“What the hell are we going to do Zak? We can run to Mexico, but that means living a life on the run. She can I.D. us to the cops!” Cracks begin to show in their carefully laid plan; my guess is that Zak is the mastermind behind all of this.
“If you guys bring me back to my house and call this whole ransom off, I’ll forget this ever happened. I can give you guys’ money, please just bring me home…” My chest is shaking from my cries, I don’t want to die.
I had dreams of running a magazine, getting married, having children with Kayden. Oh my god…Kayden. I love him so much. This will kill him; he’ll end up blaming himself. He trusted them as much as I did. My parents…I won’t ever get to tell them how much they mean to me. I’m eternally grateful for them being the best mom and dad they could be. Especially with everything I’ve had to endure over these last few months.
“We have no other choice but to kill her Jacob, I don’t like it any more than you do, but we can’t risk her going to the cops. We’ve done everything to make this plan foolproof…one fucking thing! You had one. Goddamn. Thing to do! Get the drugs in her system, so she’d be out long enough to get our fuckin’ money! Damn it!” Zak starts pounding my steering wheel with his fists.
I flinch witnessing the anger burst out of him, taking over his features.
Hearing the words stream from his mouth makes all my fears a terrifying reality. This is it; this is how I will spend my last moments alive. Tied up and murdered by two men I foolishly trusted.
I think of Kayden, which only makes more tears overflow, picturing him right now in a state of panic, doing everything he can to comply with their demands in order to ensure my safe return.
That gives me a sliver of hope to hold onto that we’ll be reunited again. The odds are slim to none, but I can’t give up. Stupid or not, I have to believe Kayden will do anything to get me back.
We only had a month together, but I will cherish that month we shared until my last breath and beyond. Kayden gave me the best four weeks of my life; loving me unconditionally, heart and soul, every single day.
My father will never have the chance to walk me down the aisle to give me away to Kayden. I hold my zip-tied hands over my stomach feeling the ache deep in the pit of my stomach, knowing I will never experience the joy of feeling our baby’s first kick, or that breathtaking moment when I hold my child for the first time.
I’ll never have the chance to experience motherhood. I can’t help but think of my mother, she’ll never have the chance to be a grandmother.
The image of Brooklyn pops into my mind, my best friend, I’ll never see her get married nor have children. We dreamed of raising our kids together. Having them be best friends just like us. She always laughed and said that would happen, only if Jared Leto would agree to marry her. She could never picture herself settling down and becoming a housewife.
Through my sorrow I smile, my tears falling over my lips. Even in the face of death, thousands of miles away, she still has the ability to bring me sunshine on a rainy day. Brooklyn puts on a show for the world, acting like a tough chick, but I know my best friend better than she knows herself. I see the real her from the inside out. She wants that life, too; she just feels she will never find a guy who will love her the way Kayden loves me.
I close my eyes taking calming breaths, trying to restrain my wayward emotions. I need to think. What can I do to get out of this alive? I will not allow my life to end this way. I need to snap out of this pity party in my head.
My father raised me better than this. When you get knocked down, you have to get back up. I was raised to never give up. They want money; I can give them money and let them go. I will gladly let them go and never say a word. If it means I live, then I don’t give a flying fuck if they flee the country. They’re too panicked and paranoid to accept that offer. I need to formulate another plan.
Trying my best to wipe the tears away from my eyes, I look around the back seat. My head has been in such a fog between the drugs they gave me, and the full blown panic attack I’ve been having, I haven’t been trying to think of a way to escape. A streetlight illuminates the car momentarily, making something twinkle under the driver’s seat.
That’s it! I forgot all about my pistol! Thank you Daddy for insisting I always keep one in my car. My dad has been taking me to the firing range since I was five years old. I have the best shot out of any of my cousins. I use to spend every fall season hunting with my grandpa, dad, uncles and cousins.
