Bailed Out (The Anna Albertini Files #2) - Rebecca Zanetti Page 0,24

Albertini girls in his bed right now.”

Even though the paranoia and nausea still edged toward me, I smiled. “He’ll be a legend.”

“He already thinks he is,” she whispered.

I chuckled, keeping my eyelids closed. Was that interest in her voice? Maybe? The two of them were opposites, which could be a really good thing. I was suddenly very glad I hadn’t landed that kiss earlier, although it was too bad about the flowers. “Tessa? Don’t leave me, okay?”

“I wouldn’t think of it.” Her cool palm felt my forehead. “Just rest, okay? I’ll stay here with you. Sleep now.”

I loved that her voice sounded the most like our mom’s, although mom’s brogue was stronger. “Don’t tell mom about the edibles,” I groaned.

“Oh, don’t worry,” Tessa said. “This one would be too hard to explain.”

Wasn’t that the truth? Finally, my body began to relax, now that I knew Tessa was safe and that Jareth Davey couldn’t get to me. I sighed and snuggled down in sheets that smelled a little smoky and woodsy…just like Nick. “He called you.”

“Yeah,” she said softly. “He didn’t want to call, and he’s kept his distance, but it was nice of him all the same.”

It had been a while since I’d taken on a challenge that didn’t have to do with the law or dead bodies. Tessa had been alone for too long, and I wasn’t sure why. Guys asked her out all the time, and she rarely accepted the invitation. It was probably because Pucci had been such an ass.

With that thought, I slid into a sleep that included bright colors, sparkling horses, and swiftly moving clouds shaped like dragons. I awoke a couple of times throughout the night, double checking that my sister was still there, sleeping quietly beside me.

Then I’d fall back asleep, my stomach better but my head hurting a little bit.

It wasn’t a surprise when the nightmare found me.

I was ten years old again, and ropes tied my hands to the dashboard of a muddy four-wheeler while my kidnapper drove through narrow trails away from the river, where I’d been skipping rocks with my cousin. When the guy had grabbed me, Lacey had rushed toward him, but he’d pushed her down. The sound of her head hitting the rock still echoed in my mind.

I pulled on the ropes and looked toward him, my ears ringing and my stomach hurting. “You have to let me go. Please.”

He had a big nose, narrow brown eyes, and dirty brown hair. “No. I need a bride.”

I coughed and held on as he turned too quickly, and I was rocked against the door. “I’m only ten. It’s too young to be a bride.” Fear tasted like metal at the back of my tongue. Had Lacey been knocked out? Or had she been able to get back to the family campground and let my dad know I was taken?

God, I hoped she was all right.

The guy kept driving for at least an hour, and I hadn’t managed to loosen the ropes at all. “Who are you?” I asked, trying to listen for help. Was anybody coming? Tears pooled in my eyes but I couldn’t stop them.

“Jareth Davey,” he said, turning again onto a trail that was barely there. “I won’t hurt you. But I need a bride.”

I didn’t believe him. If he didn’t want to hurt me, he wouldn’t have pushed Lacey down or tied my hands together. What if my dad didn’t find me? I sucked in air.

The sound of a helicopter pierced the nice Spring day. Was it for me? Were they coming? Then the sound of four-wheelers and dirt bikes echoed around the mountains. It was Memorial Day weekend, and there were a lot of campers, but maybe those were looking for me.

What if I never got free? My legs shook. This had to be a bad dream.

“Shit,” Jareth said, driving the machine to the right and aiming toward a weathered cabin that seemed to almost go into the rocks. I hadn’t even seen it before. He parked beneath some trees, undid my rope, and then carried me toward the cabin.

I screamed and punched him, fighting and trying to fall to the ground. He kept going and opened the door, hurrying inside where it was quiet. Would anybody even see the cabin? I punched him in the throat.

The cabin only had one room with a kitchen that had a hotplate and several mismatched pans on a counter. A bare mattress was on the floor with one