19. Allie
Allie
I was cold.
And scared. But honestly, right now, mostly I was pissed off.
Yep, pissed off was winning against the scared.
I fought the ropes on my wrists. I was still blindfolded, so I had no idea where I was. The two jerks hadn’t been gentle about manhandling me in here.
Wherever here was.
I was inside a building, but it was still cold and damp, especially since I was sitting on a freezing-cold, concrete floor.
Every movement I made seemed to echo, so maybe somewhere industrial?
Someplace empty, or abandoned? My face and hand were throbbing.
I’d scraped my hand when I’d fallen, and then they’d banged my face against the car.
Assholes .
I suspected it was Blake and his friends, but they hadn’t let me see them, and they’d spoken in low whispers.
Watch yourself, bitch.
Nosy bitches get what they deserve.
It had to be the ESG. Who else could it be?
They’d dumped me here, then disappeared. I hadn’t heard a single sound in ages.
My rage ignited.
How dare they kidnap me? I had a kid who depended on me. They were criminal assholes who hurt people.
They were going down. I’d make sure of it.
Caden had been on the phone. He’d heard me get abducted. My stomach cramped. He’d be losing his mind.
Feverishly, I kept working the rope. It loosened.
“Come on,” I urged.
But it wouldn’t budge enough for me to get my hands free. Dammit .
I switched to trying to pull my blindfold off. I did some pretty impressive acrobatics, rubbing my face against my shoulder. They’d tied it tightly and it was digging into the side of my head. I had no idea where my kidnappers were, or if they were coming back. I wasn’t planning to wait around.
The blindfold slipped down around my neck.
“ Yes .” I blinked, glancing around. It was dark, but there was a faint light coming through some windows at the front of the building.
I was in a huge, empty warehouse.
Pressing my tied hands to my stomach, I took a quick stock of the situation. I was alive. I wasn’t badly hurt. I was alone.
And I was damn well getting out of here.
I pushed to my feet, shivering. It was so cold.
I hurried to the front of the building, my footsteps echoing.
The place looked like it had been abandoned for a while.
The dust was thick on the scarred floor and there wasn’t anything around.
I peered out the dirty windows. There were several other warehouse buildings nearby, but no cars or people.
It took me a moment, but I figured out where I was.
It was a small industrial area just outside of Windward.
Okay, Allie. Get out. Flag down a car, and call for help.
Suddenly, I heard the sound of an engine and the crunch of tires on gravel. I ducked down, as lights flickered across the warehouse.
Oh, God. Had my abductors come back?
Gut churning, I tried to make a plan. Get outside and hide . That was the best I had.
I heard the low murmur of deep voices. Shit . It had to be my captors.
Hunching over, I darted across the front of the warehouse, then paused with my back pressed to the wall. The handle on the door rattled, the sound echoing through the warehouse.
My pulse went crazy.
Then I heard muffled voices out front. “I’ll head around the back.” It was a man’s voice I didn’t recognize.
Crap . I darted along the wall, away from the voices. I needed another way out.
I paused again. Were those footsteps? I bit my lip, my fingers numb from the cold. I reached another window and peered through it. All I saw was darkness and dancing shadows.
But as I stood there, the huge bulk of a man emerged from the darkness. I sucked in a breath and stumbled backward.
Oh, hell. He was looking around, then his attention centered on me through the glass.
Run, Allie.
He stepped closer and our gazes met.
Caden .
As I sucked in a breath, relief crashed through me. I watched numerous emotions cross his face.
Then he took several steps back, and suddenly ran toward me.
My mouth dropped open. As I watched, he lowered his shoulder and leaped through the window.
Glass shattered. I watched him roll across the concrete floor, then come up to his feet. My heart fluttered.
He’d come for me. Like some sort of superhero or a super-spy.
“Allie.” He closed the distance between us.
I’d been doing okay up until now, riding my wave of fear and anger.
Now, I lost it.
I threw myself at him, and he caught me, yanking me into his arms.