Almost Dead (Lizzy Gardner #5)(62)

Usually when he returned to the campsite, Shelby was able to start a conversation, get him to tell her something about himself, but not this time. He stomped around, kicking dirt and breaking thick branches with his bare hands. For the past few minutes, he’d muttered a string of nonsensical words.

Lizzy always told her students that if they ever found themselves in the hands of an abductor and they couldn’t get away, to stay calm and use their instincts. Shelby’s instincts told her she needed to get her captor to calm down.

It was midday. She couldn’t remember exactly how many days had passed since he’d forced her from the car. He’d held a knife to her throat and threatened to kill her if she didn’t do everything he said. He was big and he was strong, and she had believed every word he said, every threat he made.

If she had to guess, she’d say she’d been in the woods for a week now, which would mean it was February. It hadn’t rained once since he’d brought her to the woods. She was thankful for that because she was always cold. The lean-to he’d made out of branches and leaves helped a little on the windy days, but not much.

Whenever he left her, he made sure to use a rope or duct tape around her ankles. He would place a chain around her neck and fasten the other end to the oak tree next to the lean-to. Her hands were almost always duct-taped behind her. There was one time during the third day where he’d left her hands unbound, but she’d thought he was testing her, trying to find out early on whether or not she would run for it. He’d then set out for the woods to relieve himself. Her ankles had been bound and she could have hobbled down the hill, but she wouldn’t have gotten very far, and she knew trying to escape him would only have made him angry. She’d been taking Lizzy’s defense classes for years and knew that in the event a person was abducted, it wasn’t wise to make a run for it unless you knew you had a really good chance of getting away.

Still, it was running from him—full speed, her hair flying out behind her, leaving him far, far behind—that she was fantasizing about when he suddenly lunged at her with his knife in his hand.

She let out a shriek, but he didn’t seem to care as he cut the duct tape from her ankles. When that was done, he unlocked the chain from around the tree and used it as a leash to pull her behind him, dragging her with him as he made a new path up the hill.

The brush tore at her arms as he pulled her through it. Her legs shook. “Where are we going?”

He didn’t answer her, just kept pulling her up the hill.

If she didn’t keep up with him, she’d choke. “You said you’d let me go.”

He yanked hard, stole her breath.

She was hungry and thirsty, cold and bruised. She wanted to go home. “You promised!”

He turned on her then, fast and furious. He pushed her to the ground and held her there. His eyes were darker than she’d ever seen them. The lines in his forehead had deepened. He didn’t look anything like the soft-spoken man who only last night had told her about his little brother and how they used to make up skits that they would perform for family and friends.

“Your stupid whore friends told the police that your secret boyfriend took you. They’re not looking for me anymore. They’re looking for someone else.”

“I don’t have a secret boyfriend.”

“You’re a liar. All bitches are liars.”

He got up on his knees and began to undo his belt.

“Don’t do this.”

“Shut up. I need to. I have to.”

Panicked, she knew she needed to turn the attention back on him. “Why are you so angry? You should be glad that they’re not looking for you.”

“They’re taking my glory,” he said in a loud voice that cracked with intensity as he worked his belt loose. “Everyone wants to take the glory. First Lizzy Gardner and now your secret boyfriend.”

“Raping me isn’t going to help matters.”

“It’s going to be thrilling. You’re going to love every minute of it. They all do.”

“You need to send them a letter,” Shelby said with the conviction of a desperate person in a desperate situation.

“Send who a letter?”

“The police. Tell them you’re the one who took me. I’ll help you write it. Tell them you have me and demand that they get their facts straight.”

His fingers were no longer grasping at his pants. His breathing grew calmer as he seemed to think about what she’d said.

“You’re the one with the power. You have full control of the situation,” she reminded him. “You have all the glory. They just don’t know it yet.”

“You’re right. I’m in control.” He stood up and pulled her to her feet. “Let’s go.”

“A new campsite?”

“No. I found an old cabin. We’ll write the letter there.”





CHAPTER 43

Lizzy was on the highway headed for the Perdues, where Hayley and Kitally had found two dead bodies, when the phone rang. The console showed that the caller was her niece.

She pushed Talk and tried to sound cheerful. “Brittany, what’s going on?”

“Lizzy, you need to come, quick. Mom and Dad are fighting again. This time it’s really bad.”

“Are you safe?”