Chapter 19
Becca had never enjoyed housekeeping. It’s not like anyone truly wanted to spend their day vacuuming or throwing out cans of food that had expired ten years ago.
But she found a kind of peace in setting Carl’s home in order.
And if nothing else, she knew Alan appreciated her efforts.
He said so when he came home for lunch. But he was running late, so there wasn’t much time for anything but the usual “Is there any news?” and “Oh my God, this tastes great!” Neither of them had more information and Carl texted a big “nothing yet” every hour, which was enough to make her seriously crazy.
By midafternoon, the walls started closing in on her.
She had to get out of the house or commit hara-kiri.
So, taking Carl’s truck, she headed out to the supermarket.
Forcing the men to eat some fresh vegetables would be a good way for her to burn off excess energy.
And she could pretend she was cooking for Theo, too.
For when Carl brought him home safe and sound this evening.
She pulled into the Walmart parking lot and picked a spot well clear of other cars.
She wasn’t used to handling a truck and didn’t want to damage it or another vehicle as she maneuvered the huge thing into a slot.
An hour later, she was cursing the distance as she pushed her cart down the long row.
The wind had picked up and her face burned from the cold.
Odd that there were two more vehicles parked on either side of her, a truck and a van.
There were lots of other spaces closer up and now she’d have to be extra careful not to sideswipe them as she backed out.
She was just running through her meatloaf recipe, trying to remember if there was any ketchup left back at the house, when the door to the truck on her right opened.
A thick-jawed guy who seriously needed a haircut stepped out and nodded to her.
She smiled vaguely back at him as she pressed the key fob to unlock the truck.
And then she heard the door on the van and had her first stirring of alarm.
She turned to look, but it was already too late.
Thick jaw guy moved fast, slapping a foul-smelling cloth over her face.
She tried to scream, but barely got out a squeak.
Her heartbeat slammed against her throat and her vision started fuzzing out.
She managed a kick, feeling gratified when she heard an annoyed grunt, but that was all she got.
She couldn’t claw his arm away from her face and she couldn’t stop breathing, whatever it was that fogged her mind.
Seconds later, the world went black.