’t hurt me.” I was shaking as the reality of my situation was becoming clearer.
“We’re not going to hurt you. Don’t make any noise.”
I heard metal clank and a lock turn, clicking into place. The man’s footsteps receded into the distance then disappeared up the steps. I was still hooded and tied up, so all I could do was collapse onto my side and cry some more.
Nothing like that had ever happened to me before. The most immediate danger I had ever been in was maybe a nearby fight. Nobody had ever wanted to harm me, let alone kidnap me from my own apartment and tie me up in some weird basement cage. Those guys were serious, no joke criminals, and would probably do anything to get at Rex. I hoped they were going to keep me alive. Or maybe they wanted to kill me as revenge. I sobbed, terrified and anxious, for what felt like hours.
My comforting, boring life replayed through my mind. I had it easy, not much bad happened to me. Maybe my parents fucked me up a little bit, but whose parents didn’t? I got mixed up with Rex because I was dissatisfied, and he represented an exciting time. But there was more to him than that, there was a whole depth I had barely started scratching at. I was desperate to get to know him, to feel his body, but part of me was beginning to believe I never would see his face again. I was beyond afraid, shaking and crying, but I wasn’t completely broken yet. I knew that Rex was still alive somewhere out there, and if he was still alive, there was hope. The guys who took me didn’t attack Rex; otherwise, I would have heard gunshots. They were in and out in seconds.