Chapter Thirty-One Savannah #3
“Want to tell me what happened?” he asks in a gentle voice as he steers the truck out of the parking lot. “I mean, you don’t have to, but I’m a good listener.”
I cover my face with my hands. “They lied to me. About everything.”
“Who lied?”
“Blaze. Nash. My parents died because of them, and they never told me. They kept their awful secret for years, and I only found out today because I overheard them arguing about it. Even after all this time, they were going to keep hiding the truth.”
“I’m so sorry,” he says. “That’s terrible.”
His hand moves to my knee. I look down, barely feeling it. I lean back against the seat, numbness sweeping through my insides. Each beat of my heart echoes in my ears, reverberating in my hollow, empty chest.
I’ve never felt so broken, so alone, as I stare blankly out the window. I lay my head in my hand, watching the prairie grasses billow in the wind when it dawns on me.
“Where are we going?” I ask, looking at Tyler.
He gives my knee a little squeeze. “Don’t worry, I’m just taking the long way. I just figured you needed a bit of time before heading back. You know, a chance to clear your mind a bit.”
“Thanks, but I want to go home.”
Tyler lets out a sigh. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
My pulse fires up, knocking against my throat. I grip the door handle. “What?”
His jaw tenses, his grip tightening around the steering wheel.
“Tyler, please take me home.” I struggle to keep my voice even.
He glances at me, and there’s something wrong with his smile. It doesn’t reach his eyes. “You work too hard, Savannah. Someone needs to take care of you.”
“I can take care of myself.”
“I’m not so sure. Because from where I’m sitting, you’re making terrible choices. Blaze Hartman? Really?”
The way he says Blaze’s name sends shudders skittering down my spine.
“That’s none of your business.”
“It’s absolutely my business.” His voice is still calm, but there’s an edge to it now. “I’ve been patient. I’ve been so patient. Waiting for you to see what’s right in front of you.”
I look out the window again. How fast could he be going? Forty? If I push open the door, I could roll over to the grasses. I could—
Click.
A shocked gasp knots in my throat. He just used the child lock to trap me.
“Tyler,” I say, trying to keep my voice from giving away my building panic. “Please let me out now.”
“I can’t do that, Savannah.” Tyler shakes his head. “You were always too good for him. You don’t belong with him. You never did.”
“What are you doing?” I whisper, my skin prickling at the sudden rush of cold assaulting my skin.
“Helping you. Protecting you.”
I swallow hard, tugging at the door handle, praying it’ll give way.
“It’s no use trying to escape. You never will. I’ve been watching. Watching him hurt you, over and over. You deserve better.”
“Let me out. Now.” My voice shakes, teeth chattering as we near the edge of town.
“I tried to do this the right way. Tried to be patient and be the good guy. But you kept going back to him. I thought you liked me. I thought we had something. But you just led me on, didn’t you? You never cared.”
I stick my trembling hand into my pocket, fumbling around for my phone, when Tyler holds it up.
“Looking for this?”
Holy Christ.
“Tyler, I’m going to ask one more time. Please take me home.”
“Not quite yet, Savannah. There’s someone who wants to meet you.”
I pull again at the door handle, a panicked cry exploding out of my chest. “You fucking sick bastard! Let me out now!”
He turns off the main road, heading down a dirt path through some fields.
“Where are you taking me?”
“Somewhere safe. Where he can’t find you. Where no one can. You should be with someone who cares about you. Someone who won’t lie. Won’t hurt you.”
“You’re hurting me right now—”
He pulls to a stop next to a run-down warehouse. In the middle of fucking nowhere.
“No. I’m saving you. From him. From yourself. You’ll understand eventually. This is what’s best for everyone.”
The world tilts on its axis. I hold my hands against my temples to keep myself focused.
There has to be a way out of whatever he has planned.
When he opens the door, I’ll fight like hell and run.
He’ll never find me in the fields. I just have to hang on for a few more seconds. He won’t keep me in this truck forever.
I hold my breath, gathering my bearings, surveying the other cars parked near the warehouse. Other people.
Shit, what the hell is happening right now?
A pang slices through my chest, my breaths short and sharp.
He didn’t just find me at the hospital.
He planned this.
“Perfect timing,” he says. “They’re waiting for us.”
“W-who?” I barely manage to squeak out the words.
He flashes a smile. It’s sinister and promises something darker than I want to imagine.
The door to the warehouse opens. I jerk my head at the men walking toward the truck, all of them carrying guns.
My blood chills, the icy sensations like a stake driving deep into my heart.
Where the hell are we? And what are they going to do to me?
Tyler grabs me by the chin and pulls my face close to his. “Now, be a good girl, Savannah. Mr. Wilkerson doesn’t like it when people cause him trouble.”