Now the only problem is how do I get my gun out from under the seat, without them noticing? My Audi isn’t the roomiest thing on the planet; even the slightest move may draw attention to me in the backseat. I have to remain patient and wait for the perfect opportunity.
A full blown argument is taking place between Zak and Jacob over how and where to kill me. Hearing them talk about where to get rid of my body when they’re done with me sends fear coursing through my entire body.
I feel like vomiting, all the contents of my stomach are rising to my mouth. I feel like I’m having an out of body experience; floating above myself, looking down at everything going on. It seems surreal; this only happens on TV shows like Criminal Minds…not real life!
My stomach is starting to ache. The vomit is in my throat. It dawns on me that this may be my chance, the diversion I need. Between the stress and fear mixed with the pain my head is in from the drug they gave me; I’m already on the verge of getting sick. I come up with my plan, and say a silent prayer to God that it works.
Moaning and holding my stomach, I’m able to get Jacobs attention. “I think I’m going to throw up…” I let out a loud groan and cover my mouth with my hands.
“Shit! Don’t let her puke in here; we’ll have to fuckin’ smell it the entire time we’re driving! Quick, grab that plastic bag on the floor from the gas station.” Zak yells to Jacob.
Jacob reaches for the bag on the floor, and quickly hands it to me. “Make sure you get sick in the bag so we can toss it on the side of the road!” Hearing him raise his voice at me is terrifying. I’ve only known Jacob to be suave and funny. His British accent I once loved listening to, now sends pangs of fear into my stomach.
I lean over the seat with my face in the bag, and Jacob turns his head back up front, bitching about if he sees me vomit, he’s going to end up vomiting himself. They both roll down the car windows, which work out perfectly for me. The sound of the wind whipping through the windows, mixed with the radio will help drown out any sounds of me moving around.
While no one is looking I stick my finger down my throat causing myself to gag and bring up the vomit that has been churning in my stomach. Taking extra care to vomit violently, making as much noise as possible. Leaning almost to the floor puking into the plastic bag, I let go of the bags handles.
My hands being zip tied together is making this extremely challenging. I slide my hands under the driver’s seat, careful to not hit anything under the seat to draw Zak’s attention. Wiggling my fingers along the floor until I reach my target, I inch my gun forward until I’m able to pick it up.
An impulse wave of trepidation shoots through me as I hold my gun in my hands. Gagging still, I pick the bag back up. Leaning back up onto the back seat, I quickly slide my tiny revolver under my thigh. I tie the bag and hand it back to Jacob. He proceeds to gag as he dangles the bag in front of himself. Not wasting any time he whips it out the window.
This is my one and only chance, so I can’t afford to make any mistakes. My head is still spinning and my vision is slightly blurred. If I shoot and miss, they will definitely not hesitate to shoot me here and now before I can try anything else.
My hands are shaking and beads of sweat are running down my temples as I retrieve my gun from under my leg.
Holding my gun in my hands, I think back to the day my father took me to buy it. I had just turned sixteen and gotten my license. Maverick Livingston’s daughter wasn’t going to be driving around Los Angeles without a gun to protect herself
. He wasn’t thrilled when I picked a pink one because I thought it was cute, but being the man he is, he got me what I wanted. As long as I would keep it in my car at all times. Later on, when I moved out, he got me another one to keep in a lockbox in my bedroom.
I’ve never been so happy to be holding a gun in my hands in my entire life, than I am right now. Daddy you don’t know how grateful I am to you right about now. You being the overprotective dad that you are may have just saved my life tonight. I think to myself, as I quietly turn the safety off.
Jacob is leaning on his hand, with his elbow propped up against the door. Zak isn’t saying anything anymore, it’s eerily quiet. I can’t tell where we are because it’s so dark. I see nothing but trees on either side of the car. I have no idea what I’ll do after I shoot Jacob, all I know is I have to try shooting Zak also.
