Chapter 31
Chapter Thirty-One
Delilah
T he store has been slower than usual all month, which is quite common for January. Everyone spent their money before the holidays and no one's buying lingerie in the middle of winter. We mostly sell underwear and bras this time of year, but with less customers coming in, it makes the day drag on.
"You wanna take a second break?" I ask Mattie, sitting at my desk and twirling my pen. "No point in both of us bored off our asses."
"Sure, I could go for a smoothie. Want one?"
"No, thanks. I'm not hungry."
"You gotta eat, Delilah. I know you're tryin' to lose weight to fit into a weddin' gown, but one smoothie won't kill ya."
"I haven't even had time to look for a dress. Hopefully in a few weeks, though."
We've set a wedding date for the end of May, so now we have to get everythin' ordered and scheduled. The plan is to get a white tent and have it at the ranch, so we have to rent tables and chairs on top of it. Plus the DJ, catering, and everything else that comes with having a wedding.
Although I'm already stressed thinking about it, it's been a nice distraction for my mom and me as we approach the anniversary of my dad's death.
"Did you let Jonah know we're meetin' at Milly's Diner tonight instead?" she asks, grabbing her coat and bag.
Since it's Thursday and Wilder has his anger management class tonight, we're going out for dinner and drinks, but I wasn't in the mood for Mexican so we're going somewhere else. Raven meets us every week, too, so it's been fun going out with the four of us. Each week we try to come up with new baby name ideas and every time she vetoes them.
I'm determined to come up with one she actually likes. Otherwise, when she gives birth in a few weeks, her baby won't have one.
"He hasn't responded, but I'll try him again," I say, grabbing my phone.
"Okay, be back in a few."
When she leaves, I go to the front and stand behind the counter, then decide to text Jonah again.
Delilah
Hey, are you still up for dinner tonight? We're going to Milly's.
It shows that it was delivered but he hasn't read any of my earlier texts. Even though he's at work and they're not supposed to be on their phones, I know they take breaks.
If anyone knows where he is, it should be Wilder.
Delilah
Can you tell Jonah to check his messages when he gets the chance? I want to make sure he sees where we're meeting tonight.
Also, love you and miss you!
After a few minutes, he replies.
Wilder
No clue. Bastard didn't show up for work this morning and hasn't returned any of my texts or calls.
Delilah
That's not like him. I'm gonna see if Raven has heard from him.
Wilder
Let me know or he's gonna get fired.
Delilah
Just wait! There might be a legit reason.
He replies with an eye-roll emoji.
Wilder
And I miss and love you too.
My heart still flutters when he says those three words.
Whether it be in the mornings before he takes off for work, when he gets home at night, or when we're naked in bed, I can't get enough of it.
Delilah
Have you heard from your brother today? He didn't show up for work and hasn't responded to my texts. I'm worried about him.
But she doesn't reply to me either.
That's not out of the ordinary with her, though. Since she works remotely, they track her computer usage to make sure she's logged on during work hours, so she can only check her phone periodically.
When the bell above the door rings, I assume it's Mattie returning from the café, but when I glance up, I'm surprised to see it's Jonah.
"Hey!" I beam, tucking my phone into my pocket. "I've been?—"
"I need you to walk out the back with me and get in my truck, Delilah," he says with his hands tucked in the pockets of his black coat.
I furrow my brows at his tone. "What?"
His demeanor is all wrong. He's tense and stiff, and his eyes are bloodshot.
"Go out the backdoor with me and get inside my truck," he repeats firmly.
"Jonah, I don't know what you're talkin' about, but I can't leave the store without someone here."
He removes one of his hands and reveals a gun. "Now, Delilah."
My eyes laser focus on the weapon pointing at me and then I can't breathe.
He wouldn't shoot me, would he?
We've spent countless hours hanging out, talking about personal shit, and growing closer.
This isn't like him.
"Move!" he shouts, causing me to jump out of my skin.
"Okay, I'm goin'..." I slowly walk backward, then turn around when we get to the back.
"Where're you takin' me?" I whisper.
"You'll find out. Just go. My truck's right outside."
I push open the door, fighting back my emotions because even though I know this isn't the Jonah I've come to think of as a brother, something is terribly wrong with him.
He opens the passenger side door, and I hesitate to comply. Maybe if I stall him, Mattie will return and distract him. Then I can smack the gun out of his hand and run.
