90 Days (Prairie Town Book 2) (28 page)

     “You wanna try that,
buddy
?” Devin snarled, his nose inches from Benji’s.  “You need to remember who has the gun here.  Accidents happen all the time.”

     “I’m not afraid of you, you fucking prick.”

     “You think not?”

     Laney watched in horror as he threw Benji onto the floor and kicked him in the side.  Benji cried out and curled into himself, trying to escape his attacker.  It wasn’t fair; he couldn’t fight back.

     “Please stop! Please stop!” She screamed.  “Leave him alone!”

     “Shut your mouth!”

     She saw stars when Devin’s hand made impact with her cheek and time stood still.

    
I will not be intimidated again.
  She thought, sobbing uncontrollably. 
I will not let him win.

     But how could she stop him?  How could she save Benji?

     Seconds seemed like hours as Devin punched him again and again, hitting wherever he could.  She knew she would never get the sounds of Benji’s pain out of her mind.  His grunts and groans burned into her brain simultaneously shattering her heart.

     When all was said and done, Devin stood back up and ran his fingers through his hair, breathing heavily and smiling like the wicked villain he was.

     She had never hated anyone so much in her life.

     “Now then, let’s see how smart that mouth is.” Devin spat on the floor and began buttoning his shirt up.  “We’re leaving soon.” His eyes moved to Laney.  “You better teach your boy here some manners, babe.  Next time will be much worse.”

     And then he stormed out of the room.

     “Benji.” She scooted across the floor on her butt until she got to him, wishing now more than ever that her hands were free, and sucked in a painful breath when he lifted his head to gaze at her.

     His left eye was already swelling shut and the gash on his cheek had reopened.  Blood trickled from his nose.  It broke her very soul.  She couldn’t take it.

     “Oh, God.  Oh, Benji…”

     “I’m fine.” He said, his voice quivering with anger.  “I’m really fine, Laney.  Don’t worry.”

     “You are not okay.” She argued, rubbing her cheek awkwardly against her shoulder in an effort to wipe away her tears.  “God… Your face… Shit.”

     “Battle scars, baby.  I’m all right.” He slowly pulled himself up onto his knees and caught his breath, keeping his good eye on her.  “We’ll look back on this one day, huh? We’ll laugh about how I have a tendency not to listen.”

     “Benji…”

     “I love you, Laney.”

     “I l-love you, too.” She burst into tears and leaned into him, resting her face against his shoulder.  “I do, Benji.  I love you so much.”

     “That’s good.” He replied breathlessly, easing his cheek to rest against her hair.  “Because I’d feel awfully stupid to be fighting for a girl who doesn’t love me back.”

     “You’re so stupid.” She laughed weakly.  “But so amazing.  I’m glad you’re here with me.”

     It was probably the silliest thing to say.  She would have never dreamed of putting him in harm’s way, ever.  He was too good to her.  He’d made her too happy over the past few weeks to deserve the beat down Devin had given him, but she couldn’t imagine being held hostage with anyone else.

     Was it a twisted sign they were meant to be together?

----------

Benji

     He’d had his share of fists to the face during his lifetime, but he’d also been able to swing back during those fights.  Getting his face smashed in by Devin whilst restrained wasn’t necessarily going to be one of his favorite memories, but hearing Laney say she loved him back would somehow make the memory tolerable.

    
I do love her.
  He thought as he kissed her cheek and pulled back to gaze at her.  Seeing her tears was more painful than any punch Devin Rose could throw.  Laney didn’t deserve to cry over anything or anyone—he was supposed to change that.

    
Did I fail her?

     He was being as brave as he knew how, but was he being brave enough?

    
How would Callum handle this situation? Jeb?

     He couldn’t really help the direction his thoughts went; they were bigger than him.  They were stronger than him.  Would they have been able to protect Laney more sufficiently?

     “Benji.” Laney gasped.  “There’s a knife under my mattress!” 

     His good eye snapped back to her face and he stared at her, puzzled.

     “I know it’s weird. But I’ve been keeping a knife under my mattress for years.  Not to hurt myself or anything,”—she sighed—“It’s always been for protection.  Just in case, you know?  I can’t believe I didn’t think of it sooner.”

