Vote Then Read: Volume II

by Lauren Blakely

  He was amazed at the way she kept going. Jake had extensive training, and could go for long periods of time without food or sleep. It was necessary for combat. Olivia, on the other hand, had no such training, and still, she didn’t complain.

  Jake had always admired the hell out of her. The way she was holding up now, after everything she’d been through…he didn’t just admire Olivia. He was in fucking awe of her.

  She tripped over a rock and started to go down. Jake spun his body in front of hers, using himself as a human wall to keep her from falling. Olivia’s face smacked into his chest. She grunted from the impact, but stayed on her feet.

  “You okay?” Jake asked.

  She straightened herself and looked up at him apologetically. “Yeah. Thanks.”

  “Keep moving!” Asshole Two hollered from behind them.

  Asshole One, who was still guiding them from the front, didn’t even bother to slow down. Knowing Two already had a hard-on for Liv, Jake gave her a nod of encouragement before stepping aside so they could keep going.

  Olivia moved sluggishly beside him. Angry fumes clawed their way to the surface, but for her sake, Jake drove them back down. He chose, instead, to focus on the woman herself. Despite her disheveled appearance, she was still beautiful. And close to breaking.

  Though she hadn’t said anything, it was obvious she was scared out of her mind. And way the hell beyond exhausted. Not caring, the two men seemed to be in a real fucking hurry to get to wherever they were taking them. Anxious for their big payday, no doubt.

  Jake had no idea where they were headed, but the jungle was only so big, and they’d left the cave several hours ago. Granted, they were moving significantly slower than before, but it was only a matter of time before they came upon a town or village. After that, Jake was confident he and Olivia would be separated.

  He’d either be turned over to authorities, or made an example of. Probably both. Jake didn’t allow himself to even think about what would happen to Liv. His insides twisted with the knowledge that their time was running out.

  Adding confirmation to his thoughts, Asshole Two shoved Olivia again. She stumbled forward, barely keeping her footing, and…

  Jake. Was. Done.

  He spun around, getting right into the pudgy bastard’s face. “Don’t fucking touch her again.”

  The man curled his lip, uncovering several of his nasty, yellow teeth. “She’s slowing us down.”

  “Because she’s tired! We all are.”

  “We need to keep moving.”

  The man started to take a step forward, but Jake stood his ground. “She’s going to collapse if you don’t give her a few minutes to sit down and rest.” Jake glanced over at Liv and back to the other man, forcing his voice to lose its dark edge. “Look at us, man. She’s in no shape to fight you or run away, and I’m sure as hell not going anywhere without her. Let’s just all sit down and take a breather for a few minutes, then, we can be on our merry way.”

  The man looked behind Jake to Asshole One, nodded, then brought his eyes back to Jake’s. “Thirty minutes. No longer.” He took a step closer, his nose nearly touching Jake’s chin. “If you try anything…if you fight me or try to run, you will watch as I put a bullet in her head. Then, I’ll put one into yours. Understand?”

  “You have my word.” Jake was lying, of course. First chance he got, these assholes were dead.

  He and Olivia were led to some nearby trees. Jake bent his knees, getting as low as he could, and plopped his ass onto the ground.

  Surprisingly, Asshole One held onto one of Olivia’s arms and helped her ease down more gently. Closing her eyes, she leaned back against the tree and groaned.

  Jake waited until the two men stepped away from them. Asshole One lit a cigarette as both men spoke in low murmurs.

  Their backs were to him, so Jake couldn’t hear what they were saying, but he really didn’t care. They’d just given him the opportunity he’d been waiting for, and he couldn’t waste a second of it.

  Whispering low enough only Olivia to hear, he leaned over and said, “Tell them you need to go to the bathroom.”

  She opened her tired eyes slowly and looked over at him. Confused, she whispered back, “What?”

  “I need a way to separate those two,” Jake explained. “Now that we’re sitting, I can get free from these ropes and take one of them out. I need the other one away while that happens. I’ll take care of the second one, once the first one is down.”