But what if he uses it on Mattie instead?
I can't risk him hurting her because of me.
"C'mon, get in." He thrusts the barrel of the gun into my spine.
I jump in and he nods toward the belt. "Buckle in."
"Now what?" I snap once I'm secure.
"Don't move or try anythin', Delilah. I don't wanna have to hurt you."
"Then why're you doin' this?"
Instead of responding, he slams the door in my face and rushes around the front of the truck before jumping inside.
"This'll be over soon, I promise."
"That's not exactly reassurin' from someone who just kidnapped me at gunpoint."
He doesn't respond as he drives us out of the parking lot, but instead of driving through downtown where someone could see me, he takes the backroads out of Sugarland Creek.
I can't help thinking how confused and scared Mattie will be when she sees I'm not there.
My purse. My car. My jacket. All left there.
But I'll be nowhere to be found.
My phone... is in my pocket?
I quietly and slowly double-check it's still in there and breathe a half-sigh of relief when I feel that it is. Not that he won't notice me using it even if I were slick enough to send a text to Wilder or Mattie.
But if I slide it out and hide it underneath my thigh, maybe I can squeeze the two side buttons to trigger the emergency call pop up.
I wait until his attention moves and once he looks to the left side at a four-way intersection, I shift my body just the slightest to where it looks like I'm readjusting. I manage to wiggle two fingers in my pocket and pull out my phone.
I conceal it with my hand before gliding it halfway under my thigh.
"Sit still," he barks, making my heart stop.
Leaning back against the seat to avoid him paying attention to me, his gaze returns to the road.
Without moving, I look down and lift my leg just enough to get my fingers around my phone. I squeeze the two side buttons until the red bar appears and prompts me to swipe.
Without drawing attention to what I'm doing, I swipe the screen. Then I lower the volume so he doesn't hear them on the other line.
"Jonah, where are we?" I ask, hoping he'll give something away. I need to provide a landmark or something.
Assuming they can even hear me.
"I don't recognize this road," I say, hoping to prompt him to speak.
"Are we headin' out of state?" I try again, but the fear of that happening is real.
None of this makes sense.
What the hell does he want with me and why can't he tell me?
"No, it's only an hour away."
"An hour from Sugarland Creek?"
"Yeah."
"East or West?"
I didn't pay attention because I was too busy panicking and coming up with a plan to get my phone.
He turns and looks at me suspiciously. "East."
I nod, swallowing hard.
"Can you tell me why? Why're you takin' me an hour east?"
"Not yet."
I tap my foot, trying to come up with more questions to keep him talking and revealing where we're headed.
"Does Raven know you're doin' this?"
His fingers tighten around the steering wheel and he clicks his jaw.
"Just be quiet. No more talkin'."
I keep my mouth shut but manage to tap my screen to see if I'm still connected. With a sigh of relief, I can only hope they have a way to track my location or can overhear our conversation.
Sugarland Creek is already on the east side of the state, but he said we weren't leaving Tennessee, so it has to be close to the border.
A call from Mattie comes through and I contemplate answering it but I don't want to hang up on 911, so I send it to voicemail.
Then a bunch of texts come through.
Fuck.
With one finger, I swipe over to my text messages and do my best to keep my head up while looking down and typing.
Delilah
SOS.
Jonah.
Gun.
Then before I can send her my location, Jonah shouts at me.
"What're you doin'?"
Tucking the phone under my thigh, I sit up straighter. "Nothin'."
Keeping one hand on the steering wheel, he leans over and grabs my wrist. Then he rubs his hand along the seat and feels it.
I stretch out my leg, adding pressure to it, but he's stronger than me and pulls it out.
"Goddammit, Delilah." He rolls down his window and chucks it.
"Hey! What the fuck?"
"Quit playin' games," he hisses. "Just sit there and?—"
Something comes over me and my fight or flight response finally triggers. Making sure there aren't any cars coming toward us, I grab the steering wheel and jerk it as hard as I can toward me, and then brace for impact.
"Stop!" he shouts, trying to redirect the wheel, but I hold on with every ounce of strength I have.
The truck swerves into the other lane, but he slams on the brakes too late. We slide down a steep ditch and drive into a tree.
"He's gonna kill her!"
Those are the last words I hear before the airbags deploy and my body jerks back into the seat, causing my head to smack against the window.
And then it goes quiet and dark.