When he’d finally had enough, he doubled over, sucking in ragged breaths. Coughing and groaning, my entire body felt weak. I was sprawled out on the ground, barely able to move without burning pain everywhere, but I was still determined to crawl toward the trees.
“Oh no you don’t,” he said, half-laughing, “You’re not going anywhere.” His two strong hands gripped my ankles and yanked me hard, pulling me backwards flat on my belly The earth, covered in sticks and rocks, showed no mercy as I was raked over it. My body was caked in sweat, blood and dirt. I screamed as loud as I could, grabbing onto
anything to try and gain leverage against him pulling me. But it was no use. The woods were empty. We were so deep and secluded, no one would be around to hear me. And even with an injured shoulder, he was still much stronger than I was.
Eventually, we ended up back in the house. He kicked and hit me repeatedly as he dragged me. By the time we made it to the front room, my body was bloodied and bruising all over. Every muscle ached and I was bone tired from fighting back. He dragged me to the couch, grabbing my hair and forcing me to climb onto the cushions. When I wouldn’t lie still for him, he slapped me again. When the sting of that didn’t stop me from trying to run, he punched me in the cheek. Hard.
My eyes rolled back into my head and I heard ringing between my ears. I started feeling lightheaded again. He rolled me onto my belly, pulling my arms behind me as I started to fade out and lose consciousness.
THIRTY FOUR | Derrick
Three black SUVs followed closely behind the one I was currently sitting in. We were flying down the highway, cleared by local law enforcement and state troopers, thanks to another one of Rod’s connections. How he managed to do it, these types of things that were highly improbable and definitely illegal, I had no idea. But right now, I didn’t have a single fuck to give. All that mattered was getting to Alina.
Johnson was right. They had been able to triangulate the signal to a secluded area just about an hour outside of town. The area was essentially a forest, and based on the map, seemed completely untouched. Through a series of readings and calculations, we narrowed the search field from nearly one hundred square miles down to within five to twenty. Two search teams deployed. Both of which would start from the outside of the search area and meet toward the middle.
The initial suggestion had been to wait for the morning, but I wasn’t going to do that. Though it would be easier to search for her in the light of the day, I couldn’t risk her being out there any longer than she needed to. Sunlight was fading fast, but I would stay out all night if that’s what it took.
I needed to save her.
THIRTY FIVE | Alina
I flinched, feeling a distinct pinch in my arm as I was coming out of the darkness of unconsciousness. My eyes rolled around, trying to make sense of where I was and what was going on. The last thing I remembered was being facedown on the couch with my arms pinned behind my back. Now I was lying in a bed, a needle pressing into my arm.
I watched as the liquid inside the syringe was pushed into my vein. My eyes trailed up and I shuddered seeing Jason on the other end of the syringe. I opened my mouth to speak, but he cut me off.
“You should know what this is. The last time I had to transport you, this was the only way. I thought you’d learned your lesson about running away. But alas, Joe had to pay again for your incessant need to run.”
Tears flooded my eyes again. As soon as he’d said Joe’s name, I remembered his large body lying on the ground as he struggled with his last breaths.
“Please, I’ll go. I’ll go wherever you want.”
He laughed at me, “I’ve heard all of your promises and I don’t believe you anymore.” He turned to walk out, stopping at the door, “We’ll be leaving soon.”
I felt the rising of a panic attack beginning. Clutching at my chest, I held myself as tightly as possible to ward it off. Whatever he had just injected me with was already starting to work its way through my system. I blinked rapidly, determine to fight it off too. I couldn’t fall asleep. Joe told me to run, to save myself. He was willing to die for me, even if he couldn’t protect me. I had to at least try. Being moved would be my last opportunity to try to escape. But how?
Fifteen minutes passed before Jason came back in the room. I was lying in the bed, right where he left me, struggling to stay awake but remaining still so he’d think I was asleep. It wasn’t much of an act. My breathing had evened and I was on the verge of sleep, but I had a small hope of adrenaline pumping through my veins. As soon as he took me out of the house, I’d run again.
I kept my eyes closed as he approached and didn’t move as his fingers brushed hair out of my eyes. I could feel his gaze on me.
Heated, powerful, full of hatred and his sick version of love all at once. I resisted the urge to pull away when his lips touched my forehead.
Play the game, Alina. Play to win, I told myself.
His hands trailed down my body before sliding between me and the mattress. I focused on staying limp and lifeless as he lifted me and held me close. The wound on his shoulder, caused by me stabbing him with the wooden slat, had been bandaged, but his shirt was still bloody.
I could feel the hard steel of his gun in his waistband against my arm.
My pulse quickened slightly. I needed to get that away from him somehow. If I took away his weapon, I actually stood a chance at escaping him.
Outside the air had cooled, and I opened my eyes just the tiniest bit to look around. The sun was now gone and the clearing was completely blanketed in darkness. Hope blossomed in my chest.
