Ruthless

by Marlie May

  Bumping through the lot, we gained speed. How far until we reached the road? Did I have fifteen seconds? Or less?

  Renewing my efforts, I pulled harder on the knot, breaking a nail. I pinched the material. Wrestled with it. It scraped my skin raw as I struggled, the fibers digging deep. Warm blood made the rope slick and my fingers tacky.

  Yes, the knot was loosening. I could get free.

  Please, let it happen soon. Once he hit the pavement and picked up speed, my odds would go down.

  The car veered right, and I slammed my shoulder into the side of the trunk. Grunting, my arm spasming with pain, I ignored the panic flaring inside me and kept working on the knot, slowly sliding the sticky bits of fabric apart.

  My wrist tie burst, coming undone, and my hands flopped at my sides, spasms making them shake. Not wasting time, I wrenched the blindfold off my face.

  The vehicle drove faster, bumping along the uneven surface.

  I had to get out of here.

  Outside, someone shouted my name.

  Eli. He must’ve come after me. Had he seen the man stuff me in the trunk?

  “Eli,” I shrieked. “Help me!”

  I scrambled across the carpeted mat and located the trunk latch. Closed, of course. But wait. Something glowed.

  An inside release.

  I yanked on it and the trunk flipped open. Fresh air rushed in, cooling my face. Drying my tears trickling down my cheeks.

  The car picked up speed, sending gravel and dirt pinging behind the tires. We hit a pothole and, jarred, I fell back into the tight space.

  I crawled back onto my knees as the vehicle squealed out onto the main road leading toward town. Clutching the edge of the trunk, I sucked in a deep breath.

  Eli raced down the road, heading my way. No matter how fast he pushed himself, the vehicle was leaving him behind.

  Determination filled his face, and he pumped his legs faster, his limp barely discernible. But he’d never catch a car that could speed for miles.

  Wobbling onto my knees again, I clung to the edge so I wouldn’t be dislodged and hitched one leg over the side.

  It was now or never.

  Collapsing on the mat and whimpering while hoping Eli would somehow catch up and save me was not an option.

  My teeth slamming together, I bailed from the trunk.

  10

  Eli

  When someone screamed, my heart stopped completely. Could’ve been someone having fun on a ride. Kids squealing with excitement.

  But I knew it was Mia. Just knew it deep in my bones. Something was terribly wrong.

  My skin flashed fire, and terror sent me bolting into the ladies’ room.

  “Jeez, dude, get out,” a woman shouted, but I ignored her.

  “Mia!”

  No response.

  A second exit. Shoving the door open, I flew into the gift shop, looking around feverishly, hoping to find her there. Kids begged parents to buy them stuffed animals or anything, please! while I raced toward the entrance.

  “Franklin,” I yelled, panting even though I’d only run a few steps. “Did you see the woman I arrived with anywhere?”

  “Sure did.” With an easy smile, he squinted out the big picture window, pointing toward the parking lot. “She said something about grabbing her water from her vehicle. That she’d be right back. Silly, but she worried that—”

  “Thanks.” Snarling, I slammed through the main entrance door and hit the parking lot at a dead run. “Mia!”

  She wasn’t at my Jeep.

  Fuck.

  A dusty white Chevy sedan drew my eye as it bounced through the gravel-strewn part of the lot going too fast for an area with families around.

  I took off after it, convinced the driver of that vehicle was somehow connected to Mia’s disappearance. Not sure how I knew, but the certainty was turning the blood in my veins to cement.

  “Stop!” I scrambled around cars, racing toward the vehicle. My heart pumped. My muscles strained. My leg where I’d injured it spasmed, irritated by the demands I made. Go faster. I had to catch that car.

  As bone-searing pain stabbed through the femur, my body shuddered in response. But I kept going, pushing for more speed.

  Dust stirred by the vehicle’s tires choked my lungs, and rocks ricocheted around me, but I didn’t slow. I strove to catch up, to achieve the impossible.

  The car was pulling away from me.