     “I would never think that, Laney.  Just so you know.” He rested his forehead against hers.  “But just for the record, I don’t ever want you to hurt yourself.  I know the past has been hard on you—mine, too.  I swear I’ll tell you all about it when we get out of this.”

     “Okay.” She nodded, blinking rapidly as moisture glistened in her eyes.  “I’m going to try to get it.” Her voice became quieter and she glanced towards the bed, her bottom lip quickly falling victim to her teeth once more.  “Just watch the door.”

     “Okay.” He nodded.

     And he did.  He watched it like a damn hawk as she carefully scooted towards her bed, turning her body until her tied hands were against it.  Slowly, very slowly, she maneuvered her legs beneath herself and lifted up on her knees, her face skewing in concentration as she felt around for the knife.

     “I’ve got it!” She whispered excitedly.

     “That’s my girl.” He smiled, to the best of his ability, and then moved his eyes to the door again.  “Be quick.”

     “I’m…trying.” She grunted, moving her torso up and down.  He couldn’t see what she was doing, but he suspected the blade was working against the zip ties.  If anyone could do it, his girl could.  He had faith in her.

    
This may be our only chance.

     “Almost there.” She panted, tracing her tongue over her bottom lip.  “Ow…this blade is sharper than I remember.”

     “Don’t hurt yourself, babe.”

     “I’m fine.” She laughed nervously, eyebrows furrowing as she leaned forward a bit and wiggled her arms.  “Almost…aha!”

     He heard the zip ties snap and then her arms fell to her sides.  She lifted her hands and stared at them in amazement before looking back at him.

     “You’re fucking amazing.” He grinned, ignoring the pain in his jaw.  “Goddamn, I just fell in love with you all over again.”

     “Oh, stop.” She blushed, grabbing the knife and crawling to him.  “It’s your turn.”

     “Hurry.” He murmured, squirming until his back faced her.  “I don’t think we’ve got much time.”

     “We’ll be okay.” She insisted, quickly pressing the blade between his wrists.  “Just stay still or I’ll cut you.”

     “Wait.” He froze when he heard footsteps returning.  “Toss it under the bed, Laney.  We don’t have time.”

     “But—”

     “Toss it now!”

     His breath hitched in his throat as he heard the knife hit the floor with a
thump
and then Laney quickly scrambled back to his side, just in the nick of time.

     Devin and Mia returned, fully dressed, and pulled them up from the floor.  Devin gripped his arm roughly and shoved him forward.

     “Out.” He ordered, pressing the gun to his back.  “And don’t get any funny ideas, pal.  I won’t hesitate.”

     “You, too.” Mia cackled behind them.  “Come on, little whore.  Time to go.”

     Benji nearly toppled over when Devin gripped his shoulder and stopped him.  Turning his head to see what the hold up was, he saw Devin glaring at Mia.

     “What?” She asked innocently.

     Benji glanced at Laney and realized she was playing the part of a captive perfectly; she was still pretending her hands were tied behind her back.

    
That’s my girl.

     “If you ever call her a whore again…” Devin warned, his voice low and threatening.

     Mia’s demeanor changed and she glared back at him, the corner of her mouth twitching.  The jealousy she felt was easy to see as she tightened her grip on Laney’s shirt and yanked her back a little.

    “I’m sorry.” She bit the words out.  She didn’t mean it—Benji was certain of that—but she said it anyway.

     “Good.” Devin shoved him forward again and they made their way out of the apartment.

     Benji carefully stepped over various items lying on the floor and then entered the hallway, breathing a sigh of relief.  It was almost over, wasn’t it?

     They got into the elevator and fell silent.  He glanced at Laney occasionally, giving her reassuring smiles.  What he needed more than anything in that moment was for her to know they were going to walk away from this.

     And he would still love her.

     He didn’t even know it was still raining until they got outside, a promise of daylight barely showing in the sky.  Not that it would matter much, not really; the dark clouds looming overhead didn’t exactly look like they were going away any time soon.

     “Ugh, I hate rain!” Mia scowled as she pushed Laney forward.   “Get a move on, will ya?  My hair isn’t meant for this kind of weather.”

    
Too bad she won’t just melt already.

     “Okay, he’s riding in the backseat with you.” Devin instructed when they finally made it to his car.  “Laney, you’ll be up front with me.”

     “Wait.  What?” Mia whined.  “Why is she riding up front with you?”