Getting the gun away from him and running straight into the darkness
could work. It just had to. I was weightless in his arms as he stalked toward the waiting vehicle. The passenger door was open and he lowered himself down to slide me in. Now was my chance.
.
“Jason,” I moaned a sigh.
I needed to catch him off guard. There was only one thing he wouldn’t be expecting right now. I shifted in the seat, arching my back and pressing myself to him. Moaning, I said his name again.
He paused from pulling away and instead, leaned closer. My eyes fluttered open, looking right into his. I swallowed, staring at his lips.
The lips that, several years ago in a conference room, I’d been dying to press mine against. Those same lips that spit curses at me for years.
The mouth that had claimed me as his and punished me when I didn’t obey. His mouth was like poison. A necessary punishment needed to escape hell.
“Kiss me,” I begged.
His amber eyes widened then squinted as they smoldered with lust. He tilted his head down to mine and I lifted my chin to meet his mouth. I closed my eyes, forcing myself to go back to that conference room. Trying to remember the heat I felt between my legs that day. The way I secretly wanted him to take me right then and there before we were interrupted. I sucked his bottom lip, coaxing his mouth open. My tongue slithered past my lips and into his mouth to twist with his.
I tasted scotch again and wondered if I’d convinced myself of it or if he had a glass earlier. His hands threaded through my hair and gently pulled me closer to him. I sighed into his mouth, arching closer to him. His lips left mine and trailed passionate kisses along my jaw and down my neck. I shifted, giving him better access to my flesh, while slowly gliding my hand near his leg.
“Is this what you want?” he asked, huskily.
“Mmm yes. Kiss me everywhere,” I breathed, giving him access to me.
His free hand, closest to me, lifted the hem of my shirt and exposed my bra. I fought back a wince as he touched fresh bruises on my stomach. I was so close. My eyes were trained on the gun tucked in his waist band while my lips and tongue worked on the small bit of exposed flesh on his neck. The car was filled with sounds of our moaning and I knew I only had a short window of time.
When he brought his mouth back to mine, kissing me fiercely, I wrapped my left hand around his neck pul
ling him close to me. At the same time, my right hand dove into his pants and before he could stop me, I pulled the trigger.
He stopped kissing me instantly. His mouth gaped open as he gasped for air, collapsing onto me. I was trembling as I used all of my might to shove him off of me, pulling my legs up and crawling over to the driver side of the car and getting out. Gun still in hand, I took off running toward the forest.
Adrenaline spiked as I crossed the tree line and into the thick tangle of trees. Behind me, I heard him screaming in agony from the gunshot, but I kept moving. The moon up above was the only light illuminating my path, but as I ran deeper, the trees grew closer together, making visibility damn near impossible.
“Goddammit Alina!” he screamed. And I knew then and there I’d missed somehow.
He was still after me.
The darkness clouded my vision as I moved through the forest, damp leaves and fallen branches snapping and crunching under my feet. My heart thundered wildly in my chest, but my body felt like lead.
The only thing keeping me moving now was the utter fear that he would catch me.
Keep going.
Keep running.
Survive.
My thoughts were loud commands from my brain to my body.
The farther I ran, the closer I was to surviving this hell.
“Alina!” His loud voice rang out from behind me, a little too close for comfort. Hearing him scream my name caused me to whip my head around. Suddenly, I went flying through the air. My foot had caught on a raised tree root and sent my body soaring. I couldn’t stop myself from crying out as I collided with the cold, hard ground, a pile of leaves somewhat softening the blow.
It was so dark, I couldn’t see anything past my face, but I felt nearly everything. My left side had gone numb, but I had broken something on my right leg. The sharp pains radiated from somewhere near my ankle. I tried to push myself to stand but my left wrist buckled under the pressure. I couldn’t support my own weight.
The tranquilizing drugs he’d given me made my body feel weak and heavy. I knew I needed to get up and keep running. My life depended on it at this point, but I couldn’t fight back the darkness anymore. It was heavy. All-consuming. I breathed through my open mouth, ruffling the leaves around my face.
No.
Please God no. Not like this.
Loud footsteps pounded the ground nearby. Too close.
“Alina!” he shouted, “I WILL find you.”
I flattened my body, silently praying he wouldn’t find me. I needed the darkness to save me. My heart thumped against the ground. It sounded so loud in my ears. He would hear it, there was no doubt about it. His angry steps slowed to a complete stop.
I concentrated, focusing my attention on my sense of hearing. He had just stepped over the root I had tripped on seconds earlier.
“It does you no good to run from me Alina,” he said through labored breaths, “You’re going to regret trying to escape me. I swear you’re going to regret this.” He took another step. This time, his foot ruffled the same leaves I was buried in.
My eyelids became heavier. The tranquilizer had worked its way up to my head. Even if I tried, I couldn’t move anything below my neck.
