Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 68074 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 340(@200wpm)___ 272(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 68074 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 340(@200wpm)___ 272(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
“Tell us,” Dillon said.
“I’m coming with you.” Porter stood up.
“No,” I argued. “It could get dangerous.”
“I’m the one who got you into this whole mess,” Porter admitted. “I owe you that much.”
I couldn’t say no. That he was willing to put his life on the line for my girlfriend was heartwarming. I had missed this Porter, the one who was a stand-up guy and who had my back no matter what. It had been so long since I had seen him, lost as he was behind a veil of intoxication. Together, the three of us charged back through the house and out into the night.
I drove while Porter gave directions from the passenger seat, Dillon squeezed between us. Porter took us up into the hills, on the opposite side of town from our cabins. We turned off onto an unpaved access road, bumping our way deep into the forest. After about a quarter mile, Porter poked my shoulder.
“Turn off here.”
“Where?” I asked. There was nothing but undergrowth and pine needles.
“There’s a cabin about a hundred yards up,” Porter said. “Turn the car off, or they’ll see us.”
I looked at Dillon. I didn’t like this, but there didn’t seem to be any choice. I eased the truck off the path and cut the engine. None of us had any weapons, so we were gonna have to go in stealthily and hope the element of surprise would carry us through. I switched on my phone and pinged the location to Jason.
We found Tammy’s car abandoned on the way out of town, Jason texted. Looks like an abduction. Wait for backup.
I showed Dillon the text.
“What do you want to do?” he asked.
“You can wait here for the police,” I said, unbuckling my seat belt. “I’m going to get her.”
“I’m coming,” Porter announced before I could stop him.
“Are you sure?” I asked when we were both on the ground, standing in front of the truck.
“Let me do this,” Porter insisted.
I nodded, and we took off at a jog. No flashlights, no phone lights, not even moonlight helped us find our way. Porter went off memory, and I stuck close to him. In a few minutes, we were rewarded. Electricity shone from the windows of a tiny cabin, only about half the size of my house.
“Go around back,” Porter whispered. “There’s a bedroom window that’s broken. Or was last time I was here. I don’t think they’ve fixed it.”
I hesitated. “What are you going to do?”
“I’m going to create a diversion,” he said proudly, thumping me once on the back.
I nodded, unseen in the dark, and slipped off to circle the cabin. I kept to the forest, paying attention to the noise I was making, trying to avoid large bushes. Around back, I could see the bedroom through naked windows. There was a person sitting on a chair facing away from the window. I crept closer, and by the time I reached the glass, I could see it was Tammy, her wrists tied behind her.
My heart stuck in my throat. To see her at the mercy of someone else like that was torture. I wanted to smash the glass with my bare hands, reach through the window and drag her to safety, but I had to keep my cool. Examining the window, I could see that Porter had been right. Two of the panes were missing, broken and removed from the window. It was easy to reach through and slide the frame up, careful to minimize the noise.
I heard a commotion from beyond the bedroom door and feared the worse. Acting quickly, I hoisted myself through the open window, sliding down to the floor. Tammy was facing away from me and unable to see what was happening. To her credit, she didn’t scream. I crept forward, a finger to my lips.
When she finally caught sight of me, her relief was palpable. She tilted her head back, closing her eyes. They hadn’t bothered to gag her, figuring, I guessed, that they were too far out in the woods for her to attract any attention. I kissed her firmly, overjoyed to feel the warm pressure of her lips against mine. There wasn’t time for reunions, though, so I contented myself with a single touch. Pulling a knife out of my pocket, I cut her free. Together, we crept toward the window.
The bedroom door burst open, and a large man appeared, holding Porter by the neck. He shoved my friend to the floor, expecting to find his other captive still tied up in the chair. When he registered that the chair was empty, he scanned the room in confusion. He spotted Tammy and me near the window, making our escape.
I stepped in front of Tammy. “Go!” I whispered, urging her to dive through the window while I held the bad guys at bay.