Read Online A Twist of Betrayal by Allie Harrison - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Allie Harrison
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Getzville.
“I’ll bet your face hurts,” her kidnapper said suddenly.
If her mouth wasn’t taped shut, she thought she might have thanked him for reminding her of that pain, too. The part of her face where he’d hit her throbbed and sent pain through her entire head. She thought she felt her nose begin to swell, and it added to her fear. If the tape kept her from breathing through her mouth, what would happen if her nose swelled shut?
Her hands were bound in front of her. Her kidnapper wasn’t very smart, and that was probably what frightened her most. Slowly, she reached up and peeled the tape from her lips. She licked her lips and tried to focus. All right, she thought, just pretend you’re fighting the biggest case of your career. What do you do first? Set priorities.
Number one was getting out of this situation. With her hands tied in a moving van, there wasn’t much she could do about that now without possibly making things worse for her or her baby. After all, she could get up and choke her kidnapper he drove, but that could cause an accident. Trying to jump out was equally as terrifying. Dare she try it? She simply couldn’t decide which would be a worse fate—the kidnapper shooting her or losing the baby and being an invalid after jumping from a speeding van. After all, the baby was her second priority. She had to do whatever necessary to keep it safe.
Number three was her marriage, but she could do little about that, too, until she and Dan were back together.
No matter what the state of their marriage was, she couldn’t keep the image of Dan out of her mind. And the image of him in her thoughts grounded her and brought her strength. Dan wouldn’t expect her to sit and wait to be rescued, reminding her again that escape was her main priority.
She had to do something. She was a fighter, always had been, never letting fear or anything else stop her. With her hands bound and a kidnapper who was twice her size, she knew physically fighting him would be a waste of time and probably cause her more pain. Knowing it may be a big mistake, she decided to try to reason with her kidnapper. She’d been able to talk juries into believing the defendant. She should be able to talk this man into letting her go.
In the driver’s seat, her kidnapper looked calm and composed, as if his plans were falling into place. She could see his eyes in the rearview mirror, and she knew he moved it to watch her.
“Did I tell you you could take the tape off your mouth?” His question was like a growl from an angry animal.
“It’s hard to breathe through my nose.”
“Well, it’s going to be harder if you try or say anything stupid. Because if you do, I’m going to do more than tape your mouth shut again, understand? I’ve got a plan here and a schedule to keep, and I don’t need you messing it up more than you already have.”
Justine tried not to let his threat rattle her. “Why were you following me?” she asked, not acknowledging his threat. It was also a roundabout way of asking why he kidnapped her. And how he knew her husband.
He didn’t readily reply, so she went on. “You don’t need me to escape since you already did. Just let me out here, it would be an hour or two before anyone found me. And you could be long gone.” She tried to speak in her strongest courtroom voice. She was, after all, on trial for her life.
“I already told you. You weren’t just my escape. Hell, I did the whole robbery just to get to you.” He looked at her in the mirror, and his smile sent a chill up Justine’s spine.
“Why?” She had done nothing but rack her brain trying to remember him, going through her mind and picturing everyone she’d ever defended and their families. This man was not familiar.
“Maybe I like you, that’s why.”
“I don’t believe that’s the real reason.” She certainly didn’t want or need him ‘liking’ her. This was not a friendly walk in the park. Justine swallowed hard and
“I’ll bet your face hurts,” her kidnapper said suddenly.
If her mouth wasn’t taped shut, she thought she might have thanked him for reminding her of that pain, too. The part of her face where he’d hit her throbbed and sent pain through her entire head. She thought she felt her nose begin to swell, and it added to her fear. If the tape kept her from breathing through her mouth, what would happen if her nose swelled shut?
Her hands were bound in front of her. Her kidnapper wasn’t very smart, and that was probably what frightened her most. Slowly, she reached up and peeled the tape from her lips. She licked her lips and tried to focus. All right, she thought, just pretend you’re fighting the biggest case of your career. What do you do first? Set priorities.
Number one was getting out of this situation. With her hands tied in a moving van, there wasn’t much she could do about that now without possibly making things worse for her or her baby. After all, she could get up and choke her kidnapper he drove, but that could cause an accident. Trying to jump out was equally as terrifying. Dare she try it? She simply couldn’t decide which would be a worse fate—the kidnapper shooting her or losing the baby and being an invalid after jumping from a speeding van. After all, the baby was her second priority. She had to do whatever necessary to keep it safe.
Number three was her marriage, but she could do little about that, too, until she and Dan were back together.
No matter what the state of their marriage was, she couldn’t keep the image of Dan out of her mind. And the image of him in her thoughts grounded her and brought her strength. Dan wouldn’t expect her to sit and wait to be rescued, reminding her again that escape was her main priority.
She had to do something. She was a fighter, always had been, never letting fear or anything else stop her. With her hands bound and a kidnapper who was twice her size, she knew physically fighting him would be a waste of time and probably cause her more pain. Knowing it may be a big mistake, she decided to try to reason with her kidnapper. She’d been able to talk juries into believing the defendant. She should be able to talk this man into letting her go.
In the driver’s seat, her kidnapper looked calm and composed, as if his plans were falling into place. She could see his eyes in the rearview mirror, and she knew he moved it to watch her.
“Did I tell you you could take the tape off your mouth?” His question was like a growl from an angry animal.
“It’s hard to breathe through my nose.”
“Well, it’s going to be harder if you try or say anything stupid. Because if you do, I’m going to do more than tape your mouth shut again, understand? I’ve got a plan here and a schedule to keep, and I don’t need you messing it up more than you already have.”
Justine tried not to let his threat rattle her. “Why were you following me?” she asked, not acknowledging his threat. It was also a roundabout way of asking why he kidnapped her. And how he knew her husband.
He didn’t readily reply, so she went on. “You don’t need me to escape since you already did. Just let me out here, it would be an hour or two before anyone found me. And you could be long gone.” She tried to speak in her strongest courtroom voice. She was, after all, on trial for her life.
“I already told you. You weren’t just my escape. Hell, I did the whole robbery just to get to you.” He looked at her in the mirror, and his smile sent a chill up Justine’s spine.
“Why?” She had done nothing but rack her brain trying to remember him, going through her mind and picturing everyone she’d ever defended and their families. This man was not familiar.
“Maybe I like you, that’s why.”
“I don’t believe that’s the real reason.” She certainly didn’t want or need him ‘liking’ her. This was not a friendly walk in the park. Justine swallowed hard and
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