It took Lexie’s shocked brain a moment to process what was happening. Once she did, she began to kick out her legs, hoping to land hit anything that might cause the person pain.
When her foot landed a few times on the attacker’s legs—and did nothing—panic began to rise in Lexie’s chest.
Holy crap, she was being kidnapped right across the road from Marble Protection.
Just before they rounded the corner, Lexie caught sight of Evie’s shocked face. The other woman stood by her car on the street. Then Lexie lost sight of her as she was dragged into the alley.
Struggling as much as she could, she began to flail, fingers stretching to grab on to anything within reach.
Too soon, she caught sight of a van—and her heart jumped into her throat.
Shit. Shit, shit, shit.
Lexie had seen crime shows. She knew that if they got her into a vehicle, her chance of survival dramatically decreased.
Thrashing harder, Lexie opened her mouth to scream. Before she could utter a sound, a hand came over her mouth. Then, her body was lifted and roughly thrown into the back of the van.
Her head hit the metal interior, pain exploding through her skull. In the next moment, she heard doors slamming and the engine roaring to life. Then the van began to move, forcing her to hold on.
Dizziness rocked her vision. As the van took a hard corner, Lexie rolled to the side and grabbed on to whatever she could.
Once her body was somewhat steady, she took a moment to gather herself. It was like one big fat nightmare. One minute she was walking down the street holding pizza, the next, she was in the back of a van protecting her bump from all the knocks.
Nausea began to roll through her; whether it was from hitting her head or being thrown from side to side in the back of a van, Lexie wasn’t sure.
Eyes darting around, she searched for something, anything that might help her situation. There was nothing. No weapons and no windows.
Holding on to the side of the van, she slowly slid her body to the back door. She said a silent prayer before testing the handle, sure it would be locked.
To her surprise, the handle moved easily.
What sort of kidnapper leaves the door unlocked? It was as if they thought she wouldn’t try to escape.
Opening it slightly, Lexie immediately noticed that the van moved at an alarming speed. Buildings and trees passed in a blur. Crap, there was no way she could jump out without injuring herself or her baby.
For a moment, Lexie wondered if it might be possible to sneak out when the van stopped. Surely it would need to at a red light or for a pedestrian?
That idea was quickly dashed when she acknowledged again how fast they were moving. If the assholes didn’t drive within the speed limit, she doubted a red light would stop them.
Pushing herself into the corner of the van, Lexie placed her hand on her stomach.
“Don’t worry, bubba. I’ll get us out of this,” she whispered while forcing her body to remain calm. Panicking wouldn’t help her.
A few minutes passed before an idea hit. A stupid idea, but seeing as she was all out of good ones, Lexie had no choice but to go with it.
Grabbing the handle of the back door, Lexie opened it again, allowing it to swing wide. At the same time, she latched on to the side wall grab handles, grateful they were there. She held on as tightly as her fingers allowed.
She was betting on either someone coming up behind them who would see her, or the driver stopping when he noticed the door was open.
Looking out, Lexie swallowed her disappointment as she saw nothing but road. Not a soul in sight to help.
Before the disappointment consumed her, she felt the van begin to slow. Her gaze darted to the forest next to the road.
She had been hoping they were still in town. The forest wouldn’t give her nearly enough protection, and she didn’t need to know whether or not they had enhanced abilities to know they were likely faster than her regardless.
What choice did she have but to run, though?
Taking a calming breath, Lexie waited until the van was almost stopped before jumping out the back.
Knees caving, Lexie rolled across the ground, protecting her stomach as much as possible. Quickly pushing up, she began to sprint through the trees.
Lexie’s heart beat through her chest. She wasn’t moving nearly fast enough. In the next moment, rain began to fall, causing her feet to slide.
Shuffling sounds behind her made her breath catch. They were close. So damn close that there was no way she would make it much farther before they caught her.
