CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

April’s entire body shook as she held a hand to her face. Ryan couldn’t have just jerked the phone from her hand to stop the call. No, that would be too reasonable. Instead, he’d punched her. It hurt. A lot. Then he’d laughed, turned off the phone after she’d dropped it in shock, and thrown it out the window.

They drove in silence for another twenty miles or so before Ryan pulled off the highway on what looked like a completely desolate exit. He steered the truck to the side of the road and got out without another word.

April’s heart thumped hard in her chest. There was no telling what he had planned next. Now that she’d called Jack, he could kill her and dump her body in the miles of wilderness around them. Or he could kill the other girls and leave their bodies to rot. He could rape them, separate them by giving them to other people . . . her mind spun with the possibilities, and none of them were good.

He wrenched open her door, making her cry out in surprise as her wrist was still connected to the handle. She almost fell onto the dirt-packed ground, and Ryan laughed again, as if her body being jerked around was the funniest thing he’d ever seen.

He grabbed her wrist in a grip so hard, April winced in pain. This man might not be tall, but he was still way stronger than she’d ever be. He unlocked the handcuff from around the door handle but left the other end around her wrist. Then he stared at her for a long moment.

April held her breath. This was it. She was going to die. Right here and now. Her only solace was that she’d been able to tell Jack she loved him one more time, during their call.

But instead of pulling out that damn gun of his and shooting her, Ryan pointed to the back door. “If you want that shit for your friends, get it now. You have ten seconds.”

April was moving before he’d even stopped talking. She wanted those blankets. And food and water.

She threw two comforters over her shoulder and grabbed a pillow. She shoved a twelve-pack of water into the pillowcase and hugged it to her chest. Then she reached into the box again and picked up several plastic bags, draping them around her wrist and arm. She had a feeling it had already been more than ten seconds, so she was reluctantly grateful to Ryan for letting her grab as much as she did. Of course, he didn’t bother to carry any of the stuff, just left her to shuffle along in front of him as he pushed her toward the back of the trailer.

As he used a small key to unlock the padlock on the door, once again April had a wild urge to drop everything and run. She could disappear into the woods around them and wait for someone else to stop so she could call for help. She could tell the police what the truck and trailer looked like. They could track down Ryan and rescue Carlise, June, and Marlowe.

But she wouldn’t leave her friends to an uncertain fate. No way. They were in this together, and somehow, someway, they’d get through it.

The trailer door creaked as it opened, and April’s heart sank at seeing her friends. They were huddled in the back corner of the space. Carlise and Marlowe had June between them, and they were all clutching each other as if they were sure they were about to die.

Anger once more swelled up inside April. Ryan was inhuman for what he was doing.

“Well?” he barked as he looked at her. “Get in!”

She moved then, awkwardly climbing back into the trailer and going to her knees to scoot toward her friends. The door slammed behind her, loud enough to make April’s ears ring, and the darkness seemed even blacker now that she’d been out of the trailer for so long.

“It’s okay,” she said quietly. “I’ve got blankets. And food and water. We’re going to be all right.”

“Water?” June croaked.

April swallowed hard and nodded. No one could see her, so she forced herself to sound more cheerful than she felt. “Yes.” She leaned over, and the pressure on her arm was immediately lessened as the bags came to rest on the floor of the trailer. The handcuff dangling from her wrist jingled as she reached into the pillowcase and pulled out three waters.

“There’s only twelve bottles, so we need to conserve them as much as we can,” she warned as she shuffled her way over to where she’d last seen her friends. She touched a foot first, then suddenly she was yanked into the huddle.

“We were so scared for you!” Carlise admitted.

“We thought maybe he was hurting you. That he’d killed you and was planning on doing the same to us. Are you okay?” Marlowe asked in a shaky voice.

“I’m all right,” April reassured them. “I have a lot to tell you, but not yet. Drink,” she said as she sat back, blinking away tears she was grateful her friends couldn’t see. She felt overly emotional. She should feel better, since she’d been able to talk to Jack and give him some information and because they now had blankets to keep them warm and food and water to fill their bellies. But for some reason, after talking with Ryan, she was even more scared than she’d been before.

Whatever Ryan had planned, it wasn’t good. Not for them, and not for their men. She trusted Jack and his team, but Ryan had obviously planned this revenge for a very long time. Revenge for what, she had no idea—but his goal was death. For all of them.

A hand brushed against hers, and she released the bottle of water she’d been gripping. The other two were taken from her, and she heard the crack of the plastic tops being opened.

April was thirsty herself. She’d only had a few ice cubes to tide her over, but she wasn’t pregnant. Her friends needed the water more than she did.

