Jesse set the black backpack just inside the opening that she had squeezed through before. She might have to run like hell but she couldn’t leave the food behind this time. Her sisters desperately needed it.
Pulling her father’s hunting knife out, she glanced around the fallen debris before quietly stepping out. She let her eyes sweep the area before she swiftly jogged over to the side of the moving van. Pressing her back up against the cold metal, she waited for several long seconds, listening. Sweat beaded on her brow even though the air was frigid. She could even feel the dampness as it slid down between her shoulder blades, a testament to her fear.
She refused to give in to the terror threatening to choke her though. She couldn’t just leave him to die, even if he was an alien. No one deserved to die the way the men and woman were planning. If she couldn’t release him, the least she could do was end his life in a more humane way.
Jesse moved slowly, pausing to listen in case anyone came out to check on the van again. Her heart was pounding in her chest as she reached over and carefully slid back the bar locking the back of the van. Her hands shook as she pulled the door open just far enough for her to slip through the opening.
The silence and darkness inside the moving van caused her to start panting. She had never seen one of the aliens up close before. She had always done everything in her power to stay as far away from them as possible so she had no idea of what she was about to see.
She fumbled in the front pocket of her black cargo pants for the small penlight that she always carried. She turned it on and moved it along the floor until she saw the leg of a metal bench. Taking a timid step forward, she ran the light up along the bench until she encountered the huge boots of the alien.
She stepped forward on silent feet until she was even with his feet. She frowned when she saw the thick chains holding him to the metal bench. She moved up his body, staring at the chains that were threaded through every few inches up his body. She flashed the light down to the corners and saw that there was a master lock on each corner. She turned to look at the top of the metal bed to see if there were additional locks there as well.
She froze when her eyes locked on a pair of glowing yellow ones that were watching her with silent rage. Her hand began to shake so badly that she had to use both hands to hold the beam steady.
"I…," she began in a muffled whispered. She licked her dry lips behind the scarf before impatiently pulling it down below her chin when she felt like she was about to suffocate. "I… oh hell."
Jesse stared at the beautiful features of the man lying on the table. Even with the gag in his mouth, she could tell he was handsome in an exotic kind of way. He had long, thick black hair that was pulled back. His eyes were the shape of a lion or tiger. They were a deep yellow, almost gold color and glowed in the reflection of the flashlight. He had high cheekbones and small ridges along his nose which was flatter than a humans. Her eyes moved down over his shoulders and chest. He had very little hair on him considering he looked like he was part feline. One thing stood out above all others, though. He was huge! He had to be close to seven feet tall and she had never seen any man outside of the movies that muscular.
Her eyes jerked back to his when she felt more than heard the slight rumble of a growl coming from him. That was when she realized that she had dropped her left hand down to rest on his stomach. Blushing, she pulled her hand away quickly and took a step closer to his head. She needed to make him realize she was there to help him.
"Please, be quiet," she whispered next to his ear. "They will kill me or worse if they catch me and I can’t be… I have to leave…."
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Captured Boxed Set: 9 Alpha Bad-Boys Who Will Capture Your Heart Page 109