     “Baby, we’ve talked about this.  You don’t want them to sit back there alone, do you? They may try to escape.  It’s better this way.” He tugged open the door behind the driver’s seat and nodded.  “Get in, Benji Boy.”

     Giving Laney a reassuring nod, he eased down into the seat and looked up at her.  She was terrified.  His girl was terrified and there wasn’t a damn thing he could do about it.

     He’d never felt so helpless in his life.

     Devin shut the door and then led Laney to the passenger side.  He was a little kinder to her, and Mia noticed it.  She slid in beside Benji and muttered beneath her breath, her eyes burning a hole into the back of Laney’s head.

     It wasn’t long before they pulled out onto the main road and Devin headed for the interstate.  Benji had no idea where they were going, he only hoped they got there soon.

     The sooner they got there, the sooner he could hold Laney in his arms.  That’s all he wanted.

    
I won’t let this haunt her for the rest of her life.

     One way or another, he’d be the hero she needed.

Chapter 16

Laney

     The rain began to fall harder once they were on the highway.  She wasn’t certain where Devin was going, but she hoped they would get there quickly.  Not only was her bladder screaming for relief, but her heart wasn’t sure it could hold out much longer.

     Her chest ached.  In fear of worrying Benji, she didn’t say anything.  Then again, she also didn’t want to talk because the last thing either of them needed was for Mia or Devin to flip out on them. 

     God, her chest really did hurt. 

     Badly.

    It was probably because of the mini-panic attack she’d had somewhere in between Mia tying her up and Devin arriving.  No one could blame her, right?  It was a hell of a lot to go through.  Thank God her sister’s fiancé was able to get the money fast—she couldn’t imagine being stuck in this situation for a second longer.

    
Soon.
  Her mind whispered. 
Soon this nightmare will be over.

     But doubt lingered in her mind.  Things like this had lasting effects on people every day.  Soldiers, victims of sexual assault, and countless other souls—poor souls—dealt with the consequences.

     She sincerely hoped Devin Rose would serve jail time—Mia, whoever she may have been to her brother at one time, deserved to rot in jail, too.

    
If ever two people existed who deserved one another…

    
She very carefully glanced over her shoulder to peer at Benji in the backseat, a little surprised to find he was already staring at her, but she also took comfort in it.

    
He said he loves me.

     It was a hell of a time for anyone to confess how they felt about someone else, but she’d take it.  Hell, that was how her life went anyway, wasn’t it?  Nothing normal ever happened, not in the McIntosh family.

     She worried that her parents would freak out once they knew the truth.  What if her father’s heart couldn’t handle it?  What if she lost him because of this?

     Was there any chance of keeping him from finding out?  Ever?

    
Secrets have been trying to tear my family apart for a while now
, she thought with a frown. 
It’s probably best just to tell the truth.

     Besides, if she didn’t tell him, Lydia probably would.  Or Jeb.

     Oh, her poor siblings.  As mad as she had been at them earlier in the day, all she wanted to do now was hug them.

    
I bet Ags is worried, too.

     How the hell had she managed to get into this situation?  How did shit like this happen in Prairie Town?

     Moving her gaze back to the dashboard, she slumped in her seat and rubbed her wrists gingerly behind her back.  At least she did have an advantage over Devin: he had no damn idea she wasn’t tied up anymore.

    
But what can I do without getting us all killed?

     Lightning lit up the sky and thunder rumbled a few seconds later.  Water slammed down against the windshield as Devin turned his wipers on high and cursed beneath his breath.

     It was simply too dangerous to act without thinking at the moment.

     And then her phone began ringing.

     “Is that them?” Mia asked.

     “Yep.” Devin reached down to grab the phone from the center console and hit the speaker button.  “Meet us at Templeton Park in exactly thirty minutes.”

     “Templeton Park?” Jeb’s tired voice questioned on the other end.  “I thought you said you wanted to meet at Gallagher Park?”

     “I changed my mind.” Devin growled.  “So be there in half an hour or so help me God, you’ll be taking these two home in body bags.”

    
He doesn’t mean it.
  Laney swallowed down a sob. 
He would never do that.  He isn’t capable of it.

    
But she hadn’t thought him to be capable of kidnapping either.  It was no telling what Devin would do now.

