Hunted (34 page)

She kept her eyes closed, not a difficult task considering her eyelids refused to budge. Better to let them think she was still unconscious. After her momentary panic, she slowed her breathing. She’d just wait until she gained back control over her body, then get away. Even though the likelihood of success of escaping was slim, she chose to ignore the fact. One thing she was sure of— they’d have to kill her before she let them lock her away.

James cursed under his breath.

“Aww, very nice. I knew you’d see things my way. I wonder if the power is specific to the owner or if anyone can use it?” Kramer asked. He drifted to her side and leaned over, his warm breath fanning her face.

She forced her rising terror into submission.
Not yet. You can freak out later, but not yet.

“The last time we were together you treated me as though I were a puppet, Emmanuella. I think it’s only fair if I repay the favor soon. Take her to the van while I finish up in here.”

Hands grabbed her legs and under her armpits, hoisting her off the bed. Her butt sagged as they moved. She felt awkward and vulnerable as she swayed with their out-of-sync gaits. Her hip hit the doorframe as they passed through and she stifled a cry.

“Careful,” Kramer droned. “We don’t want to damage her. Yet.”

She swallowed hard despite her nausea. Will would show up. Will would save her.

Will was an hour away.

The cool night air hit her arms and goosebumps erupted. The wind gusted, whipping her hair around her face. One of the men stumbled, nearly dropping her as they descended the steps. Despite her best efforts, she began to tremble. Fear that they would figure out she was conscious gnawed at her control.

The man carrying her top half shifted, her back pressing against his chest. She heard the creak of a metallic door as her body swung, then landed on a hard metal floor with a thud. She landed on her side and her head. The contact forced the air from her lungs.

The doors slammed shut and she cracked her eyes, taking a few seconds to adjust to the darkness. She was in an empty cargo van, alone. She needed a plan. What the hell was she going to do? She needed to get away now rather than later, if for no other reason than the van wasn’t moving. She really didn’t have any desire to jump out of a moving vehicle.

Her arms and legs now responded to her simple commands of movement, but were still sluggish. There was no way she could outrun men in her condition.

Unless she hid in the woods.

She crept to the front seat and peered out the windows. Two men stood next to the van, watching the cabin, Kramer nowhere in sight. If she was going to do this, it had to happen now.

Searching the dashboard, she found the switch to kill the interior lights. With her head bent low and eyes on the men, she found the door handle on the passenger side and eased it open, listening for creaks. The door was halfway open before she heard the soft whine of the hinge. She stopped and glanced over her shoulder at the men. Deep in conversation, they hadn’t noticed.

She pushed again, opening the door enough to squeeze through. Turning sideways, she slid out the door, slowly closing the door with a soft click.

Emma crouched down, her blood rushing in her ears. The woods were behind the cabin, but it meant going past the men to reach them. She considered walking up to a tent or camper and begging the owners to hide her. She could tell them her boyfriend was angry or drunk, but she dismissed the idea. For one thing, they would probably insist she call the police, something she was unwilling to do. And for another thing, she could put them in danger if Kramer found her.

The woods it was. First she had to get there.

Their cabin perched atop an incline. She waited for a strong gust of wind to hide any sounds she made and walked over to the edge of the hill, thankful for the darkness. Sliding down the embankment, she steered with her hands, ignoring the stings of cuts and scrapes. She could deal with those later.

When she made it to the bottom, she stayed along the edge, blending in with the shadows. She ran toward the tents, separated from the cabins. It was late enough that most families were zipped inside, but a few stragglers sat by campfires, casting perplexed looks in her direction. She ignored them. Glad that the drugs James had given her were wearing off, she gained strength with each passing moment.

The edge of the campground came into view and she allowed herself a moment of victory until she heard crashing behind her. She looked over her shoulder to see the two men running after her, throwing things out of their way.

Emma’s heart leapt in her chest. They were gaining on her quickly. The trees were just ahead, taunting her with their nearness. She wasn’t sure she would make it and even when she did, they could still catch her. But it still seemed her best option, offering more places to hide. She reached for her pendant, terrified that it was gone. The stone was her only weapon and now she was defenseless.

Her feet pounded the rough earth, sending shock waves into her already throbbing head. She reached the edge of the forest and pushed through the dense undergrowth. The wind howled, masking the crunch and crackles made by her feet as she plunged deeper into the trees. Rain began to fall, dripping through the canopy and down to the forest floor, making the leaf-covered ground slick as she ran. She slipped and fell to her knees, bracing herself with her outstretched arms. Swiping the mud off her hands onto her jeans, she pushed on until she found a rocky outcropping. She found a crevice to duck behind while she caught her breath and watched for her pursuers.

***

Even before Will felt the tingle in his arm, before it began as a twitch and worked its way up to the full blown pins-and-needles sensation, he knew something was wrong. He drove back to the cabin, keeping to the speed limit after his run in with the police and assuring himself everything was okay. Emma was all right. Yet, he knew.

She wasn’t.

His panic spread, but he had to wait until the sensation in his arm reached its peak before he could reach out to her, to find out what terror she faced now, without him. Again.

And when he knew she could hear him he called out, his words laced with his own agony.
Emma.

Will!

Where are you? What’s happened?

James… There’s two men following me with guns. Kramer. Kramer’s here.

Kramer? How?

James. He drugged me and Kramer showed up. But I got away and I’m running in the woods.

Will’s chest squeezed, threatening to crush his heart. James had betrayed him.
Use your stone, Emma. I know you’re worried about starting a fire, but you have better control now.