  Olivia thought for a minute. “What if they won’t let me go?”

  “Make it believable, and they will.”

  Olivia glanced over at the two men who still had their backs to them. Her worried eyes found Jake’s again. “Maybe we should wait, Jake. I don’t want you getting hurt.”

  “We can’t wait. It has to be now.” She still didn’t look convinced, so he asked, “Sweetheart, do you trust me?”

  “Yes.” Her answer was quick and unwavering.

  “Then I need you to do this.”

  Olivia bit her lip before nodding. “Okay.”

  Jake took precious seconds to assure her, “I promise you, I will end this. We’re going to be okay.”

  “Enough! No more talking!” This came from Asshole Two.

  Jake quickly whispered, “Now.”

  “I-I need to go to the bathroom.” Olivia stuttered out, praying these men would believe her.

  “Hold it,” Shorty responded callously.

  When her eyes slid to Jake, he gave her an almost indiscernible nod. Make it believable. She pushed past her nerves and tried again.

  Pressing her knees together, she wiggled her hips for added effect. “Please. I really need to go. It’s been hours.”

  Shorty mumbled something to the other guy, then threw his cigarette down. Smashing it beneath his boot, he grumbled, “Fine. I’ll take you.”

  He walked the few steps over to her and reached for her arm. Pulling her up roughly, Olivia didn’t even bother trying to hide the fact that it hurt.

  With one more quick glance at Jake, she sent up a silent prayer as they walked by. Please don’t let anything happen to him.

  Olivia was escorted past a cluster of large bushes. Shorty stepped behind her and began untying the ropes. When her wrists were freed, she slowly let her arms hang down at her sides.

  She wanted to cry from the pain. It felt like a hundred tiny needles were poking her hands as the circulation started to come back. Using it to buy Jake as much time as she possibly could, Olivia made a show of rubbing them together.

  “You said you had to go bad,” Shorty said accusingly.

  “I do, but my hands were numb. I wanted to get the blood flowing again so I could…take care of business more easily.”

  He gave her a sick grin. “I’d be more than happy to take care of business for you.”

  Feeling more like herself, Olivia popped off with, “You want to help me pee? Is that some sort of fetish you have?”

  Shorty’s grin vanished. “Either take a piss, or we are going back.”

  “Everything okay?” Tall Guy asked loudly both from behind the bush.

  “We’re fine,” Shorty hollered back.

  “Then hurry the hell up,” Tall Guy ordered. “I need to take a shit.”

  Ew, Olivia thought. Did the guy really have to announce it?

  Shorty turned his head and yelled back, “Just go. I have the woman. Make sure her man knows I will kill her if he tries anything.”

  Olivia heard Tall Guy saying something to Jake, and then, it was quiet again. Shorty turned and looked at her expectantly, waiting for her to do her business.

  Poking the bear was never a good idea, but if she could keep this guy talking, it would give Jake that much more time to do whatever crazy thing he had planned. You’d better know what you’re doing, McQueen.

  “I can’t go with you watching. I have a shy bladder.”

  That twisted grin came back even wider than before. “I’m not going anywhere,
puta.”

  Damn. Pushing away her momentary panic, Olivia chose to give him a figurative fuck-you by acting as though his presence had zero effect on her. With her face held high, she pushed the white boxers off her hips and squatted down. When she was finished, she gave him her best sarcastic smile.

  “That good for you, too?” It was immature, but the instant glare that crossed over his face felt like a huge victory.

  Stomping over to her, Shorty roughly yanked her arms behind her. After re-tying her wrists together, he came back around to her front. His hand flew up, and he grabbed her chin with a bruising grip.

  “Someone needs to teach you what that smart mouth of yours is really for.”

  “Let go of me.”

  Olivia was proud of how strong her voice sounded, even though she was shaking apart on the inside. She tried to free herself, but he was too strong.

  With his other hand, Shorty grabbed hold of her left breast like he had in the cave. Only this time, he squeezed harder.

