Chapter 19

Rory wasn’t sure where she was or how long it had been, but her stomach felt like she hadn’t eaten in days. They’d given her water, which kept her alive, but no matter how many times she asked, they wouldn’t give her food.

Her head hurt, and she had trouble staying awake. If they didn’t give her something to eat soon, she didn’t know what she would do.

The door opened, and light spilled in, blinding her. It was too bright for her to make out anything outside, so there were no hints about her location. The only thing she knew was some of the men spoke English, and others spoke Spanish. She guessed they were in Mexico or somewhere in Central or South America.

“Eat,” a man said as he shoved a half loaf of bread through the small opening they used to give her water.

She didn’t have to be asked twice and took the bread, biting off a chunk and chewing before swallowing. Tears filled her eyes as she ate. She didn’t want to feel indebted to this man, but naturally, she was grateful for receiving food. He shoved an orange through the hole, and she grabbed it, hugging it close to her body.

“We leave in the morning,” the man said before he locked the small pass-through and headed to the door to leave.

Rory wanted to ask questions, but he had the door open and was gone before she could swallow the bread she’d been chewing on. Where would they go? They’d given her food, but she was so weak she doubted she could devise an escape plan. First off, she couldn’t see outside, so she had no clue where they were. They could be in California, or Arizona, or some other country.

The last thing she remembered was waking up and being attacked. Her face and head were still sore. The bruised spots felt a few days old. It had to be Tuesday or Wednesday. She didn’t think a whole week had passed though.

She didn’t want to put the bread on the floor, so she broke it in two and shoved it into the pockets of the shift dress they’d given her. She peeled the orange, knowing she needed to eat the fruit if she wanted to stay alive. Maybe they were going to let her go. She prayed this was about ransom, but since they’d not asked about family members with money, she doubted they had taken her for fast cash.

The only real thing she could think of was the laptop she’d found. Her memory of when they’d taken her was foggy, and she swore she remembered them saying something about the laptop, but she wasn’t sure. If Laelyn and Toovey arranged this, she could be dead by the end of the week.

She pushed the emotions down and concentrated on eating the orange. The sweet juice felt good sliding down her throat, but it was gone too soon. The bread still sat in her pockets, which would give her something to eat the next day. She would have to go easy on the bread to extend it past one day. But it would get hard and maybe mold, so she couldn’t save it forever.

When she was ready to fall asleep, which she had no idea if it was night or morning, she closed her eyes and leaned against the back wall of her cell. Her mind wandered and she might have drifted off, but she jolted when the main door opened, and two men stepped into the room. They opened the door to her cell and dragged her out. She tried to keep up with them, but they moved too fast.

They tossed her into the trunk of a car and slammed the lid closed. She yelled for help, but there was no way anyone would help her. The car bumped along the dirt road, taking her away from any chance of escaping.

She had no way of knowing where she was or what was going on. Her throat closed as the reality of the situation hit hard. These men would decide her fate. She just hoped they let her live.