Double Take. Jenness Walker

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      She swallowed hard and shook her head. Not now. Not here. If she didn’t want to end up dead, she had to get a grip.

      Deep breath. And again.

      The walls backed away slightly. Were they going to let her go, like they promised? Or just kill her once they made good on their getaway? She needed to know. But more than that, she needed to be able to see.

      Now.

      The need for light grew as Kenzie pulled her legs in close and pressed her face against her knee. She rubbed hard, frantically trying to dislodge the blindfold. It stayed, the material cutting into her head, making the ache worse. Pressing her mouth against her knee, Kenzie muffled a whimper.

      Then screamed as a hand touched the back of her neck.

      THREE

      Someone could be dying right now. And here he stood, watching as a crew removed the crime-scene tape from the bus, waiting to be interviewed by a detective as the group anxiously reclaimed their belongings now that they’d been released.

      Cole slowly—guiltily—collected his things. His wallet. The novel.

      His chest tightened again.

      A stylish black purse, the one that the pretty brunette had hugged to herself, remained on the table. Would she ever get it back?

      Turning away, he found a spot on the curb again. He needed to call his cousin. See if John could pick him up after his turn with the detective.

      Why? So he could go back to his vacation like normal? To act as if he hadn’t just watched an innocent woman be marched away, probably to her death…and done nothing about it?

      He kept seeing the first paragraph from the Warren Flint book. The words would scroll across his brain, followed by the corresponding actions. The gray seats. The curve in the road. Every second, from watching Monique’s twin sit in the front to when the gunmen had hauled her away.

      And especially the moment cold metal had touched his temple.

      It could have been him…but it wasn’t.

      When his turn in the hot seat was finished, Cole rose from the metal folding chair and shook hands with the detective. With his interview over, he could go, but…

      He should mention the book—just get it out there and let the cops go ahead and discard the notion that it was more than a coincidence. Because then he could, too.

      Cole hesitated, then said, “What’s the best way to stay up-to-date on the situation?”

      Coward. Like they were going to give him inside information.

      Detective Parker tipped his bald head and studied Cole through narrowed eyes. “Do you know the hostage?”

      “No, sir. I just want to know that she’s all right. Makes me feel guilty, you know?” Cole’s grip tightened on his belongings.

      Detective Parker nodded, his eyes clearing. “I understand, son. But you’ll just have to check the news like everyone else.”

      “Right. Thank you, sir.”

      As he walked away, the book felt heavy, as if it had taken on his burden of guilt. He sat near the street and balanced the novel on his knee while he waited for his ride. Skimming the pages, he found where he’d left off…where Monique had been taken off the bus. A gun to her head. Shoved in a van. Tied up, blindfolded and whisked away.

      He was almost afraid to read the words, almost afraid he’d somehow caused them—as if his imagination typed out each paragraph onto a blank page just before his eyes could catch up. And as if everything on the page was coming to pass.

      Right.

      It was ridiculous. Crazy. But…what if, by some one-in-a-million chance, the gunmen were using the novel as a playbook for their crime spree?

      Then, if he read more and found out what happened to the heroine…there was a one-in-a-million chance he could help save a life.

      Monique flexed one hand, then the other. No give in the restraints, but she tried again anyway. She should be wearing the diamond bracelet Evan had given her, not the rope chafing her wrists. Looking through a wispy veil, not sporting a rag blindfold.

      She rested her forehead on her knees, just for a moment. Then a sharp turn landed her on her side on the floor of the van. Refusing to cry out, she bit her lip and tasted blood.

      “This is your stop, sweetheart.” The voice hovered too close above her head and was followed by a sharp jab to her left ankle, then a million needles as blood rushed to her feet. They’d cut the ropes. She should lash out—

      A rough hand grabbed her arm, hauled her up. The door opened with a low rumble, and Monique lurched to the ground. Her foot turned on the uneven pavement, and she went down hard. The tears came then, but she forced them back before her captor jerked her upright.

      She should be slipping into her borrowed Vera Wang dress, not putting holes in the knees of her designer jeans. She should be kissing Evan, not spitting out dirt and pebbles.

      They moved forward, and the way grew more rough. Monique counted each step, tried to remember any turns in the path. Fifteen steps straight ahead. Ten tothe left. Three more, and she heard a metallic pop. The sound of a car trunk opening.

      She should be riding in a car with tin cans rattling behind it. Not squashed into a trunk like leftover wedding balloons.

      The hand let go of her arm.

      She ran.

      Well…at least Monique got away. Maybe this hostage had, too, and was holed up somewhere hiding out until she felt safe enough to come home.

      Yeah, he could keep telling himself that.

      Skimming the page, Cole found his place. Monique fell, the bad guy caught her and slammed something against her head. She heard the sound of the trunk lid closing just before she blacked out.

      He could have gone without reading that.

      Kenzie huddled in the empty van, the stillness more frightening than being helpless through wild curves and sudden stops. Once again, she scraped her face against her knee, trying to work the blindfold up. It shifted, but not enough.

      Why did they go away? Did she dare hope they’d left her for the police to find? Or…did they have something else in mind? Some further torment or darker ending.

      Please, no. Kenzie leaned to the side until she touched the floor. Dirt clung to her skin, but it didn’t matter. She curled into a tight ball, trying to block out this world, imagine one of light and fluffy clouds and frothy waves. But instead of ocean breezes, the air stood still, growing hotter in the closed vehicle. Sweat trickled down her face, flattening her hair and stinging her eyes.

      Maybe this was part of the plan. Leave her in the dark to lose her mind, or to succumb to the heat and the pounding pain in her head.

      God, if You get me out of this, I’ll…

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