  I had to catch it. Mia. Please, no.

  The trunk popped open, and Mia rose up onto her knees, where she wavered. Catching me running, she strained forward. “Eli!” She grabbed onto the trunk edge, but the car veered to the right, and she dropped back inside.

  I drove my body harder, demanding more speed. Do not fail me now.

  Mia appeared in the opening again. She flung her leg over the edge of the trunk.

  While my stomach roiled, her body dropped from the vehicle, slamming on the road. Like a broken rag doll, she tumbled before coming to a full stop.

  My mouth flashed dry. She wasn’t moving.

  The Chevy slowed, brake lights flashing hot. Red, like blood. Like death.

  A rock lay on the road in front of me. I snatched it up as I raced toward Mia. With a mighty heave, I threw it at the car. It flew past where Mia lay motionless and, with a loud bang, hit the car’s taillight, breaking the thick plastic. White and red fragments rained down onto the road.

  Unlike Goliath, I was unable to take down the beast with one blow. The car swerved but kept going. Dirt and rocks flew around me, and a cloud of dust choked the air, making it impossible to breathe.

  The vehicle took a bend in the road with tires screeching and disappeared, the roar of the engine fading.

  I reached Mia and slammed onto my knees beside her. Ignoring my aching leg, I reached out, wishing I could snatch my hands back, because I’d rather live in a world where Mia was still with me than roll her over and have my worst nightmare become fact.

  On her stomach, her arms splayed on either side of her head, she lay too still. Her red curls lay scattered across her unmoving face.

  “Mia,” I murmured in a cracked voice, and my eyes stung. Please. We’d barely started getting to know each other. Life couldn’t take her from me this soon.

  I touched her shoulder, soft and tender. Praying that her warm skin meant she still lived.

  Her eyelashes fluttered, and she moaned.

  My heart flipping, I leaned over her and spoke softly by her ear. “Hey. It's okay. It's me. Eli. Stay still, honey. Let me check you out before you move.”

  She moaned again and shifted her arms, dragging them closer to her body.

  “Where does it hurt?” I ran my gaze down her frame, assessing for damage. While I was no medic, I’d done my share of combat-related first aid.

  Road dust coated the bare skin of her arms and below her shorts. Her back. All of her, actually. Seeing her wrecked felt worse than dragging my guts through a bolt hole.

  “I'm okay.” She pressed her palms onto the road and started to lift herself up, but groaned and collapsed again.

  “Your arms. Legs. Back. Does anything hurt? How about your head? Your neck?”

  “No.” She pushed again, and I helped ease her onto her side. Then onto her back, even though I knew I should tell her to stay as she was until I could get the EMTs here.

  She blinked up at the sky, and her face tightened. “What the hell…?”

  “White Chevy. You were in the trunk but escaped. Do you remember what happened?”

  Her brow pinched. “Going to the lot for the water bottle I left in your Jeep. Someone grabbed me.” Her lips fluttered upward before dropping. “You were running after me.” Her palm dropped onto her belly. Did she have internal injuries? “You came for me.”

  “I’d leap across the Grand Canyon to help you, honey.” Not that I’d done anything that heroic. All I’d done was run after a vehicle. I leaned forward, speaking quietly again. “Can I give you a quick once-over?” While my
heart demanded I carry her off the road, take her to safety, my head told me I couldn’t move her any more than she already had until I was sure she wasn’t seriously injured.

  Her gaze met mine. “Sure.”

  Starting at her feet, I removed her sandals. I carefully slid my fingertips over the bottom of her feet, her toes, the tops, and on to her ankles.

  She twitched.

  My heart rate tripled. “Where does it hurt?”

  A soft smile curled her lips. “No pain. Just tickles.”

  The relief in my grin made my cheeks ache. “Hold still and let me check you out some more.”

  “You playing doctor instead of me?”

  “Damn straight, I am.”

  Her eyelids drooped. Had she hit her head? I ran my fingers over her scalp but didn’t feel any cuts or bumps. Maybe she’d just had the wind knocked out of her.

