Avery had promised her none of this was her fault. She’d also did her best to convince the poor, scared girl that her dad would never blame her for anything that had happened.
Then Avery had shared her own story with the sweet girl. She’d told her all about her parents and Alex. What it was like growing up in a small town in North Carolina, and how moving to the big city had terrified her.
To pass the time, Avery tried to explain to Jess what her job was. But it didn’t take much to realize the girl was confused at best, disinterested at worst.
But that was fine, because anything was better than focusing on where they were and what would happen to them if they weren’t rescued.
And then the man came and took them away.
It wasn’t the one who’d taken her before. That man had been cocky and so completely full of himself. This guy…the one driving the truck… he was the one who’d come into the room after, yelling at Marcus for touching her.
And right now, he looked like he’d been hit with a thunderstorm of emotions.
Sad—Avery could’ve sworn the guy had been crying. Pissed off at the world—she could totally relate. But the thing that struck her most odd was how utterly and downright terrified he’d looked when he’d been shoving them into the back of the truck.
But he was one of the bad guys. An important one, from the way he’d shouted orders to the other men before they left.
And ever since then, Avery couldn’t help but wonder…who or what could scare a man like that?
“Where do you think he’s taking us?” Jess asked from the other side of the truck.
The vehicle hit a bump, and Avery winced when her head bounced off the inner wall. “I don’t know.”
“Wherever it is, it can’t be good.”
No, Avery supposed it wasn’t. But what could they do? Their hands were tied—both literally and figuratively. And they were stuck in here with no way out.
The truck hit another bump. One so big, Avery felt her ass fly off the bed’s floor before slamming back down.
“Ow!” she failed to hide the pain the hard jolt had caused.
Jess’s worried eyes rose to hers. “You okay?”
“Yeah, I—”
One of the trailer’s double-doors creaked open. Not a lot, just enough to let a sliver of evening sun into the dark space.
“That last bump must’ve popped it loose,” Jess pointed out the obvious.
“Yeah…” Avery let the word linger. Her wheels began to spin as quickly as the ones carrying them over the dirt road.
“What?” Jess picked up on her change in demeanor.
“I have an idea.” She looked back at the pretty blonde. “A way to escape. But you’re not going to like it.”
The young girl looked at the open door and back to her. “If you’re thinking we should jump and make a run for it, you’re right. I don’t like it.” Jess glanced at the door again. “But if it means getting away from that asshole and finding help for my dad, I say…let’s do it.”
Pride for a girl she’d just met warmed Avery’s heart.
With a smile, she awkwardly pushed herself to her knees. Doing her best to keep her balance steady, she slowly made her way closer to the back of the truck.
Jess got to her feet with the grace and ease of a teenage girl, and Avery made a mental note to take up yoga if—nowhen—she got back home.
The fleeting thought that yoga would also help limber her up for Garrett crossed her mind, but she pushed it away for now. She needed to focus because…holy shit, the road was passing by in a blur.
Fear crept its way in.
This was crazy, right? It wasn’t like this was the movies. She sure as heck wasn’t a stuntwoman. And Jess…God, Jess was just a baby compared to her.