goes,” I heard him say. I knew he’d injected me with something, but it was the last thought I had before everything slid sideways again. Daylight turned to a wash of gray, followed quickly by a descending blackness.
And then there was nothing at all.
CHAPTER 82
I WOKE UP in the dark. There wasn’t anything to see, and I didn’t know where I was.
Then a bump. And another. Each one jolted my body, bringing me wide awake with a pain that seemed to be everywhere.
We were moving. I was in the back of a van of some kind.
And I wasn’t alone. As my eyes adjusted to the dark, I realized someone else was there, sitting across from me.
Jesus! My panic turned on like a switch. When I screamed, I realized my mouth had been taped. My wrists were taped, too, crisscrossed behind my back. I couldn’t stop myself from speaking, even though the words never made it past my gag.
“Eve? Eve!”
It was her, I could tell. I recognized the shape of her, filling in what I couldn’t see with what I knew from my gut.
She wasn’t stirring, and I realized all at once that she might be dead. The possibility grabbed hold of me like an icy hand. I couldn’t reach her. I was lashed to some kind of brace or upright, holding me against the side wall of the van. I kicked with my two bound feet, trying to nudge her awake, desperate to see her move.
And then she did, barely. I saw the rise and fall of a breath. Thank God. She was unconscious, but she was alive. That was all that really mattered. Still, it opened up a whole cascade of other questions.
Where were we headed? How long had I been out? How many miles had we covered?
I remembered the Brit then. Or whatever he was. He hadn’t been driving a van when he hit me. That meant I’d been out long enough for him to change vehicles.
My bike was long gone. My stolen cell phone, too. I’d left both of them lying broken in the street.
But the knife! It might still be there, I realized, tucked into the laces of my shoe.
I twisted around, pulling against the tape and the mesh straps that had me stuck in one position. I couldn’t lean forward enough to reach my feet, but with some effort, I bent at the knees and brought my feet toward my hands instead. It was just enough for me to feel around the laces, where my fingers closed on the plastic hilt I was looking for. Thank God. The blade was bent but still usable.
With some more maneuvering, I got the knife wedged between the floor and the tape around my wrists. I had to rock back and forth to create a sawing motion. Each stroke sent up a throb from my leg, watering my eyes with the pain. I had no idea how mobile I was going to be even if I could get out of these bonds. The pain was nearly overwhelming, but the adrenaline was doing its own bit to keep me conscious and focused. I’d drag myself through this if I had to, but there was no use even thinking about that until I’d gotten through the tape.
After a little more sawing, I heard a welcome ripping sound. It was just enough. I pulled with both hands, and the rest of the tape gave way.
I tore the gag off my mouth and sucked in a desperate lungful of air like I’d been drowning. Then I started sawing away at the mesh straps that still kept me lashed to the wall.
“Eve!” I tried again, in a hoarse whisper. She didn’t respond. Whatever they’d knocked her out with had clearly been more than I’d gotten.
The van was sealed. I could see some kind of molded industrial plastic wall at the front. I had no idea if anyone could hear us or not, but it made sense to be careful. The one thing I might have left on my side was some element of surprise.
That, and the knife.
I sawed even harder at the straps around my torso now. They were far tougher than the tape, but with my hands unbound, I was making decent headway. I’d be free of them soon. I didn’t know how much longer this drive was going to be, or where we were going, but whenever we got there, I intended to be ready.
CHAPTER 83
THE RIDE WENT on for at least