  “I’d love to play doctor with you, Eli,” she whispered.

  My chest cracked wide open and welcomed her inside. Once I was sure she was safe, that she hadn’t been harmed by her fall, we needed to talk.

  Our kiss was quick, partly because I couldn’t help myself, mostly because I needed the reassurance she’d be okay. Then I gave her a more thorough examination, turning up nothing but a few scrapes and reddened areas that would likely turn into bruises.

  “Honey, you can play doctor with me any day of the week. I’m available 24/7.”

  “I’m not delirious. I didn’t hit my head,” she said. Though I urged her to remain still, she sat up. “I meant it.” Her arms went around my shoulders, and she gave me a soft kiss. “We need to explore this. Us. Soon.”

  “You name the time and place and I’m there. But right now, we’re calling an ambulance.”

  “I’m fine.” But her half-smile didn’t reach her eyes. “Don’t need an ambulance.”

  “Why not? You’re a doctor. After a fall like that, you know you need to be checked out.”

  “I can tell nothing’s wrong.” She glanced around. “Crap. I’m sitting in the middle of the road.” Her voice rose. “I need to get up before someone runs me over.”

  I helped her stand, and when her knees trembled, I scooped her off her feet. Yeah, she could probably walk, but I needed to hold her. I started back down the road and I had to admit, my legs were shaky. Watching Mia fall out of that car and tumble across the road had about killed me.

  Her arms linked around my neck, and she snuggled close. “Thank you, Eli. For being here. For rescuing me.”

  “You rescued yourself.” I hadn’t done a damn thing.

  “I tried to fight him off, but he wouldn’t let go.”

  “You’re clever. You found a way to escape.” I’d never been more grateful for anything in my life.

  “He tied my hands. But I worked on the knots and found the inside trunk release.”

  Seeing her bloody wrists and knowing the wounds had come from her struggles stabbed through me worse than a knife. “Smart. You kept your head.”

  “I remembered everything Flint taught me.”

  “Did you see the person who took you?”

  “A man,” she said, her words brushing my chest. “He wore a mask. The skiing kind that covers the entire face except with holes for his nose and mouth. And he blindfolded me. But his build. His voice…There was…”

  “What?”

  She shook her head, and her coppery hair slid along my shoulder. “I don’t know who he was or why he tried to take me.”

  “Your ex…” As far as I knew, she hadn’t heard from her lawyer yet.

  “Similar build, but I can’t be certain. And, for all we know, he’s still in jail.”

  “I really think you need to be checked out in the ER.”

  “I’m okay.” Her voice did sound stronger.

  We arrived at my Jeep, and I lowered her onto her feet. “You know a fall like that can give you a serious injury.” She could be bleeding internally.

  “I promise to tell you if something feels wrong or hurts.”

  I relented but was determined to keep all my attention on her from now on. She wasn’t getting out of my sight. “I’m calling the police.”

  She drooped against my car. “You think they can figure out who did this and arrest them?”

  I’d memorized the numbers on the plate.

  While Mia slumped in the passenger seat, I pulled my phone and spoke before returning it to my pocket. “The dispatcher said the sheriff would be here soon.”

  “Who needs regular criminals? I keep them hopping all on my own.”

  The sheriff and Deputy Franks arrived not long after, bringing with them a cloud of dust from their rush down the road.

  Mia got out of my Jeep and explained what happened.

  “Can you identify the voice?” the sheriff asked, his phone and stylus in hand.

  “I think he purposefully lowered it, made it sound gruff.”

  “To mask it?” Deputy Franks asked. Her intent gaze swept the area. “This suggests it’s someone you know.”

  “Maybe?” Mia’s hands snaked around her waist. She shrugged and explained about her ex while I put my arms around her. Her body trembled.

  “We’ll notify the Staties, see what they can come up with. It’ll be easy enough to look into your ex. Make sure he’s still incarcerated.” The sheriff nodded to me. “We’ll also run that plate. Quick thinking on your part.”

