Chapter 18
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Kara’s blood froze in her veins.
Nolan.
How the hell had he found her? Where had he been all this time?
But honestly, she had more pressing things to worry about at the moment…namely, breathing.
The cord or rope that he’d wrapped around her throat was tight, but it wasn’t cutting off all her oxygen. She could get just enough into her lungs to keep her conscious and aware of what was going on around her.
Nolan had hidden in the back seat and obviously forced Jen to call her and get her to agree to come with her. She had no doubt whatsoever that Jen was just as much a victim in this.
“Drive,” Nolan ordered Jen. “And don’t do anything stupid, or I’ll kill her right here and now.”
He wouldn’t. Kara knew that as well as she knew her name. He wanted her alive, to torture. To make her regret leaving him. But Jen didn’t know that. And Kara couldn’t speak, the cord was too tight. All she could do was try to get her fingers under it, try to loosen it more so she could…
Could what? Escape? That wasn’t happening. She knew that. Her brain was trying to deny it, but she was well and truly fucked. The happiness she’d felt since arriving in Virginia was a thing of the past. Nolan wouldn’t let her go. He was going to kill her this time—after he’d tortured her.
But Jen was innocent in all this. Nolan didn’t want her; she was a means to an end. And Kara knew she had to do everything possible to get Jen out of Nolan’s clutches. Of course, right now, she couldn’t do much of anything other than struggle to breathe.
Jen did as she was ordered and drove.
“Stop the goddamn blubbering!” Nolan shouted at one point. “It’s fucking irritating.”
“Asher, please—”
“Shut the fuck up, bitch!”
This was Asher? Jen’s new man, the one she’d been so happy about?
No wonder none of them had met him. He’d been lying low.
Purposely not meeting any of Jen’s friends.
Kara’s heart hurt for the sweet woman. She knew firsthand how charming and manipulative Nolan could be.
And the knowledge that he’d probably been spying on her the entire time he was pretending to be into Jen chilled her to the bone.
Silence filled the car as Jen continued to follow Nolan’s directions.
Well, silence other than the wheezing from Kara as she continued to try to breathe.
Her ex had tied the rope around the headrest, making it impossible for her to move.
She was completely at the mercy of the psychopath who’d hurt her so much already.
But something happened as Jen struggled to stop crying and continued to drive—Kara’s anger grew with each passing minute.
She hadn’t done anything wrong. Not a damn thing to deserve this! She’d broken up with Nolan, but she wasn’t a bitch about it. Not that rejection was really the point. He was a complete psychopath who was always going to betray her trust.
No. She didn’t deserve this, and neither did Jen. And the pain Nolan was causing not only to both of them, but to Arrow and their friends, was unacceptable. The pain he’d caused to all his victims and their loved ones made her fury hard to contain.
Kara made a mental vow to stay strong and vigilant, to outsmart her kidnapper. To stay alive until Arrow could find her. And she had no doubt that he’d do everything in his power to do just that. He was her hero, he had resources that Nolan couldn’t hope to outsmart.
He’d find her and kill Nolan.
And Kara wouldn’t blink.
“Here, pull in there. Now!”
Jen yanked the wheel to the right onto a dirt path that led into the trees lining the side of the road they’d been on.
This didn’t bode well for either one of them, but again, Kara was fairly certain Nolan wouldn’t kill her right away. He’d want to gloat and boast about how he’d found her. Then he’d want to hurt her, make her pay for rejecting him. His ego wouldn’t let him kill her quickly and be done with it.
But Jen?
It was her friend Kara was worried about at the moment.
The PT Cruiser bumped along the rough path and came to a stop at the edge of what looked like a swamp. Kara had no idea where they were, but panic was making it even harder to breathe.
“No,” she tried to say, but the word was nothing but an exhale of air.
Nolan grabbed Jen by the hair and yanked as he got out of the car, but the wig she was wearing came off in his hand instead.
“Fucking freak, get out of the car!” he yelled.
Jen shrieked and fell to her knees when he grabbed her arm and pulled her out of the driver’s seat. Nolan jerked her up and force-marched her to the front of the vehicle.
Then he proceeded to beat the hell out of her.
Kara stared in shock at Nolan. It became abundantly clear how Jen had no idea that the guy she was seeing was actually the same guy who’d abducted, assaulted, and planned to kill Kara.
His hair looked weird, was a different color, he had on glasses, and he’d grown facial hair.