Lexie had taken only a couple more steps when a hand grabbed a fistful of her hair. Crying out, she was flung backward. Her head hitting the dirt before the rest of her.
A large body loomed over her, head covered in a black hood.
“You got a fucking death wish, woman?” Lexie pushed her body back into the dirt, trying to put space between herself and the pair of dark eyes that stared down at her. “Because if you want me to kill you and the baby, I won’t fucking hesitate.”
At the mention of her baby, Lexie’s body went still. Was he after her baby? Because of Asher and what he could do?
“Yeah, you get me now, don’t you.”
Before Lexie could blink, his fist flew hard and fast, punching her in the temple.
Lexie cried out as the pain spiked through her skull.
“That was for making me stop,” the man sneered. “Don’t cause me anymore fucking trouble.”
His long, unrelenting fingers wrapped around Lexie’s wrist before he began to drag her across the ground, back in the direction on the van.
Using her free hand, Lexie tried to pull herself up to protect her body from the unforgiving hardness of the rocks and tree. The farther he dragged her, though, the more futile her attempt. Giving up, Lexie closed her eyes as she felt pain ricochet through her body.
“Fuck, man, you can’t carry the bitch? We weren’t supposed to hurt her.”
Eyes snapping open at the second voice, Lexie tried to turn her head, but the slight movement made a new round of pain hit her skull.
“Fuck them. We’re the ones getting the job done,” a third man’s voice sounded.
Three. She had three kidnappers.
Exiting the trees moments later, the man dropped her next to the van.
“Who the fuck did this?”
Forcing her head up, Lexie caught sight of what they were looking at. All four tires were flat.
15
Asher watched from across the room as Luca fished his ringing phone out of his pocket. The team was almost done with their meeting and Asher was ready to see his woman again.
The huge smile that stretched across Luca’s face before answering gave away who it was immediately.
“Missing me already, darlin’?”
“Luca, someone took Lexie.”
Asher’s body stilled as he heard what Evie said through the phone line. Every man in the room stopped moving and listened.
Luca sat forward, no longer smiling. “Where are you, Evie?”
The sound of a car engine rumbled through the line. “I was by my car when they took her. Now I’m following the van they threw her in. It’s going really fast, though. I’m struggling to keep up.”
Asher pushed to his feet, unable to remain seated. He needed to go to her but he had to find out where she was first.
“I can’t see them anymore. I’m on the highway, I just passed Walmart but I can’t…”
A tense moment of silence across the line had Asher’s skin turn to ice.
“What is it, Evie?” Luca stood as he spoke.
“I can see the van ahead. It’s stopped.” Evie’s breathing was heavy through the line. “Three men in black hoods jumped out and they’re running toward the forest. Oh God, the back of the van is open. She must have made a run for it.”
Asher was already moving. He could hear the guys following closely behind. Luca was still on the li
ne with Evie.
“Evie, keep driving,” Luca ordered.
More silence followed before Evie eventually spoke. “I’ve got a knife. I’m going to pop their tires so when they come back, they can’t take her anywhere.”
Asher jumped into his Nissan, Luca taking the passenger side while Mason jumped in the back. Wyatt and Bodie took a second car.
“No, Evie. It’s too dangerous.” Fear laced his voice.
“I’m doing it, Luca.”
The line went dead.
“Fuck!” Luca shouted as Asher pressed the accelerator to the floor.
Racing through town, Asher didn’t pay attention to speed limits or red lights. He’d always thought his car was fast but, dammit, in this moment, it wasn’t fast enough.
“When we get there, you guys hunt them and bring back Lexie. I’m going to find Evie,” Luca said through gritted teeth.
Asher nodded but kept quiet, his mind focused on getting to his woman as quickly as possible. She’d better be unharmed. If not, someone was going to pay.
When Asher got her back—because he would get her back—she was going to be so heavily protected, Project Arma wouldn’t be able to so much as catch a glimpse of her without also seeing Asher, let alone take her.
