After a momentary pause, Derrick said, “All right. We’ll search to the left, and then we’ll turn around and search the other way.”
Chris nodded. “Yep.”
Over the next hour, they drove up and down every street in the area, gradually expanding outward.
“We need more searchers,” Derrick said after they’d completed searching in yet another neighborhood.
“I agree. Create search grids.”
Derrick nodded. “Let’s head back to the farm.” He dreaded facing Matt, but it wasn’t right to keep this horrifying news from him a moment longer.
Chapter 11
Jessica
The truck lurched to a stop. The men got out. Jessica’s heart began to pound. They’d arrived at whatever place they’d been headed. What would happen now? She braced herself to deal with whatever was coming next.
Stretched out on the back seat, she couldn’t see anything. Were they in a neighborhood? Out in the middle of nowhere?
The rear door opened. One of the men stood there and stared at her. Creeped out, Jessica stared back. This was the guy who’d been in the passenger seat. His jeans and t-shirt were smeared with dirt. His hair was shaggy and greasy.
Shaggy slowly smiled, then reached for Jessica’s legs. She drew them toward her and out of his reach. Shaggy frowned, but he was forced to bend forward and lean inside the truck to reach her. She waited until his head was fully inside the truck. That’s when she struck. Her ankles were bound together, but she used that to her advantage, aiming for his chin as she smashed both feet into his face. Her precision worked. His head slammed upward into the metal frame of the truck.
He cried out, then blood poured from his mouth. Must have bit his tongue. Jessica would have grinned, but the duct tape kept her lips from moving.
He jerked backwards, out of the truck, his hands pressed to his face as blood leaked through his fingers. He swore violently, then he leaned forward like he was going to come after her.
Jessica’s heart hammered against her ribs. This guy could kill her, but she didn’t regret kicking him.
“Back off, Beau,” the man who had been driving said to Shaggy.
Beau turned to his partner. “She kicked me, man.” He took his hands away from his face to show his partner the blood.
Jessica couldn’t see the second man’s face, but she was grateful he’d stopped his buddy from retaliating against her.
“Don’t care, bro,” the second man said, “the boss wants her undamaged.”
Jessica’s stomach dropped. Who was this boss and what did he have planned? Fresh dread surged through her.
“He ain’t even here,” Beau said.
So, she had a little time before her fate was sealed. That was one thing to be grateful for.
Neither of her captors were looking her way, so she went back to picking at the edge of the duct tape. Earlier she’d managed to lift a corner. Now, she scraped at it, trying to peel it off of her mouth. It would be so much easier if one of her thumbs was free. She was scratching her own face, but she didn’t care. Desperate to get the tape off of her mouth, she scraped harder, but only managed to remove about an inch of the tape.
Shaggy—she preferred the name she’d given him to his real name—turned back to her. She dropped her hands to her stomach.
“I’ll get you back eventually,” he said with nasty grin.
Not allowing her imagination to take flight on what that would look like, Jessica shifted her eyes away from his face. She didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of knowing that inside she was quaking.
“Move aside,” the other man said to Shaggy.
Shaggy did as he was told. Clearly, this man was the one in charge. At least until their boss returned.
When he came into view, Jessica met his gaze, searching for any sign of compassion, but his dead eyes reminded her of Randy. This guy obviously saw her as an object, like she wasn’t even human. Fresh fear crashed over her.
“Don’t do anything stupid,” he said, “or I’ll let Beau do whatever he wants with you.”
That was enough of a threat to keep her from lashing out with her feet. What she wouldn’t give to have her gun in her hands.
As he reached for her, she saw a wolf tattooed on the side of his right arm.
Deciding to cooperate—maybe if she pretended to be submissive she could strike when they least expected it—she let Wolf grab her legs and pull her out of the truck.
His touch made her skin crawl, but what could she do?
When her feet touched the dirt, she took a moment to get her bearings.