He’d completely disguised himself, made himself look completely different so he wouldn’t look like the pictures the cops had of him and how Kara herself would describe him.
She wouldn’t have recognized him if she passed him on the street.
Jen did her best to block his blows and get in some of her own, but in the end, she was no match for his size and strength. And all Kara could do was watch and sob as Jen was beaten to within an inch of her life.
Then Nolan started to kick her—at least, that’s what Kara assumed by his motions, as she couldn’t see Jen after she fell to the ground.
She did see, however, when Nolan leaned down and picked up Jen’s limp body, carried her friend to the water, and threw her in.
She landed on her back with a large splash.
Kara’s tears fell harder when she saw Jen floating in the grimy, stagnant water. Not moving.
Nolan stalked back to the car with an evil grin on his face. Out of the corner of her eye, Kara saw him stop, lean over on the driver’s side, then walk back toward Jen. He threw the wig she’d been wearing, laughing out loud when it landed with a splat next to her in the water.
As Nolan returned once more, Kara’s gaze was glued to her friend, to the wig she’d always said was her favorite. It slowly sank into the murky waters, as surely as Jen would before long.
“Fucking ugly bitch,” Nolan muttered, as he got into the car and shoved the seat back. Then he looked over at Kara. “Ready for some fun, honey?”
Kara didn’t bother to respond, not that she could.
Nolan laughed again, an eerie sound that made the hair on Kara’s arms stand up. He was insane, and he was going to find pleasure in hurting her.
She still believed Arrow would find her. He just needed to hurry.
As Nolan began to turn the car, her phone rang. She’d dropped it when Nolan had grabbed her around the neck, and it was currently buzzing and ringing away at her feet. After the ringing stopped, it immediately started again.
It was Arrow.
Kara knew that deep in her heart. He’d already figured out that something was wrong, thank God. He was on her trail, and she’d do whatever was necessary in order to live. For him. For them.
“Fucking asshole,” Nolan grumbled.
Then the phone in Jen’s purse, which was also next to Kara’s feet, began to ring.
Nolan slammed on the brakes, mumbling under his breath, making Kara’s heart rate spike. Was he going to hurt her now? Kill her?
But he ignored her as he reached down between her legs. He grabbed Jen’s purse and quickly found her phone, which was sitting near the top of the bag. Then he reached back down for Kara’s. He turned them both off, then threw them out the window, into the same muddy water where he’d tossed Jen.
Without a word he put the car back into gear, completed his turn, and started driving back to the main road.
Kara’s hopes plummeted. The sound of those rings had given her hope. Made her more determined than ever to stay strong. To endure whatever Nolan had in store for her.
She took a long, slow breath. She wasn’t giving up. She couldn’t. Not now. Not when she was happier than she’d been in a very long time. Kara needed to stay alive to tell someone what he’d done to Jen. Where he’d left her.
Determination swelled within her. Nolan had fucked up in coming after her. It would be the last thing he ever did. He wouldn’t get a chance to hurt or kill anyone else after Arrow got his hands on him.
She’d never been a bloodthirsty person, but she couldn’t wait for Arrow to find her and rid the world of a psychopath like Nolan Colins.
His time was coming. She just hoped it would be sooner rather than later.
* * *
Jen kept her eyes closed for what felt like hours after she heard her PT Cruiser pull away. She had to make sure Asher—no, Nolan, was really gone.
Everything hurt. Her face, her ribs, her legs. He’d beat her badly, but she still felt extremely lucky…because it was obvious his intention was to kill her.
He’d been impatient though. Too excited about seeing Kara again.
Jen felt sick. And like a complete fool. She’d fallen for the man’s bullshit, and all along he’d been using her. Pretending to like her in order to get information about Kara. To spy on her. No wonder he’d always had something come up and could never meet her friends.
He’d called and asked if she’d meet him at Stumpy Lake Natural Area for a hike, and she’d eagerly agreed.
She hadn’t been able to see him much, supposedly because of his work schedule.
She’d brought Fred with her, thinking that they could do some training.
That maybe Asher would want to participate.
Fred hadn’t been too fond of him, but Jen was sure that if he could just spend more time around Asher, the dog would become more comfortable. That was stupid on Jen’s part. She should’ve known that if Fred didn’t like the man, there had to be a reason.
Asher had smiled in greeting when she arrived, and they’d walked into the trees along the path.
As soon as they were alone, he’d punched Jen in the face.