After what felt like far too long, he spotted a vehicle on the side of the road. Slowing down, he wasted no time jumping out of the car and running toward the van.
Empty. And not a soul in sight.
Mason hunched over a clear track. “They dragged her back up here.”
Bodie walked over to another track. “They must have seen the flat tires then headed back into the woods.”
Asher breathed through his rage, ready to tear people apart with his bare hands. Everyone who was part of this would pay with their lives.
“I’m going after her,” he growled, already taking off at a run along the trail leading back into the woods.
Aware that Wyatt and Bodie were following, Asher kept his eyes ahead. The farther he went, the more his fury grew. The assholes had dragged her far into the woods. What kind of a man dragged a pregnant woman?
Asher already knew the answer to that. One with no moral compass. No morality.
When the trail suddenly changed, Asher bent down to study it. One of the sets of prints had become deeper, indicating the man was suddenly heavier. “This is where they stopped dragging her and began carrying her.”
Wyatt stepped forward, touching the next imprint ahead. “It won’t be as easy to follow them from here. They were smart. Mostly treading on tree roots. Avoiding most of the softer ground.”
Rising to his feet, Asher looked forward. “We’ll catch them. They won’t be far.”
And when he did catch them, he would make sure they regretted touching her.
* * *
Lexie hurt all over.
The intensity of the pain to her head and back almost caused her to lose consciousness multiple times. But she held on, needing to protect her baby from any impact.
She had been able to convince the asshole to start carrying her, rather than continue dragging her. She knew it would be harder for anyone to follow their trail, but the pain of being pulled across the uneven ground had become unbearable.
Unfortunately, rather than any relief, Lexie experienced a new pain when she’d then been thrown over a hard shoulder. The jerks clearly had no intention of trying to keep her or her baby unharmed.
Lexie had been using all her strength to push herself up the entire walk. She needed to relieve as much pressure to her stomach as possible. Her arms now trembled from the strain. Every minute, it became harder.
She’d come to realize that the tall man with the black eyes was in charge. He had an air of authority about him, whereas the other two reminded Lexie of low-level criminals.
She’d also picked up that the man carrying her was called Packer, and the other man Thomas. The leader had yet to be named.
A ringing sounded from the pocket of the man with the black eyes. Stopping, he pulled out his phone. The call lasted less than thirty seconds and only involved a couple yeses before he hung up.
“They need me. I’m going to move ahead.” His voice was flat.
The jerk carrying her groaned. “Fuck, I need a break.”
Before Lexie could comprehend what was happening, she was unceremoniously dropped to the ground like a sack of potatoes.
Grunting in pain as her hip took the brunt of the impact, she remained still and took a few deep breaths. She was grateful she no longer had to leverage her body on his shoulder, but dammit, couldn’t they make a tiny bit of effort to not injure her?
The black-eyed man was suddenly in Packer’s face, grabbing him by the throat. “You are under strict instructions not to harm the baby.”
Packer coughed and choked as he spluttered out a response. “You already punched her.”
His words seemed to anger the man further as his fingers visibly tightened. “Is her face connected to her stomach?”
Lexie watched wide-eyed as Packer was thrown against a tree so hard that the entire thing rocked.
She swallowed her fear and pushed her body backward. The big guy was scary before he was angry. Now he was absolutely terrifying.
“First you break into her apartment by busting the door handle. You fucking alerted those assholes to our presence,” the man said quietly as he kneeled in front of Packer. “Then you leave the back fucking door of the van unlocked!”
The last words were yelled.
Packer’s chest was rising and falling quickly, giving away his fear.
“You and Thomas are going to get her to base and the baby will remain unharmed. If you don’t, I’m going to break every bone in your body, one by one.”
Stark fear showed in Packer’s eyes as he nodded.
The black-eyed man stood and left. And Lexie noticed one thing—he was fast. Unbelievably so. Possibly as fast as Luca.