     He hung up the phone and tossed it onto the floorboard, glancing at her briefly.

     “It’s okay, babe.” He gave her a crooked grin.  “As long as that money’s there, you’ll be fine.”

     “This isn’t like you, Devin.” She finally whispered.  “This person…it isn’t you.”

     “Says who?” He glanced in the rearview mirror upon hearing a grunt and frowned.  “Mia, what the fuck are you doing?”

     “Nothing!” Mia yelped, quickly pulling away from Benji.  “I swear I wasn’t doing anything.”

    
Oh hell no.
  Laney turned as far in her seat as she could and glared at her.  Surely to God Mia wasn’t stupid enough to put the moves on another man while her boyfriend was driving?

     “What. The. Fuck?” Devin smacked his palm against the steering wheel and nearly lost control of the car. 

     Laney cried out in fright and instinctively reached out for the dashboard.

     Big mistake.

     “She’s loose!” Mia screeched, lunging forward.  “You stupid bitch!”

     “Hey—whoa!” Devin shouted, stomping his foot down on the brake.  The car went from side to side, hydroplaning across the slick road.  Laney’s body slammed against the passenger’s door and her head bounced off the window.  She literally saw stars as the screams around her became deafening.

     “Mia, get back in your seat, you fucking two-timing cow!” Devin’s voice was nothing more than a high-pitched scream.

     “You can’t tell me what to do, you ass! You took up for her when I called her a whore! I hate you! It’s over!”

     “Mia, stop! You’re going to make me wreck, goddamn it!”

     “I don’t care if I kill us all, you bastard! You said you only had eyes for me!”

     “I do only have eyes for you, you stupid…fuck! Mia!”

     It all happened in slow motion.  Laney turned her head towards the backseat and caught Benji’s gaze.  His eyes were wide and full of fear.

     She was certain her own reflected the terror he must have felt.

     “Seatbelt, Laney!” He screamed at the top of his lungs.  “Put it on! Now!”

     As she reached upwards to grab the buckle, Mia’s fingers found their way around her neck and the car began spinning.

     “You stupid bitch!” She sounded like a banshee. “You’ve ruined everything! Everything!”

     “Mia, stop it!” Devin pleaded as he tried to regain control of the car.  “You’re going to—oh, shit!”

     Laney squeezed her eyes shut and ignored the fact she was being choked to death.  She forced the seatbelt around her body and tried to press the buckle into place just as the hood of the car smashed into something hard and glass shattered like confetti all around her.

     The last thing she heard was Mia’s blood-curdling scream.

     Then there was nothing.

     No pain.

     No fear.

     No bright light.

     Only silence.

     Only peace.

     Only darkness.

----------

Benji

     It was a single raindrop that woke him from a sleep, he hadn’t even realized he’d been taking.  The first thing he noticed was the fact his back was wet—not just wet,
soaked.
  His ears were ringing and itching simultaneously, so he reached his hand to scratch at it only to feel a burning sensation race up his arm.

     He lifted his hands up above himself and noted that the zip tie was still firmly connected to his right wrist, but the left wrist was free.  Had he dislocated it?

    
I’m hurt.
  He thought, blinking rapidly and slowly, oh so slowly, sitting up.  The world was spinning around him as he pressed his other hand into the soft, muddy ground and rolled onto his knees.

     “Oh, fuck.” He hissed as aches and pains popped up everywhere.  His shoulders, arm, and head were in complete agony, but that didn’t stop him from seeking out the most important thing in his life.

    
Laney.

     He wiped at his good eye with the back of his hand and felt his eye begin to burn as dirt irritated it.

     “Fuck.” He groaned, pushing himself up from the ground and staggering about.  His legs didn’t want to work right…why?

     And then he saw it. 

     Devin’s car was smashed against a tree and the security alarm was blaring. 

     So that’s how he’d been freed from the zip tie?  The impact had dislocated his wrist? 

     “Shit.”

     He could see a light mist of rain through the beam of the headlights and the worries of his own injuries were pushed to the back burner as he used the lights to search the ground for any sign of her.

    “Laney.” His voice was weak and hoarse.  He was afraid she couldn’t hear him.  Clearing his throat, he tried again. “Laney?”

     Fear took hold when she didn’t reply.

     His eyes wandered back to the car and his entire chest was consumed with ice when he realized the windshield was busted.  It was completely gone. 

