“Her man?” the first intruder scoffs. “Stormy’s never had a bitch in his life. But I’m mighty interested in what he’s doing here.” He cocks an eyebrow toward Finn and raises his gun in a threatening manner.
“Gun.” Stormy’s eyes flare.
“Boss? She seemed like she was expecting someone,” the man holding me points out. “If someone’s coming here, we better make this quick.”
The man I now know is Gun, one of the SEALs who served beside Stormy unless I’m mistaken, slowly nods his head.
“That right?” he tosses to me over his shoulder.
“Yes,” I confirm, hating that my voice sounds weak. “A local farmer who’s picking some of my animals up.” They’ve all gone now, but I’ll think of something he could have left. Feed, perhaps? “Oh, and the real estate agent. He’s coming to get the keys.” We left those with him a day ago, planning to vacate in the next few days.
Gun’s back stiffens. “Stormy being here complicates things.”
“We taking them both?” one of the men holding Stormy asks. “Or just getting rid of him here?”
Gun looks around the room. When his face turns my way, he’s wearing a satisfied grin. “Seems they’ve done all the work for us. There’s a truck outside, we’ll move all the boxes and put them in there, then move the truck into the barn. Anyone who comes calling will just assume they’ve moved out.”
“What do you want here, Gun?” Stormy snaps.
“Well, I didn’t want you,” his former SEAL buddy says. Somehow, I don’t think he’s much of a friend now.
I wouldn’t expect good vibes to be coming from anyone who’d invaded my house, but Gun’s positively icy. If I were here on my own, I’d be a mess, but I’m staying strong because of Stormy.
“So, what are we going to do about him?”
I suck in a breath while internally screaming, Don’t hurt him, please.
“Stormy’s been a thorn in my fuckin’ side for far too long. It would give me great pleasure to put a bullet through his head. But why’s he here? That’s what we need to find out.” Gun steps forward getting right up into Stormy’s face. “I’ve got an old friend who’d probably like to say hi, so you’re coming with us.”
All of a sudden I feel a prick in my neck and the world goes black.
I wake sometime later feeling groggy. When I try to move, my hands are tied, as are my feet. I’m curled up in a fetal position, with a strange vibration under me. My head pounds as though I’ve been on a drinking binge. I open my eyes, blinking hard until a shape by my side comes into focus.
I presume they’d given me a drug to knock me out. Finn looks like he’s not been so lucky. His face is bloodied, one eye is swollen closed.
“Finn,” I say, quietly, not knowing who’s around me.
I get no reply. He’s unconscious. Oh God, Finn. What have they done to you?
I flop like a fish as I try to move onto my back so I can look around. I presume I’m in a truck of some sort, but wherever we’re going, the road is really smooth. The drone of the engine is loud though.
“Don’t worry, Princess. We’ll be there soon.” The voice is that of Gun.
I glance up as best I can, and watch as he grabs a handful of Finn’s hair, pulling up his head.
“Sleeping Beauty’s still out, I see.” He sounds satisfied as he lets Finn’s head smash down with a bump. He sinks to his haunches and stares at me. “We’ll be coming into land, shortly. I suggest you fasten your seat belt. Oh,” he snorts a laugh, “you can’t.” He chuckles as if he’s made a good joke. “Well, let’s hope we have a safe landing.”
I’m on a plane?
“Where, where are you taking us? And w-why?”
“I think you’ve got some answers for me. As for him,” he shoots a look of hate toward Finn, “I find it very interesting that he was with you. Why was he?”
I don’t want to be interrogated now. I want Finn awake and able to guide me. He knows Gun, he probably knows what I should or shouldn’t say. Instead of answering, I groan instead.
“My head hurts. I feel sick.”
He jumps back as though scalded. “Try not to puke,” he instructs as he stands. “If you have to, vomit his way.” He nods at Finn, then his eyes come back to me. “We’ll be having that chat soon.”
Almost as soon as he leaves, my ears begin to pop. The plane must have started to descend. I’ve no idea how long I’ve been out or where we’re going to land. Or, even if I’m still in the United States.
Finn doesn’t move as we bump down onto the runway, nor when Gun’s men appear. He moans slightly as he’s picked up in a fireman’s lift, but his eyes stay firmly shut. Is he faking? Or hurt too badly to come around. I pray it’s the former.
Me? Well, I’m subjected to the same treatment—carried ignominiously off the plane and dumped into the back of a truck alongside Finn. My brief glimpse of my surroundings gives nothing away, just distant trees and lush grass encircling what is probably a private runway.
This time the journey isn’t so smooth, and I really do start to feel ill as a truck of some sort bumps the way along the road. Tied as I am, I can’t protect my head, which slams down time and again. My headache gets worse. When I roll at a tight bend, my stomach churns and I can’t prevent the vomit coming out of my mouth.
I’m scared, so very scared. I’ve been kidnapped and stolen away from my home and I can’t imagine for what reason. The only thing that makes it bearable is that I’m not alone. But will Finn ever wake up?
Who knows? My gut twists, thinking I could never hear his voice again, or feel his arms around me. The very idea forces me to acknowledge how much he’s come to mean to me in such a short time. I couldn’t imagine moving on without him.
“I love you,” I say softly, hoping somehow my words will filter through his head.
My headache hasn’t improved at all by the time the truck takes a final set of nausea-causing turns and finally pulls to a stop. The back doors are rolled up. It’s dark outside. Just how long has it been since I was dragged from my home?
“Get them inside.”
The men don’t hesitate to follow Gun’s commands. The first man steps in, lifts Finn in the same way he carried him before, but the one coming for me hesitates, finally gingerly picking me up bridal style. I realise he’s trying to avoid the vomit that’s stained my front.
It’s a shame I’ve already brought everything up, I’d love to puke all over him.
Even in the darkness I can make out we’ve been brought to a cabin, but I have no time to see much as I’m rushed into the house and taken to a room. There, I’m unceremoniously thrown down onto a single bed—well cot to be precise—there’s nothing comfortable about it. At last, the ties that bind me are cut, and I can move my arms and legs, or at least I hope I will when I get some more feeling back.
I hurt. Every muscle is crying out from being kept immobile for so long. At first I can’t move, but ignore that fact as I realise Finn’s not here, and the man looks like he’s going to leave without bringing him in.