I only had a second to decide.
I went for the phone. I tried to be discreet as I unzipped the zipper.
He returned with the body bag and rolled the man inside. He didn’t look at me as he guessed what I was doing. “I’m telling you, the cops won’t touch me. So you better call someone good.”
My father was too far away. Even Conway was too far away. But I had to do something.
He carried the grown man into the back of the van and dropped him with a loud thud.
I yanked my purse open and immediately stuck my hand inside to grab my phone.
He snatched the purse out of my hand and threw it in the back of the van. “You’re slow.”
“Fuck you,” I hissed.
Like everything else, my words amused him. “Get in the passenger seat. Or I’ll put you in the passenger seat.”
I eyed the van then faced forward again, looking at the street.
“Baby, don’t even think about it.” He shook his head slightly. “You won’t get far. And when you do get caught, the punishment will be severe.”
“Don’t call me baby.”
“You’re my baby now,” he said. “I can call you whatever I damn well please.”
“You’re going to kill me anyway.” I rose to my feet and dusted off the snow. “So I may as well—” I took off at a dead sprint, running for my life. I had to get to the street. I had to get out of there. If I got into that van, I would never see the light of day again. I would much rather die trying to escape than let him rape me then carve me with a knife.
I didn’t even make it halfway when his large hand grabbed my shoulder, and he shoved a taser into my neck. He shocked me at full intensity, making my entire body go rigid before I collapsed. I hit the asphalt, slightly disoriented by the electrocution. But I didn’t let myself stay down. I didn’t allow myself to be weak. I pushed up and started to run again.
This time, he laughed louder. “Jesus Christ, I’ve never seen that before.” He caught up to me again, and this time, he zapped me for twice as long. He hit me on the other side of the neck, making a new scar.
I collapsed again, feeling weaker than I did last time. I just wanted to lie there. I just wanted to give up. This guy was beyond my skills. He was a powerhouse. My small size inhibited me completely.
He stood over me. “Now, baby. It’s time to get in the van.”
I didn’t care if the fight wasn’t fair. I didn’t care if this induced a heart attack. I’d crawl to the street if I had to. “Fuck. Off.” My arms shook as I pushed myself to my feet. I stumbled forward as my legs failed to carry me. I was too weak, but that didn’t stop me from moving my body forward.
He whistled. “Alright, I admit it. I’m impressed. I’ve taken down grown ass men twice your size with this thing.” He slowly followed me, watching me crawl.
My fingers dug into the asphalt as I kept crawling. If I just stalled long enough, someone would show up.
“I’ll do it again, baby. But this time, it might kill you.”
“I’d rather die on the ground as a fighter than surrender to a piece of shit like you.”
This time, he stopped following me. He stared at me, watching me crawl away.
I didn’t know what he was thinking. I didn’t know if that pissed him off or impressed him. I didn’t have time to care. I had to focus all my energy on moving.
Lights reflected off the buildings, and then I heard the sirens.
Thank fucking god. “I’m here!”
A cop car pulled up to the alleyway, and an officer got out of the driver’s seat. With his gun drawn, he was ready to take out my captor.
But the officer hesitated. He took one look at my captor, lowered his gun, and then got back in the car.
“No!” I pushed myself to my knees and waved my arm. “Help me!”
The cop drove away.
“No!” I watched his taillights until they disappeared. And like no one had been there at all, the street returned to silence.
The man came up behind me, his knees hitting my back. His hand wrapped around my neck, and he forced my chin up, making me meet his gaze. He didn’t stare down at me in victory. It actually seemed like he pitied me.
Then he shoved a needle into my neck.
And I was gone.
When I woke up, I was sitting in the passenger seat of the van with my cheek pressed to the cold window. The ride was bumpy, like we were driving over rough terrain. My mind was still foggy, and I could have kept sleeping, but when I remembered my position and the man who took me, I snapped out of it.