“Oh my God, that’s the best water I’ve ever had in my life,” June exclaimed with a small laugh. “Even warm, I’ve never tasted anything better.”

The others agreed, then Marlowe asked, “What in the world happened while you were out there?”

For some reason, April didn’t want to talk about it yet. Didn’t want to scare her friends more than they already were. “First, blankets. And I have a pillow! Only one, so we’ll have to share, but it should make it a little more comfortable in here.”

She scooted back toward the mound of supplies she’d brought and separated the blankets from the bags. She tried to fluff up the pathetic pillow Ryan had provided, refusing to think of where he’d gotten it and whose head might have been on it last.

She brought the items over to her friends, then she was rummaging blindly through the bags, trying to remember what she’d seen before looping the handles over her arm.

Her hand touched on something long and skinny and obviously metal. Excitement rose within her as she fumbled with the object for a moment before saying, “Everyone close your eyes for a second.”

“What’s the point? We can’t see anything anyway,” Carlise grumbled.

“I know, but trust me, do it,” April cajoled.

She waited a beat, then clicked the small button on the side of the flashlight she’d found with the food. Immediately, a bright light filled the trailer, illuminating every dent in the metal, every piece of dirt on the floor, the bucket in the corner . . . and her three friends.

“Holy crap, is that what I think it is?” June asked. Her eyes were still scrunched closed, but it was obvious she and the others could see the change in light through their eyelids.

“Yes. It’s really bright in here now, though, so open your eyes slowly,” she warned.

Within a minute, all the girls were huddled around her, peering into the bags, exclaiming excitedly over the food. Crackers, meat sticks, potato chips, and other snacks. It looked like Ryan had raided a convenience store for the crap in the bags, but it was food, so no one was complaining.

“Wait,” Carlise barked, startling everyone. “What did you have to do in order to get this stuff?” she asked. “And don’t lie. Did he hurt you? Your eye is swollen.” Her eyes suddenly widened in alarm. “And are those handcuffs on your wrist?”

April had hoped the food would distract everyone a little longer and give her more time to come up with something to tell them that wouldn’t completely freak them out. But then again, these women were some of the strongest people she’d ever met. They’d already been to hell and back, and no matter how much she wanted to shield them, they deserved to know what Ryan had planned. Or at least what he’d told her.

“I’m okay,” she reassured them quickly. “He cuffed me to the door, probably so I wouldn’t try to jump out while he was driving. And mostly, Ryan just liked messing with me. Making me feel stupid. But I didn’t have to do anything repulsive to get this stuff. Though I would have,” she admitted. “I would’ve done just about anything he wanted if it meant ensuring you guys were more comfortable.”

“No,” June said with a scowl, obviously angry. “Absolutely not. And this goes for the rest of you too,” she said as she eyed the other women. “No one willingly does anything that will get them hurt, physically or mentally, just to spare anyone else. That’s how kidnappers operate. They use one person against another. Those bastards tried to do that with Cal and the guys when they were prisoners. He told me about it one night, after he’d had a nightmare. I know he didn’t really want to, but I was hoping talking would help.

“He said the terrorists constantly said they’d stop hurting them if they gave up information. They’d told one of the guys they’d stop hurting Callum, specifically, if they outlined the details of their mission. They tried to use the men’s loyalty against them. We have to stay strong. Together. Got it?”

Everyone nodded, and for the first time April realized they were experiencing something akin to what their men had suffered, in some ways. Not nearly on the same level, as they weren’t being beaten or carved up with knives, but the emotions were similar.

“Carlise is right. Your eye is swollen. Did he hit you?” Marlowe asked April.

She nodded. “Yeah. You know, I’ve seen countless movies where people are hit, and they shake it off and continue with whatever it was they were doing. But I have to say . . . it hurt. I literally couldn’t breathe for a moment, and I couldn’t have fought back if I’d wanted to,” April admitted.

“Right?” June said. “That shit hurts!”

Before she knew it, Marlowe had moved next to her and wrapped an arm around her waist, June had moved to her other side and done the same, and Carlise had scooted forward so her knees were touching April’s, and she lifted a hand to her face. Her fingers barely skimmed over the skin there, and she frowned as she examined her. “I wish we had some ice,” she muttered.

April couldn’t help but smile at that. “While we’re wishing, I could use a Sprite,” she whispered.

The others chuckled around her before the mood turned serious once more. “Talk to us,” Carlise said urgently. “What happened, and don’t leave anything out.”

So April told her friends everything. About her feelings, what Ryan had said, every time he taunted her, about the phone call with Jack, about the leftover fries and hamburger . . . and her suspicions about what might happen when they arrived in Colorado.