  “You’ll be around town for a while if we have any further questions?” Deputy Franks asked Mia.

  “I’m leaving for Ashford tomorrow morning. I’m speaking at a conference.”

  “We’ll call an ambulance, Ma’am,” Deputy Franks said, her concerned gaze taking in the purple shadows blossoming on Mia’s arms and legs. “You look pretty beat up.”

  Mia was lucky she hadn’t been more seriously hurt.

  And I was damned grateful she was safe. I wanted to track down the man responsible and make sure he was locked behind bars for a very long time, but there was nothing I could do until we had a name.

  “I just want to go home,” Mia said. She sounded so lost and alone. I tightened my arms around her, wishing I could help her feel better. But all I could do was lend her my strength and the protection of my presence.

  The sheriff finished up his notes and tipped his hat. “We’ll keep you informed about our progress.”

  Deputy Franks rocked on her heels with her fists propped on her hips. There was no disputing the steel in her voice and expression. “Rest assured, we’re on the case.”

  “How about we take a quick look around?” the sheriff suggested to Deputy Franks.

  “’Course.”

  “We’re okay to leave?” Eli asked. “I want to get Mia home.” Where I could barricade her inside her house, with me and my 9mm standing between her and the door.

  “We’ve got both your numbers,” the sheriff said over his shoulder. “We’ll be in touch.” They strode toward the road.

  Tightening my arms around Mia, I rested my chin on her head. “I’m going to do everything within my power to make sure no one harms you again. This ends here. Today.”

  She leaned back in my embrace and lifted a shaky smile. “Thank you.”

  The confidence in her eyes made my heart swell twenty times its normal size.

  We arrived at her house and I helped her from the car, supporting her with my arm around her waist as we slowly moved up the walk.

  Anger burned through me faster than a spark landing on a line of dynamite because we had nothing. No name. No description.

  No motive.

  Mia took her front steps with jerky strides and opened the porch door, where she made her way slowly across the creaking, weathered floorboards to the front door.

  I hated seeing her in this much pain.

  Pausing with her hand over the lock, her eyes widened as she took in the wooden panel. “Eli.”

  The number two bleeding bold red paint on her front door made my pulse flatline.

  11
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  Mia

  The sheriff arrived with a squeal of his tires in the driveway. His brow furrowed as he took pictures and samples of the number on the door. He told me he was gravely concerned about this, that it was his top priority.

  I was to remain inside. They’d patrol the area on a regular basis.

  He asked me to send him the photo of the number one on my mirror.

  However. There was always a however. Unless they knew who to arrest, there wasn’t much they could do. They were terribly sorry, but they had nothing.

  Two strikes.

  I dreaded the form the third strike would take. After that, it would be lights out. I’d be lights out. My throat ached. I couldn’t swallow. And my body had been battered by some unknown fiend.

  After the sheriff left, I stumbled down the hall to shower while Eli scrubbed the paint off the door.

  My tears mixed with the water pulsing from the showerhead. I sagged into the tiles and pressed my fist against my mouth as I keened. Shivers quaked through me even though the water was hot enough to fill the glassed-in space with steam.

  It had been a year since they’d hauled Russell away to lock him up. Silly me for thinking I’d repaired the emotional damage he’d delivered. How had I ever believed I was strong enough now to handle anything? The high walls I’d built crumbled as if they’d been made of clay, and I once again became the puny weakling who’d cowered from Russell. The sad, hopeless women sitting on the ER stretcher all those months ago. Dressed in a johnny, my bare legs dangling in the air, my bruises exposed for the world to see.

  Me, exposed for the world to see.

  Though I tried to check them, my tears kept falling. An imaginary hammer in my head pounded a relentless beat. The scrapes from where my bare skin met the pavement stung, and my bones ached. Every muscle protested the abuse my body had taken when I fell from the back of the car.

  Life had won. It had beaten me.

  I’d been snapped in two all over again.

  “Hey,” Eli said softly from the other side of the opaque glass. “You’ve been in there awhile. You okay?”