“I’ll put a bullet in your head if you keep fighting me.” The man threatened as we neared his SUV.
I kept my head still but my eyes shot over to where Tag stood, desperate to make sure Mason was okay.
The second man took a step forward, and without delay Tag fired, hitting him square in the chest.
He crumpled to the ground as a spray of red filled the air.
Tag kicked his gun out of reach. “I told you, motherfucker—one step closer,” he growled before his eyes turned toward us with intent.
“Shit!” the man who held me exclaimed. He pressed the gun harder to my temple. “Stay back.”
Tag took a step in our direction.
“I will fucking kill her!” the man screamed desperately.
I set my eyes on Tag. “S-stay with Mason,” I pleaded. “Please, Tag.” I desperately needed to make sure he stayed with my boy.
“Do you know who that is?” Tag demanded of my captor, his chin lifting toward me. “Do you know who you’re fucking with?”
The man’s posture grew taut as his hand shook.
“It doesn’t matter,” he muttered belligerently. He shoved me into the back of the waiting SUV, and slammed the door.
My heart lurched seeing the wire cage in between the backseat and the front. A quick test of the handles confirmed what I’d already assumed: locked from the outside.
I was trapped.
With a final muffled warning to Tag that I couldn’t hear, the man hopped into the driver seat, the engine still running, and tore down the road.
I craned my neck to watch as Tag held a phone to his ear, watching our rapid departure with a vicious glare.
He was opening Mason’s door as they moved out of sight.
Despite everything, I sighed with relief. He had my boy. And Cal would come for me. Of that I had no doubt. And when he did—there would be hell to pay.
I just had to survive long enough to witness it.
We drove toward Reno as I struggled to formulate a plan. I assumed Tim had orchestrated all of this. The thought of his hands on me again filled me with dread.
My captor grew increasingly agitated, checking the rearview mirror every few seconds.
“You could just pull over,” I suggested quietly. “Drop me off and keep going. You could still make this right,” I told him.
It was clear he was freaked. It could have been due to his accomplice’s demise or Tag’s threat, I wasn’t sure. That combined with whatever he was on was making him extremely agitated.
“Shut up,” he barked.
I winced at his harsh reply. Clearly any form of reason was out.
I went back to exploring my options, growing more and more frustrated as I realized there were few.
I longed to hear the growl of motorcycles behind us, but was only met with the steady hum of cars on the highway.
When we pulled off the highway into a suburban neighborhood, I studied my surroundings warily. I’d never been to this area of Reno but it looked like any middle class neighborhood.
The small home we pulled up to had a sweet, albeit slightly neglected exterior. With its faded blue shutters and chipping white paint, it looked like a family home. The irony wasn’t lost on me.
I shuddered at what lay in wait for me inside.