Chapter 25
Chapter Twenty-Five
T ime skipped and stuttered around Della.
She couldn’t open her eyes. She wanted to open her eyes. She had to open her eyes.
Wake up.
There was music.
It was loud. Insistent. Familiar.
The beat pounded her head. It was…
It was one of hers. “You Promised Me.”
A man was singing. “You’re my love story, baby. Just say yes, baby. We’ll stay…this way, baby…just you and me.”
He had a high tenor.
“Promise me our love story, we will make historrrryyy, baaaabyyyyy.”
He sang the crescendo louder and louder until it reverberated in her head.
He had a good voice. It was clear. Strong. The kind of voice that crooned.
Her head bumped against something hard and cold. A window. She was still in the car.
With…who?
Brace!
Annie’s voice echoed in her head.
The stalker found you.
The thought looped around and around in her head.
It made her heart thump, which made her head pound.
Her stomach gurgled and sent a burning protest up through her throat.
Sick.
She was going to…be…sick.
She tried to sit up.
Couldn’t.
Why couldn’t she move?
Drugged.
That idea chased the rest of her jumbled thoughts through the maze of her mind.
She forced her eyes open. She was slumped against a car window. Front seat. That was wrong. She was in the back seat. Before. She remembered…remembered…
Crash. There was…Something hit…the car turned over…
She moaned.
Trees and road flashed by. A sign, too fast for her to read.
Highway.
It was hot. Sun hit her face. Made her sweat.
She managed to turn her head to the side, away from the light.
The driver tapped out the beat on the steering wheel.
It wasn’t Ward. Ward had short, sexy hair. Serious face. He needed to smile.
This guy looked…slick. Big. So big. Not a sexy big. Scary big.
Familiar.
The car swerved, and her head swam.
Who was he?
Her stomach heaved. Bile filled her mouth, and she choked on it, with coughs too weak to do anything. Drool slid down her chin.
The driver glanced over at her, and his eyes widened. “Oh, hey. Don’t do that. Shit.”
The truck slowed. Stopped.
It made her head…swirl. Her stomach…
She heaved.
“Hang on. I’ve got something that’ll help.” The man leaned close to reach behind her seat.
She wanted to undo the seat belt. Open the door.
Run.
She was just so heavy. So tired. So…
Another heave shook her. She couldn’t stop. Her body slid. The seat belt dug in along her bruised chest. She moaned.
The man put his hands on her arm. They were hot. She tried to push him away.
“It’ll be better for you if you sleep through this part.” He soothed.
Something bit her upper arm. Fire spread into her neck, her chest, everywhere.
She’d never liked drugs. Didn’t use them. She opened her mouth to tell him that, but then it was too hard to find…words…
Darkness reached out with shadowy fingers and dragged Della back into oblivion.