spotted me and rushed after me, but I didnât slow down.
The streets were busy this time of day, and I picked up speed, weaving through the crowd.
I just needed a few minutes alone. Just a little distance from Alexander.
My wolf whined at the separation, but I pushed through it needed to get far enough away that she would stop reacting to him. I needed to get my thoughts straight.
Then something slammed into my back.
I crashed to the sidewalk, my breath knocked from my lungs. Before I could stand, powerful hands clamped over my arms.
I twisted, trying to see who was grabbing me, but suddenly I was movingâhauled through the air.
A car trunk slammed shut, the sound ringing in my ears.
And that was when I realized what was happening.
I was being kidnapped.
Again, Todayâs Bonus Offer GET IT NOW X The trunk lamuned shot and it felt like my heart stopped rating Khan t know how long 1 lay there, pain shocked, trying to register what had happened. One second, I was storming oft in a hit, the rest, I was being kidnapped.
I could hear James yelling my name, but not in a panicked ay. That meant he hadnât witnessed it he was just trying to figane out where I had run off to. He had no idea.
I opened my mouth to call out to him, then the engine roared to life and my voice was drown out. Then the car started moving.
I took several deep breaths, forcing myself to stay calm. I wasnât a fool I had been ffirough this before and survived. As sick as I felt about the situation, I wasnât completely panicked.
But I did feel like an absolute idiot.
I should have known better than to storm off like that. The whole reason I was mad at Alexander was that I felt he wasnât taking the danger seriously enoughâso what was my brilliant solution? To run off and put myself in even more danger.
God, how could I be so dumb?
I forced myself to steady my breathing. I needed to think clearly, to find a way out.
Trunks usually had an emergency release to prevent people from getting trapped inside, so I felt around in the dark, searching for it. When I couldnât find anything, I pulled out my phone and turned on the flashlight.
The ride was rough, the car jostling me around, making it hard to focus. But then I saw itâa damaged spot where the emergency release should have been.
My blood ran cold.
Whoever had taken me had modified the car to make escape impossible.
That, combined with the quick and effortless way they had grabbed me, made it obvious that this was worse than I had imagined.
They planned this carefully. They knew what they were doing.
They were professionals.
As terrifying as that realization was, I knew that I had to control myself. Panic wouldnât help me now.
The car was moving fast, and I knew I had only a short window to figure something out. My eyes scanned the cramped space, looking for anything useful. There was nothing I could use to pry the trunk openâbut I did spot a latch leading to the interior of the car.
It wasnât ideal, but it was better than nothing.
If I was able to surprise the driver, then I might be able to force him off of the road. Or maybe I could get the attention of another driver or someone on the street. I had to at least try.
I grabbed it and yanked hard. The seat folded forward, collapsing into the back of the car.
Without hesitating, I scrambled through the opening.
The driver made a startled sound and slammed on the brakes.
1/3 im me nivinir forward. My head fill some line hari, and pain exploded behind my eyes. Dazed. the driver cursing as he threw the back de ropen.
feeling made it dimeilt to mact, but when he gebed my ankle and began pulling me towards him të të I kicked at him with all my strength, but he was huge well over six feet tall, broad and solld like a wall. There was no way could overpower him.
I began to scream as loud as I could. I couldnât see past him so I didnât know if there were any other people around. All I could do was hope that I was loud enough for omeone to hear, He climbed into the back seat, pinning me beneath his weight. My arms were wrenched behind me, bound tightly with something thinâshoelaces, maybe? It wasnât rope, but it still bit into my skin when I struggled.
âYouâre only going to make things worse if you keep this up,â he said gruffly.
I didnât respond. My mind was spinning, trying to think of my next moveâbut I was drawing a blank.
He grabbed me again. I kicked, desperate, but it was just as useless as before.
With an annoyed grunt, he shoved me back into the trunk and slammed the seat up, trapping me in the darkness once more.
A sob escaped my throat, but it wasnât one of sadness or fear. It was frustration.
I was angryâangry at being helpless again, angry that I had let this happen. Worst of all, I had no one to blame but myself. I had put myself in danger, and this was the result.
Are you happy now? I thought bitterly to my wolf. This is where your angry tantrums get us.
It probably wasnât fair of me to blame her. She had been lost in the darkness for so longâit was only natural that she would struggle with her emotions.
I shifted around, trying to free my hands, but it was useless. The more I struggled, the tighter the bindings became. If I didnât stop, Iâd end up seriously injuring myself.
As I adjusted in the cramped darkness, my shoulder bumped somethingâsuddenly, light flooded the small space.
My phone.
I must have knocked it into a position where the flashlight was visible again.
Hope flared inside me as I wiggled toward it, but the moment was shortâlived. My hands were tied behind my back. There was no way I could use the phoneâat least, not easily.
I wasnât going to give up.
There had to be some way to alert Alexander. I didnât know where I was or where I was being taken, but if anyone could find me, it was him. He had his waysâhis secretive, mysterious waysâand right now, I needed them.
James was probably still looking for me. Not much time had passed. Or at least, it didnât feel that way.
I lowered my head beside the phone, and my cheek brushed the screen. A soft vibration followed. My heart skipped a beat. It had registered my touchâtelling me that I had failed to unlock it.
Which meant...
It could still recognize my face.
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