I can’t. James took it.

Will’s pain turned to murderous rage. She was completely defenseless. Do they know where you are?

No, there’s a storm. I think I lost them.

I don’t need the stone to find you. I’m already halfway there. I
will
find
you
.

***

Jake lay on his bed and held Rusty close. Outside, the wind whistled and rain slapped the windows. On nights like tonight, he used to curl up in bed with Mommy. He fit in the curve of her tummy, cocooned by her body, her arm wrapped around him holding him close.

But tonight he was alone.

He couldn’t sleep, thinking of her. Thinking about Alex and how he could hurt her. Thinking about
him
. Jake hadn’t heard from him for days. Maybe he wasn’t coming back.

Maybe Jake didn’t want him to come back.

Jake could sense Mommy was close. She had reached out to him earlier, so close it was if he could reach out and touch her. But he ignored her calls, shutting her out. He couldn’t risk Alex knowing anything about her, no matter how much Jake needed her.

He began to consider escaping. It wouldn’t be hard. The guards were only for show. He’d played with their fears enough to know they were scared. He might not even have to hurt any of them. But he would if they tried to keep him from his mommy.

He could walk out of the house, but then what? He could call out to her and she would come and get him. If one of the men tried to hurt her, Jake would hurt them first. Knowing what they planned to do before they did it was useful.

Alex was the one to worry about, but he didn’t stay here and only dropped in every couple of days. And he had been there in the morning.

He began to work out a plan so simple he didn’t know why he hadn’t considered it before. He’d walk out the bedroom door, through the front door, and start walking down the street.

Before he could plan the rest, an inhuman howl blew through the house, creating a whirlwind of chaos in his mind and the minds of the men in the house. Jake gripped his head between his palms as a presence grew closer and closer.

He
was here.

Jake sat up on the bed clutching Rusty to his chest.

The house shook, the walls and floor vibrating manically. Jake struggled to stay on the bed. The guards outside the door began to panic and scream, their swirling thoughts silencing into shattered bits.

There was nothing. No thoughts. No emotions. Blissful peace washed over him. The door creaked open and a man tilted his head through the crack.

“Hello, Jake.”

Jake blinked in disbelief. He was really here. “Hello.”

The man pushed the door open farther, stepping into the crack, and extended his hand. “Ready to go?”

Jake stood and took a step toward him. “Where?”

The man smiled. “To get your mother, of course.”

Chapter Twenty-Five

Emma broke her telepathic link with Will. Talking to him took concentration and she didn’t want to wander the woods without focus. One thing was certain—she couldn’t go back to the cabin, but she was unfamiliar with the layout of the land and had no idea where the nearest road could be. She had no choice. She had to go deeper in the woods.

Grabbing onto the tree trunks, she pulled herself up the gradually increasing incline. The rain continued to fall, soaking her hair and clothes. She was sick to death of rain and woods.

The man tackled her out of nowhere, slamming her face-first into the ground. She gasped from surprise and pain. His knee ground into her thigh and his hands pushed her arms into the decaying leaves. She bucked and twisted, but he pressed harder.

“Where do you think you’re going?” He snarled into her ear and flipped her over on her back. He glared, his lip curling in a sneer. His fingers dug into her upper arm as he pulled her off the ground and tugged her down the incline. Emma fought against his grip, but he was stronger and outweighed her by a hundred pounds. His fingers dug deeper, his nails cutting into the soft flesh of her inner arm.

Her mind ran rampant with panic. She couldn’t get back in the van or her life would be over. If her life was going to end, she wanted to be the one in control. She planned to put up one hell of a fight.

She planted a hard kick to the back of his thigh with her heel while she twisted her body out of his hold. He grunted and stumbled forward from the force. He turned, his teeth bared and eyes slitted in rage. Charging forward, he lunged with both hands. Emma aimed a kick to his groin, relieved when it connected and he doubled over, moaning.

She turned and ran sideways on the hill, her feet slipping on the rain-slick leaves. He recovered and followed. “I’m going to kill you, bitch.”

Adrenaline surged through her body, fueling her leg muscles to push harder. His hand snagged her shoulder, spinning her around, his fist smashing into her cheek before she could think to duck.

Rage filled her. Why wouldn’t these people leave her alone? Her cheek throbbed as she bent over in pain. He stood in front of her, grabbing her arm to pull her up. Emma raised a knee to hit him in the groin again, but he was prepared and stepped back, kicking her in the chest. She fell backward, into a tree and slid down, the rough bark scratching her back as she struggled to recover. As she hit the ground, she fell on her side and began to crawl.

“Not so tough now.” He sneered as he followed, stalking.

“Kramer’s going to be pissed if you bring me back damaged.”

“Kramer said to use any means necessary. I can’t help it you put up a fight.”

She tried to sit up, but he kicked her again. His foot aimed for her shoulder but she twisted as she tried to roll away and it connected with her abdomen. Falling on her side, she released an agonized sob.

“You going to mind me?” He reached for her arm.

Not ready to give up, she kicked the back of his ankle and he stumbled. She pushed up on her hands and knees, gasping for breath.

He growled and pushed her over, pressing her shoulders in to the ground as he stomped on her back. She pushed against him but he pressed harder, squeezing the air out of her lungs.

Emma twisted sideways, catching him off guard, and rolling onto her back. Her hands reached out blindly for anything to grab onto. The fingertips of her right hand brushed against a rock.