     Had they all been ejected from it?

     Had
Laney
been ejected?

     “Oh, shit.  Oh, no.  God, no.”  He limped towards the car and reached out to touch the slippery hood, damn near losing his balance as he stumbled to the passenger’s side window and peered in.

     His silent prayers fell upon deaf ears, as per usual, when he discovered the front seat was empty.

     “Damn it, Laney.  Why didn’t you put on the seatbelt?”

      Moisture collected in his already irritated eyes and he rubbed at them furiously in an attempt to wipe away the tears.

     What if something had happened to her?  What if she was—

     “Benji.”

     He whirled around and lost his footing upon hearing her voice and hit hard against the ground, but he didn’t care.  He didn’t care about the pain in his wrist and elbow as he scrambled to her side, his body sinking into the mud as he grabbed her hand and laughed in spite of the anger, fear, and confusion he felt.

     “You’re okay.” He sobbed in relief, pushing up onto his knees and cupping her face.  “Baby, you’re okay.”

     “We’re alive?” She asked.  Mud was smeared across her cheeks and it covered the back of her head.  “We made it?”

     He quickly checked her for injuries and sucked in a sharp breath when he saw that some of the dark liquid he’d mistaken for mud was actually blood.  Carefully, with trembling fingers, he felt through her hair and winced when she cried out.

     “I’m sorry.” He whispered, pressing his lips to her forehead.  “I’m sorry, baby.  Are you okay?”

     “I’m f-fine.” She sniffled.  “But I can’t feel my arm.  I think it’s broken.”

     “Don’t worry about that right now.  It’s going to be okay.” He pulled her to his chest and cradled her in his arms, rocking her back and forth like a small child.  He was just so happy she was okay.  “I need to find a phone.  I should call for help.”

     “T-they took our phones.” She stammered, pulling back to gaze at him.  “How are we going to call for help? I don’t even know where we are.”

     “Don’t worry.  I’ll find a phone.” He cupped the side of her face and smiled bravely.  “Are you okay to sit here?  I’ll be as fast as I can.”

     “I think so.” She nodded slowly, pressing her hand against the gash on her head.  “Be careful, Benji.  Please.”

    “I will be.  Just sit tight.”

     Forcing his legs to work, he stood once again and turned towards the car.  It was only then that he thought of something else.

    
Where are Devin and Mia?

    
On one hand, as cruel as it seemed, he hoped they were dead.  Maybe fate would be kind enough to knock that obstacle out of his way and he could focus on getting Laney to a hospital.  But, on the other hand…

    
I can’t think about it right now.
  He decided as he yanked the passenger side door open and crawled inside.  Searing heat ran up his arm as he pressed his palm down on the center console.  Hissing and cursing beneath his breath, he leaned down and felt around the floorboards.  There
had
to be a phone somewhere.

     “Come on.” He pleaded through clenched teeth.  “Where are you?”

     His fingertips brushed against something smooth and he sighed in relief.

     Maybe someone was listening to him, after all.

     He pulled Laney’s phone out from beneath the driver’s seat and gazed at it as if it were worth a million bucks, and then he smiled.  “Got ya.”

     It was weird, but he couldn’t seem to remember the number he needed to call.  Maybe it was fear, or the adrenaline he felt, but his mind wasn’t working like he needed it to. It wasn’t processing anything at the moment.

     “Think, Benji.  Think!”

     His hand began to tremble as his fingers slid over the screen and he muttered a string of profanities in frustration.

    
Laney is counting on me.

     Finally—
finally
—after what seemed to be an eternity, he managed to dial 9-1-1 and lifted the phone to his ear, breathing heavily.

     “Nine-one-one, what’s your emergency?”

     “I need to report a um, I guess an accident
and
a kidnapping.”

     “An accident
and
a kidnapping, sir?”

     “That’s what I said, isn’t it?” He rolled his eyes.  “Look, we need help.  My friend is really hurt,”—his eyes wandered to Laney—“and we need some cops out here, pronto.  We’re stuck with two crazy assholes.”

     “Sir, have
you
been kidnapped?” The female dispatcher asked in confusion.

     “Obviously.  My friend and I need your help.  Are you going to send out some cops or not?”

     “Yes, sir.  I just need to know where you’re located.”