It looks like we’re in the middle of nowhere, and my phone is up front with Jacob. If I end up dying, at least I died fighting and can die knowing I did everything in my power to get back to Kayden, the love of my life, and back to my family and friends. I need them to know I didn’t give up.
Holding my breath, I count to three in my head and pull the trigger. The loud popping sound it makes is deafening in my small car, my ears instantly start ringing. First shot I took hit Jacob right in the temple, his body jerked forward smashing against the dashboard; blood splattering all over the front of the car. I let out a small scream watching the life drain from Jacob’s body.
I just shot him, oh God, I just killed someone.
Zak begins screaming profanities, in shock trying to register what just happened. “You stupid bitch, you killed Jacob!” I can hear the pain in Zak’s voice, but I have no sympathy for him. He was going to kill me, I had no other choice. My entire body is shaking; I feel nauseous again, seeing all the blood everywhere. I can’t stop the flow of tears falling from my eyes.
Zak cranks the wheel of the car, sending me flying to other side of the back seat. The roads are slick from the rain and he loses control; the squealing of the tires is so loud. Tears are streaking down my cheeks and as my sobs become uncontrollable, Zak turns and looks at me. The shock and horror in his eyes is frightful and ghastly; I freeze and so does time. Everything is unfolding in slow motion.
I’m shaking, holding my gun pointing it at him, but not able to do anything. The car is spinning in circles and I can see Zak gripping the wheel trying to correct the car.
I snap back to reality, everything is moving 100MPH as I feel the car going airborne. Dropping the gun to the floor, I roll over facing the back of the seat clinching the seatbelt; Holding onto it so hard that my nails are digging into the palms of my hands drawing blood. I close my eyes and continue to pray as I feel my car rolling down an embankment.
Last thing I hear are my screams of terror echoing through the car along with Zak’s, as the glass explodes all around me. The sound of the metal crushing, and the car barreling through trees is deafening, then everything goes black.
Savannah & Kayden’s Story continues in my third novel in this series, Indestructible Desire, as a thank you for all your support here is a bonus scene from Kayden’s Point of View.
Kayden
Walking out the door of Savannah’s beach house I feel terrible. She’s worked all evening making this farewell dinner for Zak and Jacob. Just my luck that we have an emergency at the office, and no one can reach Dixon. Leaving me to be the one to go in and deal with the issue.
After parking in my designated parking spot, I lock my truck and head to my office. When I arrive there, my security team is all huddled around the main security office.
“Hey guys, so what’s going on? Were you able to detect what’s causing the issues with the security system?” I walk over to the wall of security cameras. Everything is static, and the alarms have all been turned off. My I.T. guy is hard at work trying to fix the server.
Aaron, my head of security at Beaumont Industries, does not look happy at all. I have a feeling I’m not going to be making it back anytime soon for dinner. “We had a major breach in security Mr. Knox. Someone got through our firewalls and hacked our entire security system.
“They shut down everything; I don’t know how they did it. Our firewalls are supposed to be so secure that no one should be able to hack into our systems, no matter how good they are.”
I have gone from annoyed to completely pissed-off instantly. We pay a lot of money for the top of the line security systems, to keep everyone here safe, and everything in this building secure. “Then how the hell did they do this? We’ve had some of the world’s best hacker’s test our security and none of them were able to break into it.”
Aaron’s shoulders sag, he looks defeated. “I have no idea Sir; whoever this is…they are better than any hacker we’ve ever dealt with before. They bypassed everything without being noticed. We had no idea everything was down until the screens went out. No alarms…nothing went off warning us.”
Raking my fingers through my hair I walk over to the desk where the I.T. guy is working to get our security system back up and running. Fuck he has made very little progress.
Since I won’t be heading back to Savannah’s anytime soon, I decide to head down to the employee cafeteria and try to find something to eat and give the guys some time to try and fix whatever the hell this piece of shit did to our system.
Reaching into my pants pocket, I pull out my cell and decide to try Dixon again.
