When she climbed into her car, she realized this would be the first time she had driven in over fourteen months. It felt weird to turn the engine on, snap her seatbelt into place, and put her hands on the steering wheel.
For a moment Abigail wondered if she would even remember how to drive after so long, but as soon as she pulled out of her driveway it all came back to her. The journey to her favorite little secluded beach only took ten minutes, and although she spent the whole time looking in her rear vision mirror trying to spot the vehicles she knew were following her she was unable to.
Parking her car when she reached her destination, she couldn’t help but stop and draw the fresh air into her lungs. The feel of the sun on her skin didn’t just warm it but warmed her soul as well. She had always taken something as simple as sun on her skin for granted, just like she had taken so many things for granted, but she was determined that she wouldn’t squander this second chance. She would live her life to the fullest, she would let go of old hurts, she would embrace love and accept that her insecurities would soon fade rather than dwell on them, and she would chase her dreams.
Her abduction would always be a part of her, and the wounds were still raw, they would take time to heal, but she had time. She had all the time in the world.
After Alex was taken care of.
With a glance around the quiet street, when she didn’t see anyone she wondered whether they had all made a mistake. Had Alex moved on? Was he no longer interested in getting revenge on his team? He had kept her a long time, well after it became apparent that his ploy to use her as bait hadn’t worked so maybe something had changed.
Shrugging off the sudden bout of insecurity, Abigail headed for the small path through the trees that led to the beach. It was usually quiet down here, away from the more popular beaches, and she let out a sigh of relief when she came out from the trees and stepped onto the sand to find that there wasn’t anyone else in sight. The last thing she wanted was for some innocent person to get caught up in this scheme if they should witness her kidnapping, or to put Alex off if he didn’t want any witnesses.
Kidnapping.
Was she really about to allow herself to be kidnapped again, knowing there were no guarantees that this would work out the way they wanted?
Panicked terror hit her so hard her knees buckled, and she hit the sand hard.
She couldn’t do this.
She couldn’t.
Air wheezed in and out of her chest.
The world dimmed around her.
Great, she was hyperventilating.
What had she been thinking believing that she could play bait for a man who had tortured her then left her locked in a cage for over a year?
Of course she couldn’t do this.
Why hadn’t she listened to Ryder?
If she had, she would be back in her apartment right now, curled up on his lap, kissing, making up for lost time, instead of out here alone ready to make what would no doubt be the biggest mistake of her life.
Was it too late to back out?
Would Ryder be disappointed in her if she admitted she was too scared to follow through?
Abigail wrapped her arms around her waist, rocking backward and forward. Tears streamed down her cheeks, and she was still struggling to breathe, but when her fingers curled into the soft material of Ryder’s t-shirt she felt his strength seep into her suddenly chilled skin. She could imagine him sitting down beside her, his bright blue eyes catching hers and holding them, his mouth setting into that stubborn line. His tone would be firm when he told her that she was strong enough to handle anything and that she wasn’t doing this alone. He was right there with her. Even if he couldn’t be physically by her side he was still there, in her mind and her heart, if she felt alone all she had to do was picture his intimidating form standing beside her. No, Ryder would always stand in front of her in the face of any danger, always the protector.
Feeling stronger now, Abigail brushed at her wet cheeks, then concentrated on getting her breathing under control. Ryder and his team were watching her, they would follow wherever Alex took her, and as soon as they knew what his trap looked like they would take out his men and then they would get Alex.
She hoped they killed him.
No, what she wished for him was that someone would throw him in a cage and leave him there for a year just like he had done to her, see how he liked it.
Looking out at the ocean she let the gentle rolling of the waves soothe her, and when a shadow suddenly fell over her she looked up, startled.
A man stood above her.
Memories flashed through her mind, this man standing before her, his hand circling her wrist, his other hand taking hold of her pinkie finger, the sadistic smile on his face as he yanked on her appendage, snapping it like it was a twig.
“Hello, Abigail,” he said, his eyes roaming her body making her feel like she was naked instead of fully dressed. “Alex is waiting for you.”
Before she could react he swung an arm at her, something sharp pierced the skin on her upper arm, and then a moment later the world faded around her.
Her last conscious thought was to pray Ryder got to her in time.
11:15 A.M.
“Relax, man, she’s okay,” Chaos said, a hand on his shoulder.
“She’s crying,” Spider said sharply. Actually, Abigail looked like she was falling apart. She had dropped down onto the sand like she no longer had the strength to remain upright, her arms were wrapped around her middle and she was rocking. Even through the scope of his rifle he could see that she was crying and hyperventilating.
This was too much for her.
He should never have gone along with this.
“You have to hold it together,” King said.
“Hold it together?” he demanded. He could barely breathe knowing the woman he loved was deliberately dangling herself in front of a dangerous killer because she was scared for him.
Scared for him.
It was all so backward, she wasn’t supposed to put herself in danger for him it was supposed to be the other way around.
“Yes, hold it together, just like she is doing,” King said, gesturing to the beach where Abigail was curled up losing it while he wasn’t there to tell her that everything was going to be okay.
“Look, man,” Chaos added when he didn’t put his eye back to the scope.
Reluctantly he complied, and when he looked at Abigail again he saw that she had managed to regain her composure, she now appeared to be staring out at the ocean, she wasn’t crying, and she was no longer rocking herself.
Any relief he might have felt at knowing that she was holding it together was fleeting because a man appeared on the beach and began to walk toward her.
“Spider,” Chaos warned and he realized his finger was on the trigger of his weapon.
Forcing himself not to shoot, when he looked closer he saw the man heading straight for Abigail wasn’t Alex. Of course this couldn’t have gone easy, he’d been hoping Alex would be the one to come for Abigail so they could finish this now without having to let her get spirited out of the country.
But Alex wasn’t that stupid.
He knew that the only way he even stood a chance at taking out the team was to lure them into a trap.
Coward.
The man stopped beside Abigail, and when she realized he was standing over her and looked up at him the expression on her face—raw terror—had him shoving to his feet.