Other houses were around, but they were spread out with at least fifty feet between them. Was anyone in those houses? She doubted it. Even if they were, she couldn’t scream. Not with the duct tape over her lips.
“I’m gonna free your legs,” Wolf said as he stared at her, his eyes hard as coal. “Don’t do something to make me regret it.” He narrowed his eyes. “I will kill you if you try to run.”
Jessica’s heart felt like it had stopped beating. She had no doubt he meant it. She nodded her agreement to cooperate. At least until she had a more certain chance of escaping.
Wolf stared at her a moment longer like he was trying to decide if he believed her. Then he took a knife out of a sheath at his hip and held it up so she could see the wicked blade—long and serrated. The thought of that thing sliding into her ribs made her eyes go wide and her body tremble.
A menacing grin spread across Wolf’s lips and he nodded like he knew exactly what she was thinking. He knelt at her feet and cut the duct tape in one swipe, demonstrating the sharpness of the blade.
He stood and slid the knife into his sheath, then clamped his fingers around Jessica’s upper arm. “Walk.”
Waves of terror crashed over her. They were about to go inside a building where no one would be able to see that she needed help. And what if there were others inside? Would her chances to escape diminish? Was her best chance at that very moment?
Frantic to get away, she also knew that if she did anything, Wolf would kill her. She’d seen it in his eyes.
Act like you’re going to cooperate, she told herself. Then wait for the right moment to bolt.
It felt counter-intuitive to let Wolf guide her toward the house, but she did it anyway, praying mightily the entire time.
Chapter 12
Matt
What was taking them so long? Okay, Matt knew it wasn’t unreasonable to be gone for several hours on a run, especially with the task of taking solar panels off of roofs, but every minute Jessica was gone seemed like an hour. He wanted her back home safe.
With his leg still healing, Matt had been assigned to work in the garden. He sat on a small stool and leaned forward to pull weeds. It was awkward, but he wanted to contribute however he could. Only trouble was, the garden was behind the house and he couldn’t see the driveway. Instead, he kept his ears tuned for the sound of a vehicle crunching up the driveway.
Then it came. He stood as quickly as he could and made his way around the back of the house to the front. A black Charger had pulled through the gate and was approaching the house.
Confused, Matt tilted his head. Who was this? Jeff had let the car through, so it had to be someone they knew. It must be someone from Walter’s group. Disappointed, Matt frowned.
Still, he stayed where he was. The car drew closer. Matt peered at the driver. When he recognized Derrick behind the wheel and Chris in the passenger seat, he recoiled. Where was Derrick’s truck?
He squinted, trying to see into the back seat where Jessica would be sitting. But he didn’t see her. Was she lying down, asleep?
Or was she injured? His eyes widened in alarm and he moved as fast as he could toward the Charger. Derrick got out before Matt reached the car. At the look on Derrick’s face, Matt’s heart dropped into his stomach.
Something had happened to Jessica. Something bad.
Matt stopped, his eyes riveted to Derrick. �
�Where is she?”
Derrick’s shoulders drooped. “I’m so sorry, Matt. I don’t know where she is.”
All the blood drained from his face. “What?!” How could Derrick not know where she was?
Derrick walked closer to Matt, stopping a couple of feet in front of him. He looked him right in the eye. “It’s my fault. I never should have let her go into that house alone.”
Matt knew Derrick was cautious. That was the only reason he hadn’t argued more vehemently with Jessica when she’d insisted on going. He’d trusted Derrick to keep her safe. “What happened?”
Derrick explained what had transpired, ending with, “Chris and I drove around for an hour, but we couldn’t find her or the truck. We need more people.”
Matt couldn’t believe this. Some random men had taken his Jess. It felt as if someone had put a vise around his chest and was squeezing. What was happening to her that very minute? Were they hurting her? Was she even still alive?
Frantic to find her, he turned to Jeff and Emily, who had joined them and had heard the story. “We need to go. Now.”
Everyone nodded.