“I tried to give Jack clues, but they were awful. There’s no way he’ll be able to make heads or tails of them. I’m not that good at thinking on my feet, and it’s harder than you think to come up with anything useful when the pressure’s on.”

“I’m sure you did fine, and JJ and our guys are smart. They’ll understand,” Carlise soothed.

“Colorado is a long way away,” June fretted. She had one hand on her belly and was staring off into space.

“We’ve only stopped for short periods of time since we started,” April tried to reassure her. “Ryan’s not messing around. He wants to get there as fast as he can.”

“The cramps or contractions or whatever they are haven’t stopped,” June admitted. “They’re getting stronger.”

Fear almost overwhelmed April, but she locked it down. “Maybe you having that baby in here will gross Ryan out and make him think twice about what he’s doing,” she said lamely.

“No, it’ll give him someone else to threaten,” June said, a tear falling down her face. “And someone else to use to hurt Cal.”

“Or maybe it’ll give Cal more incentive to kill him,” Carlise said firmly.

“Exactly. And I know you and Cal have already been considering names, but I’m thinking maybe Trail,” Marlowe joked. “Short for Trailer.”

June snorted.

“Or Truckee,” Marlowe added.

“Maybe Royce . . . you know, after Cal’s SUV,” Carlise suggested with a grin.

“Cooper, Aston, Lincoln,” Marlowe continued.

“Buck,” Carlise said, motioning toward the bucket in the corner with her head.

June was giggling now. “Um, love you guys, but no. Hell no.”

“Ford? I know—Cruz, since we’re cruisin’ down the road,” April said, grateful that Marlowe had changed the mood in the trailer.

They continued to suggest names based on vehicles and on their situation.

When they seemed to run out of steam, June said quietly, “Maximilian. Max for short. We talked about it a little bit. It’s a name that runs in Cal’s family.”

“It’s awesome,” April said sincerely.

“I love it,” Marlowe told her.

“Max and Bax . . . they’ll be brothers,” Carlise said.

Everyone laughed. Baxter, the dog who’d saved Carlise from a snowstorm and led her to Chappy’s cabin, was definitely always going to be the Chapmans’ firstborn.

June took a deep breath, then turned to April. “So . . . he’s taking us to Colorado. Then what? How will our guys find us? And what do you think he has planned for them?”

“I don’t know, but I’m guessing he’ll either let me call Jack again and tell him where we are, or he’s got something else up his sleeve. As far as what he has planned . . . it won’t be good.”

“Then we’ll have to do what we can to help,” Marlowe said firmly. “We aren’t helpless. Even if we’re pregnant and not as strong as Ryan, there’s four of us and one of him.”

“We’ve been in tough spots before. We can outsmart this asshole,” Carlise agreed.

“Maybe me having this baby will rattle him. He can order us to be quiet, but a newborn can’t exactly be threatened into silence,” June said.

April shivered. Babies couldn’t be threatened, but they could be silenced . . . permanently. She made the decision right then and there: if June had her baby before they were rescued—and they would be rescued, she refused to think otherwise—she’d do whatever it took to keep Ryan from ever touching little Max.

“Right, so . . . for now, we need to get some calories in us, even if they’re junk calories, get some rest, and wait for whatever happens next,” April said firmly. “I suggest we spread one of the comforters on the floor to protect from the cold seeping through the metal, and use the other as a blanket. You three can probably fit under it together.”

“What about you?” Carlise asked with a frown.

“I’ll be okay. I’m not pregnant like the rest of you.”

“Nope, not happening. We share,” Marlowe said firmly. “We’re pregnant, not invalids.”

“I know, but . . . please,” April begged. “I’ll be okay. I’m not even cold.” That was a small lie, but she didn’t feel the least bit guilty about it. “I can snuggle up against whoever’s on the end. How about that?”

It took a while, but finally the others agreed. After using the bucket once more and eating some of the junk food, they put June in the middle, Carlise against the side of the trailer, and Marlowe on the other side. April lay down in front of Marlowe and clicked off the flashlight. They knew they needed to preserve the batteries, but the dark made their situation feel that much more scary.

“They’re coming,” she whispered after a moment. “You should’ve heard Jack. He was so pissed, but controlled. They’re going to find us, and it’ll be okay. I know it.”

The others murmured their agreement and fell silent, each lost in her own thoughts.

It was hard to believe that just that morning, April had been lying next to Jack, replete from his latest bout of lovemaking, warm and safe.

She’d be there again. She wouldn’t allow herself to think otherwise.