  His fingers bit into her tender flesh, and she knew he was going to leave bruises. It was the least of her worries.

  As she waited for the assault to end, Olivia had to make a conscious effort not to throw up on him, though picturing that nearly made her smile. But when he brought his disgusting mouth toward hers, smiling was the absolute last thing she felt like doing.

  Shorty’s hot, rancid breath hit her nostrils, and her resolve to remain quiet wavered. She was trying to be strong. For Jake. For herself. However, if this man did what she thought he was going to do…Olivia feared she’d never recover from something like that.

  Whatever crazy plan Jake had concocted needed to happen now. Hurry, Jake. Please hurry.

  Shorty leaned in closer, his nasty, cracked lips a millimeter from hers. Oh, God. She couldn’t do this. She couldn’t not fight back.

  Praying Jake would understand, Olivia had just opened her mouth to scream, when a rustling sound cut through the air.

  Pulling back, Shorty turned his head. Her heart pounded as they both stood still. Waiting.

  A few seconds later, she heard another sound like before, followed by a deep grunt and then, silence.

  “Mateo?” Shorty said the other man’s name loudly.

  Well, there’s one mystery solved.

  Tall Guy—Mateo—didn’t answer.

  “Mateo!” Shorty yelled his partner’s name even louder, but there was still no response. He grabbed Olivia’s upper arm and pushed her forward. “Move!”

  Jake watched and waited, knowing Olivia would only be able to stall for so long. He needed make his move soon, but Asshole One was still facing him.

  “Everything okay?” The guy hollered toward the area where Asshole Two had taken Olivia.

  “We’re fine,” Asshole Two called back.

  “Then, hurry the hell up. I need to take a shit.”

  Yes! It was what Jake had been waiting for.

  “Just go. I have the woman. Make sure her man knows I will kill her if he tries anything,” Asshole Two said confidently.

  “Fine,” Asshole One answered back. To Jake, he said, “If you want your woman to live, you’ll still be there when I return.”

  “Oh, I'll be here,” Jake promised.

  He watched as the other man turned around and started walking into the trees. The stupid bastard had no idea he’d just given Jake the perfect opportunity to get free.

  Not wasting time, Jake rose to the balls of his feet. Staying in a crouched position, he pushed his hands down over his butt. His shoulders burned from the strain, but when he felt his hands slide below his ass, Jake sat back down and pulled his legs through his bound arms.

  Moving quickly, his fingers began to work on the knots in the rope. The first two came loose with ease, but naturally, the last one was tight as fuck.

  Abandoning the rope for a second, Jake reached down to his right boot. He untied its lace, pulling it free in record time.

  He took half a second to check his surroundings. Seeing no sign of either Asshole yet, Jake pushed the plastic end of the lace through the center of the remaining knot. He then put one end in his mouth, and held onto the other with his hands.

  Working it like a saw, Jake began shaking his head back and forth while pulling the other end of the lace with his hands. He was never more thankful for his SERE training than in that very moment.

  The smell of burning rope filled his nostrils, and Jake knew the friction was working. The question was, would it cut through the thick strands before either man came back?

  Come on! Come on! Every cell in Jake’s body burned with desperation and fear as he continued working to free his hands. The ropes felt looser, but it wasn’t enough. Not fucking enough!

  He worked the lace faster, pulling so hard his fingers started to bleed, and his teeth felt like they were being ripped from his gums. Just as he heard footfalls in the leaves to his right, the lace popped free, having finally made its way through the rope. His head jerked back from the force of the release, and he spit the end of the lace from his mouth.

  With lightning speed, he freed his hands, then hid the pieces of rope and the shoelace between his back and the tree. Jake repositioned his arms so they appeared to still be tied behind his back, just as Asshole One came back out from the thick batch of trees.

  Crossing his left foot over his right to conceal the other boot’s missing lace, Jake calmly said, “Hey, man. Can I get a drink? My fucking throat feels like I’ve swallowed a bowl of cotton.”