Glad they were all willing to help—though he’d expected nothing less—Matt scanned the vehicles parked in the driveway. “We have four vehicles. I’ll take my truck, Derrick, you take the Charger.” He turned to Chris and Jeff, but before he said a word, Jeff said, “I’ll take Frank’s truck.”
Chris nodded. “I’ll take my SUV.”
“Wait,” Matt said as a new thought occurred to him. “Who will be here to keep watch?”
“I’ll be here,” Emily said with a smile. “And then there’s Dylan, Frank, Paisley, Amy, Brooke, and Kayla.” She placed a hand on Matt’s arm. “You guys go find Jessica. We’ve got it covered here.”
At the mention of Dylan, Matt knew he needed to tell his kids what was happening. In fact, he wanted Dylan to come with him. He’d proven to be a very able young man. “No need to tell Dylan,” he said with a grim smile. “He’s coming with me.”
Emily nodded. “Okay.”
As if they knew they were talking about them, Dylan, Kayla, and Brooke came out of the house and approached the group.
“What’s going on?” Kayla asked, her expression happy and open.
Matt didn’t want to tell her the devastating news, but he had to. He swallowed over the giant knot in his throat. “It’s Mom. She’s been…she’s been taken.”
“Taken?” Dylan asked, his eyes wide. “What are you talking about?”
Matt didn’t want to stand around explaining, so he turned to Emily. “Will you explain the situation to the girls?” He shifted his gaze to Dylan. “Come with me.”
“Wait!” Kayla said, her forehead furrowed. “I want to come.”
“No way,” Matt immediately said, his head swinging from side to side. There was no way in hell he’d let either Kayla or Brooke anywhere near where Jessica had been taken. Not with the kind of people out there who would take a wife and mother away from her family for…well, for unthinkable reasons.
Kayla must have read the emotion in his face, because she immediately backed down. “Okay.” She hugged him. “Be safe, Dad. I love you.”
He held her tight. “I love you too.” He motioned for Brooke, his unofficially adopted daughter, to join the circle. She did, and after a moment he released them. “Keep things secure here. I’ll be back with Mom before the end of the day.”
He just hoped that was a promise he could keep.
Chapter 13
Jessica
They entered the house. It was stuffy inside. And quiet. No one else seemed to be there. Relieved that she only had Wolf and Shaggy to deal with, Jessica felt her body relax a fraction.
Wolf led her to a couch where he gave her a shove, making her sit down. At least her legs were free. She hoped he wasn’t going to bind them again.
“Stay there,” he commanded, then he turned to Shaggy. “Keep an eye on her. I’ll unload the truck.”
Shaggy glared at her, then sat in a recliner adjacent to the couch.
Studiously ignoring him, Jessica watched as Wolf brought in all the boxes of food and supplies that she, Derrick, and Chris had collected. Then he brought in the inverter and solar panels, leaning the panels against a wall.
He turned his attention to her, which sent chills cascading down her spine. He gestured to the inverter and panels. “What were you gonna do with this stuff?”
She stared back, unable to speak.
He huffed a sigh and stomped over to her.
She shrank back.
He grabbed the edge of the duct tape on her mouth and ripped it off.
She gasped at the stinging pain but didn’t complain. Not after she’d been trying to work the tape off.
“Answer my question.”
Would telling him the truth hurt anything? She didn’t see how it could. Plus, she was trying to convey the fiction that she was cooperative, that she would do whatever they told her to. How else to get them to drop their guard?
Maybe she did regret kicking Shaggy in the face after all.
Meeting Wolf’s gaze, but then quickly looking away to convey her pretend-submissiveness, she said, “We wanted to make electricity.” Wasn’t it obvious? They were solar panels, after all. Even if these guys were stupid, that didn’t make them any less dangerous.
She lifted her eyes to Wolf’s. He stared at her for several moments, making her distinctly uncomfortable.
“Do you know how to hook it up?” Wolf asked.