Or maybe faster.
Silence descended over the three of them. When Lexie looked toward Packer, it was to see red-hot anger replace the fear in the man’s eyes.
“I fucking hate that guy.”
Thomas shrugged. “You should do what you’re told.”
Packer’s eyes narrowed. “He’s not the fucking boss of me. Fuck him.”
Thomas turned to look at the path. “Whatever, let’s go.”
“I told you assholes I’m tired. I’m having a break.”
Frustration came over Thomas’s face. “We’ll be late.”
“Whatever. We’ll blame it on her. I’m tired.”
Thomas grunted. “Can’t even carry the bitch? No wonder you’re so desperate to get more of that ability-enhancing shit.”
Christ, Lexie was getting sick of being called a bitch.
“You fucking carry her then.”
“Here’s an idea, how about no one carries me and I walk?” Lexie ground out the words, her voice raspy.
“Shut your face, bitch.” Packer spat the words at her as he stood, then dropped onto a nearby log. “I’m taking a break.”
Thomas didn’t look happy. But he conceded. “Five minutes, Packer. Then we move again.”
Packer pulled his mask off as Thomas shook his head.
So, the asshole was either confident that she wouldn’t escape or just too lazy to care. Probably both.
Lexie took a moment to inspect Packer. He was tall, with light brown hair and eyes. There wasn’t anything that stood out to her.
All she could tell about asshole number two, who was still wearing a mask, was that he had lighter eyes. Maybe hazel.
Lexie wrapped her sore arms around her legs. Her arms were shaking from earlier strain. Her body was exhausted.
Resting her head on her knees, she tried to push the pain she was feeling in every limb from her mind.
“She’s pretty hot, you know. For a pregnant bitch.”
Lexie’s eyes shot up at Packer’s words. “I’m right here, asshole.”
Packer laughed at her retort before turning to his friend. “Yeah, she’s fucking here, Thomas. Should we have some fun with her before we take her to the doc?”
Eyes widening, Lexie felt her skin crawl at the thought of the man putting his hands on her. Shrinking back, she could only pray that the other man, Thomas, didn’t let it happen.
“Get yourself under control. Remember that comment about every bone in your body being broken? He wasn’t fucking joking. If we rape her, we’re dead men walking.”
Packer’s slimy gaze slid back to Lexie, trailing down her body. “Don’t see how they would find out.”
Rolling his eyes, Thomas glanced back in the direction they’d come from. “I’m gonna go make sure we didn’t leave tracks. The rain’s starting to get heavier, which will help. You stay here—and if you touch her, I’ll kill you myself.”
Lexie watched Thomas go as she fought a rising panic.
He’s just going to leave me here with the rapist?
When Lexie’s gaze shot back to Packer, she noticed he was still watching her. Assessing.
Wrapping her arms tighter around her legs, Lexie narrowed her eyes. “He’s gonna kill you, you know.”
Scoffing, Packer didn’t look the least bit concerned. “Thomas? Sorry to break it to you, but he ain’t hurtin’ no one but you.”
Shaking her head, Lexie glared at the slimeball. “Not him, dumbass. Asher. The father of this baby. He’s going to tear you limb from limb.”
There was a brief moment of fear on Packer’s face before it cleared, a scowl taking its place. “Tell me, doesn’t he have to know where I am to be able to tear me limb from limb?”
Yes. But he would find them. Lexie had to believe that. Or else the desolation would destroy her.
“You like fucking superhumans?”
Lexie drew back at Packer’s sneered words. She tried to appear surprised. Not wanting to give away that she knew about Asher’s altered DNA.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Of course you do, you lying bitch.” She could already smell the disgusting acid on his breath and there was over a foot separating them. “I’ve had some of that shit. I may not be as advanced as lover boy, but hell, I can hold my own.”
Asher: A steamy contemporary military romance (Project Arma Book 3) Page 12