  Looking annoyed, Asshole Two went to his bag and pulled out his canteen. Adrenaline pumped through Jake’s veins as he waited. He’d only get one shot at this, and the timing had to be perfect.

  The other man squatted down in front of him, unscrewed the lid, and put the canteen to Jake’s mouth. Jake tilted his head as if to drink, but in a swift and efficient move, he pulled his hands out from behind his back.

  The guy’s eyes grew as big as saucers. Before he could reach for his gun, Jake grabbed both of the man’s wrists. He moved them in opposite directions, twisting Asshole One’s arms as he rose to his feet. The canteen dropped to the ground.

  Keeping his hold tight, Jake lifted his right leg and spun it up and over the guy’s right shoulder. He now had Asshole One’s right arm trapped across his own chest, and his left arm wrenched up between his back and Jake’s chest.

  Jake shifted his leg up so it was pressing against the man’s throat. He squeezed his hamstring muscles as tightly as he possibly could. Asshole One tried to fight, and at one point, came damn close to getting loose. In the end, Jake was able to keep his hold.

  The man’s face turned a deep red, and spit flew from his mouth as he tried—and failed—to breathe. His eyes bulged, their blood vessels popping from the strain. When Jake felt the man’s body go limp, he released his hold and let the guy fall on his face.

  Grabbing a large knife from a leather sheath at Asshole One’s waist, Jake filled his fist with the unconscious man’s hair. Pulling his head back to expose his throat, Jake made one, long slice across the skin there.

  Blood gushed from the large wound. The man was dead within seconds. From start to finish, the entire interaction took less than a minute.

  With one threat eliminated, Jake dropped the knife and grabbed the guy’s pistol. He checked the mag and the chamber, relieved to find them both full. As he stood, he heard Asshole Two’s voice holler out.

  “Mateo?” When Asshole One—whose name was apparently Mateo—didn’t answer him, the other man yelled louder. “Mateo!”

  Ready for what was about to happen, Jake got into a shooting stance. With his arms stretched out in front of him, he drew in a slow, calming breath. Praying Olivia didn’t get caught in the crossfire, Jake put his finger on the trigger and waited.

  Chapter 15

  Olivia’s legs shook as she and Shorty walked back to where she’d last seen Jake. Terrified of what they’d find, she rounded the bushes, gasping at the scene before her.
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br />   Jake was standing, his hands no longer tied behind his back. His arms were up in front of him, and he was pointing a gun in her direction.

  Tall Guy was face down on the ground near the tree, and a puddle of dark liquid was growing beneath his head. Blood.

  Somehow, Jake had managed to get his hands free, and he’d killed the other man. Olivia was trying to think of what she should do, when an arm flew around her neck from behind.

  “You motherfucker!” Shorty yelled next to her ear just before pushing the barrel of his gun against her temple. “I will fucking kill her!”

  “No. You won't.”

  Jake sounded calm, but the bulging veins in his neck and outstretched arms told a different story. Olivia could see each muscle and tendon as he held the gun steady. Tension poured from his body, and even though he wasn’t looking directly at her, she could tell Jake wanted nothing more than to pull the trigger.

  The man’s hold on her throat tightened, making it almost impossible to breathe. Olivia stood on her tiptoes to ease the pressure, but found very little relief.

  “Drop your gun, or I will shoot her!”

  Spittle hit her cheek, and she knew Shorty was starting to panic. He’s not the only one.

  Still speaking in that low, controlled voice, Jake said, “You do, and you’re dead before she hits the ground. Let her go, and I might let you live.”

  “Bullshit! You think I’m fucking stupid, gringo? You’ll shoot me the second she’s free.”

  Ignoring Shorty, Jake’s eyes moved to hers. “You doing okay there, Olivia?” He looked down to the ground and back up at her.

  His question took her off guard. She tried to nod her head, but Shorty’s arm was in the way.

  “You’re going to be alright, Olivia.” He broke eye contact to look to the ground again.

  Olivia appreciated that he was trying to make her feel better, but she’d rather he be working on a plan to get them the hell out of this mess.