She wished she did. That would give her leverage. Unfortunately, she had no clue. She shook her head. “No. I’m a…was…a dental hygienist.” Maybe that was something that would get their guard down. If they needed something done with their teeth, that is. Which, going by their personal hygiene, dental care was low on their list of priorities.
When Wolf didn’t reply, Jessica asked, “What do you want with me?” Although she had a pretty good idea, she wanted to draw him into a conversation. Try to get him to see her as a person. “My name’s Jessica, by the way.”
He frowned and picked up the inverter, which he examined.
This gave her an idea. “I know someone who could hook that up for you. Then you’d have an endless supply of electricity.”
He paused his study of the inverter and looked at her. “Who?”
“Friends of mine.”
Of course, her friends would kill him, so he wouldn’t actually get to use the electricity, but he didn’t have to know that.
“What would they want in return?”
Was he really that stupid? “They’d want me,” she said, shoving down the hope that he would agree to trade her for electricity. As if he would ever turn her over willingly. Then again, maybe he wanted the electricity so he could play video games. Maybe it would be worth it to him to make the trade.
“Nah,” he said, crushing her deepest desire. He turned his attention back to the inverter. “I’ll figure it out myself.”
She glanced at Shaggy. He’d fallen asleep in the recliner. Her gaze travelled back to Wolf, whose back was to her. If she was Derrick, she would already be off of the couch and taking Wolf down. But she wasn’t Derrick, and her hands were still bound.
Patience, Jess. Patience.
She leaned her head back and closed her eyes, silently praying for a way to escape.
Chapter 14
Matt
Derrick handed a walkie to Matt. “I’m not sure of the range, but we’ll each take one.”
He and Dylan, Derrick, Chris, and Jeff were about to head out. They’d quickly armed themselves before going over a map of the area where Jessica had been taken and where Derrick and Chris had already looked, planning where each of them would search.
Matt handed the walkie to Dylan, who had heard the story of what had happened from Emily as Matt was studying the map with the others.
“Again,” Derrick said to Matt, sorrow clear in his eyes, “I am so sorry.”
In the s
hort time since he’d gotten the news, it had never occurred to Matt to blame Derrick. He needed to make that clear. “Look, I don’t blame you. I should’ve tried harder to talk her out of going.” His throat hurt as he tried to swallow over the huge knot that wouldn’t go away. “If we can’t find her, I’ll never be able to forgive myself.”
“Knock it off,” Jeff said. “The only ones to blame are the losers who took her. Now, let’s go find the jackholes and send them straight to hell.”
Despite himself, Matt smiled. Count on Jeff to keep it simple. “Roger that.”
Matt and Dylan got into Matt’s truck and the other three got in their vehicles. Derrick led the way, and as they drove to the area where Jessica was last seen, Matt constantly scanned, on the lookout for either Jessica or Derrick’s truck.
At a prearranged spot, Matt and Dylan split off from the others and began slowly driving up and down every single street. Matt knew what Derrick’s truck looked like, but he had no idea if Jessica’s kidnappers would have pulled it into a garage or not. He desperately hoped they’d made the mistake of parking it where it would be visible.
Dylan was quiet in the passenger seat, his head moving as he scanned his side of the road.
Never taking his eyes away from the search, Matt said, “I appreciate you coming.”
“Of course,” Dylan said. “I want to find Mom too.”
“I know you do, but I’m proud of you for agreeing to come without hesitation.” Matt paused a moment, feeling choked up at all his son had been through over the past few weeks. “You’ve become a man, Dylan.” He glanced at his son to see Dylan beaming under his praise.
They both went back to searching. No one was around. Not a single person. He thought he would have gotten used to the way things were, but he hadn’t. Maybe he never would. He didn’t want to have to. What kind of world was it where his wife could be snatched off the street and there was nothing he could do but go out and look for her himself? No police to call. No way to alert the public—not that anyone would care. Everyone was too focused on their own survival to worry about anyone else.
Pandemic (Book 4): Insurrection Page 5