“Concussion,” he says lazily, not bothering to look my way.
I rub the back of my head and I’m happy when I don’t feel any blood. I’m going to have a bump for sure, but it doesn’t matter if I don’t live. I think he’s right though. I might have a concussion or I might be losing my mind because this was weird.
“Where am I?” I ask. I stand again, and this time I don’t feel so dizzy.
“Doesn’t matter. If you run I’ll knock you out.”
My stomach turns at the thought of being knocked out again. I have no idea of what’s going on but I’m pretty sure I lost a few minutes in the van because all the pieces aren’t coming together.
“You’re not going to kill me?”
“Worth more alive.” He shrugs. “If you’re good at it, never do it for free.”
“And you’re good at killing?” This time when he flicks that lazy gaze my way he smirks and a chill goes down my spine.
The look in his eyes is cold, letting me know he isn’t just good at it, he enjoys it. I swallow, thinking maybe I should just sit back down for now.
My phone drops and hits the concrete and I stare down at the cracked screen as it comes to life. I gasp and go for it just as I hear the guy move. Not bothering to look his way, I snatch it up and take off on a dead run, trying to call Vaughn at the same time. The phone almost slips from my hold as I hit the call button. I look up to see I’m almost to a wall but don’t see any doors. I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going, I was only trying to make the call.
I scream when his body collides with mine and he tackles me to the ground. The phone goes flying out of my hand and I scramble to get away. His hand wraps around my ankle and pulls me to him as I scream.
“Cool it,” he shouts, coming over me, and I keep on screaming, kicking and punching him.
The oxygen leaves my lungs and my scream is silenced when his hand wraps around my throat. I freeze under his hold when black spots form in my vision and my eyes meet his dark gaze. I pull on his arm but it doesn’t move and I feel like I’m going to pass out.
Panic takes over as I pull harder, but his body pushes into mine, and I swear he’s turned on right now. Adrenaline rushes through me and I jerk hard, bringing my knee up and getting him right in the crotch. He groans and his hold loosens from around my neck. I gasp for air as he rolls off me and I roll in the opposite direction and on top of my phone. I still think I’m going to pass out or vomit but I’m not sure which.
“If you run I’ll shoot you,” he says, and his words are pained.
I’m not going to run. I don’t have the strength and I’m not even sure I could stand right now. My hand wraps around the phone and with all that I have left inside me there’s one last thing I can do. That I need to do.
“Vaughn?” I say his name as I bring my phone to my ear. I think I hear him say mine but maybe I’m dreaming it. “I love you,” I whisper before I pass out.
Chapter Thirteen
Vaughn
I’m standing on the edge of the bridge waiting for the sun to set. The past few hours have been the longest and worst of my life, and I’m praying that soon enough this will all be over and I’ll have Berkley back in my arms.
Berkley.
That phone call with her screaming and then telling me she loves me before the line went dead almost killed me. I don’t have any reassurance that she’s still alive, but I’m clinging to hope. Hope that she would fight to stay alive long enough to get back to me. That my will is strong enough for the both of us.
I hear the sound of faint laughter and see a couple on a date a good distance away. They’ve got a picnic blanket spread out and are drinking wine. My mind changes the image to Berkley and me together, and I wonder what her face would look like in the sunset. If her hair would glow like it did when I watched her walk on the beach. Would she smile at me like she did when she woke up in my arms?
The couple is too far away to hear anything if I called out to them, and on the other side I see a group of people playing soccer. This isn’t a secluded park by any measure and I have no doubt Guzik did this by design. If there are a lot of witnesses then the chance things go badly is slim. There are also easy ways for him to disappear into a crowd if it does.