Me:
Where the fuck r u? Emergency at the office, some fucker hacked our security system, shutting it down completely. Get ur ass down here ASAP
After sending the text I look down at Savannah’s gorgeous face smiling up at me. It’s my favorite picture of her. I took it at my house in Sugar Land the day I took her riding on my property, and we had our picnic in the fields near my house. She looked like an angel that day in her white ruffle tube top, skinny jeans, and cowgirl boots.
I feel like I won the lottery every single day that I wake up beside her. She has to be the most amazing woman on the entire planet. I just hope I don’t fuck up and mess this up. God knows when it comes to relationships I don’t have the best track record.
I just took my last bite of my turkey sandwich when my phone begins buzzing. Pulling it out I see a text message from Dixon.
Dixon:
How the fuck did they get through our fire walls? I’m in LA I flew out this afternoon, going 2 a New Year’s party with Savannah’s friend Brooklyn tomorrow night. So I was gonna to take her out to Vertigo tonight.
Dixon is in Los Angeles?
With Brooklyn, no less; when the fuck did that happen?
Last I knew she was with that rocker dude and hooking up with Jax. I can’t keep up with that girl’s love life. Five seconds of trying to figure it out is hurting my fuckin’ brain.
Me:
That’s fine I’ll stay and handle it, hoping they get the issue resolved ASAP. Had plans with Savannah tonight, then this shit happens. WTH did u n Brooklyn become a thing?!
Dixon:
We’re not a thing, just having fun…damn don’t go putting a label on this shit. She’s been chasing my fuckin’ dick for weeks, and finally I gave in, and god damn she is an animal in the sack!
Me:
Dixon TMI…TMI! K I g2g see if this shit is fixed yet. ttyl
I stepped onto the elevator to head up to my office when my phone goes off again; I’m assuming its Dixon. When I look at the screen I see its Savannah texting me. Her text is barely legible because she’s hit other letters. I can make out that she’s texting to see if things are fixed and if I’ll be home soon. I have witnessed Savannah completely drunk off her ass a few times since we’ve been together, and she is still able to text even after ten shots of whiskey.
Suddenly my stomach is tied up in knots. I can feel that something isn’t right. As soon as I step off the elevator, I head straight to my office so I can have some privacy to call Savannah.
Sitting down on
the couch near my desk, I dial her number and hit call. Holding my breath and waiting for her to answer, the phone rings and rings, usually she answers in the first two rings. We’re now onto the fifth. Finally Zak answers the phone.
Laying my head back against the couch, I stare at the ceiling trying to fight off this feeling I have that something is just not right. Zak is telling me Savannah drank too much wine at dinner, and keeps dozing off. They’re going to help her to bed before going home to finish packing.
After getting off the phone with them I feel a little better, but something still seems off. Having a few glasses of wine is usually not enough to affect Savannah that much. Only reasonable explanation is she is still exhausted from our trip to the Alamo Bowl game yesterday. Plus, we’ve been traveling nonstop from Dallas to Memphis and then to San Antonio. I, myself, am dragging right now. I need about ten shots of espresso before I pass the fuck out.
Shoving my phone back into my pocket, I make my way back out to the security office. Our office assistant for the night shift, thank God, was nice enough to run down the street and buy everyone Starbucks to keep us alert while we deal with this crap.
After twenty minutes of watching these guys fight with the server, they finally said they were getting somewhere. It wouldn’t be long and the virus would be removed, security would be back up and running. We will have to contact the FBI in the morning and hopefully they can track the IP address used to hack the system.
Walking over to toss out my empty coffee cup, my cell phone buzzes in my pocket again. Excusing myself I walk back towards my office to see who the hell is texting me now.
Savannah:
Deposit 10million dollars into this bank account 1165789244 within the next hour…or Savannah is dead.
Savannah Series Boxed Set: Four Full Novels and One Novella Page 38