This was it. One more step and he was going to find me. It was inevitable. I had escaped only to be captured again.
Tears streamed down my face as I swallowed my sobs, in one desperate attempt to stay quiet. I pressed my ear to the ground, feeling my heartbeat slow, now only thudding quietly against the damp forest floor. This was the end. I couldn’t fight anymore.
“Dammit Alina! Where are you?!”
THIRTY SIx | Derrick
“Boss! Over here. I think we found something.”
I left the area I’d been searching through with my flashlight and ran over to where a group of guys had huddled up close. We’d been out here for hours, combing through the targeted area, and the flicker of hope had flamed into anger. I was ready to burn the entire forest down.
So far, neither teams had come close to finding anything that would help us locate Alina. I was starting to doubt their intel, but my heart wouldn’t let me completely give up. This was the closest lead we had. It had to go somewhere.
Five guys were huddled around a map when I walked over. I peeked at the map, looking around expectantly, “What did you find?”
One of the guys turned and pointed his flashlight over his shoulder, “This map says there’s no trails whatsoever back here. But this says differently. There’s a path right there.”
I blinked impatiently, “Ok. Go follow it.” I shook my head, turning and muttering under my breath to go back to where I was working before. For a split second I felt bad about my attitude. I was trying hard not to take this out on the team of people working tirelessly to bring Alina
home, but it was hard as fuck. I was tired. Emotionally and physically spent. My brain was fried. The only thing keeping me running was getting closer to finding her.
I scanned the ground with my flashlight, taking careful steps through the brush. The whole forest was secluded and therefore the only tracks I was able to find were small animals. I wondered if I would encounter any major animals. I only brought a knife with me. Stepping underneath a low hanging branch, I moved even further away from the group. It was darker here. More quiet. I could barely see the night sky through the tops of the trees.
“Hold on, Alina. I’m coming. I swear I’m coming,” I whispered out loud. Deep down, I knew I was saying it more for myself than for her.
I needed to know that she was ok. I needed to know that I was doing everything I could to find her. I needed the reassurance that I would be holding her soon. It was only a matter of time.
My phone vibrated in my pocket and I fished it out:
There’s a cabin out here. We just found it.
About 300 yards NE from your location.
I ran as fast as my legs would take me through the maze of trees in the direction from the text. After a couple of minutes, I ran through to a clearing and happened upon the group of guys I was working with and Rod, who must have joined them before I arrived.
The cabin was nondescript. Nothing special. Just a small house sitting in the middle of a small clearing. I started to approach when Rod saw me and briskly met me halfway.
“Hey, uh..hold on Derrick,” he said holding his hands up to stop me.
I pushed passed him, ready to break down the damn cabin door, “Where is she? Why isn’t anyone going inside?”
He grabbed me by the arm and swung me around. Rod may have been an older man, but there was nothing elderly about him. He may have been the only man I ever let grab me that way without reacting.
“I said hold up man,” he said, his voice taking on an authoritative tone, “She’s not in there. We already looked.”
“What do you mean she’s not in there. This was the location, right?”
He exhaled, “Yeah. This is the location. She’s not here, but she was. I’m stopping you because there’s a considerable amount of blood and we found shell casings and—“
“Shell casings?” I asked, “what the fuck is going on here?”
“Something happened. There’s a guy over there with a gunshot wound to the chest and there’s blood everywhere. It doesn’t look like it all belongs to him. There’s also evidence of some kind of fight and tire tracks driving away from here. We’re trying to figure out as much as we can.”
I gripped my head, pacing in a circle. I was too late. Too fucking late. And now something had happened to her. Jason had obviously lost it if he had already killed someone and he’d driven away. Probably with her in the car. I’d never forgive myself if she ended up hurt.
“The good thing is that this is all recent,” Rod continued, “We’re still combing around for clues as to what happened and where to go from here.”
I stopped suddenly, looking at Rod with tears in my eyes, “We’re too late aren’t we?”
He shook his head sol
emnly, but even he didn’t seem to believe it. I scrubbed at my face, trying hard not to let all of this extinguish the
fire of hope I had been rolling with this entire time. I was terrified of losing her and it seemed like that was exactly what was happening.
“Derrick, go have a seat man. There’s a lot going on. We have a few crews of people coming through. Medics, forensics, and stuff. You can sit this part out. When I know something, I’ll call you over ok?”
He motioned toward a large boulder at the edge of the clearing.
Close enough to still be around, but far enough away that I could be alone with my thoughts. I thanked him with a look and walked away from the scene, feeling more lost and desolate than ever.
I was able to watch as the clearing filled with more people. The other search team abandoned their search and came over. Several people went into the house, taking photos and bagging up evidence. An ambulance showed up to look over the gunshot victim. Rod hovered nearby the truck, asking him questions about what happened before they took him away. It was just before five am and the sky was getting lighter in preparation for sunrise.
Losing Her (Lost and Found Book 1) Page 33