Hidden Fates (Hidden Heroes #4)

Chapter 7

“You were supposed to keep her alive,” a man’s voice hissed.

“She’s still breathing,” a second man growled. “Bitch fought me hard.”

“It’ll be worth it when we get paid,” the first man said.

Reese drew in a steadying breath, keeping her eyes closed as she pressed the ‘oh shit’ button in her pocket for the second time in as many minutes, not sure if it had actually worked.

She’d been listening to the men argue for a while now. At first, she thought she was stuck in some weird awful dream, but then she remembered everything. The dock. The water. Garrett.

A shiver racked her body from the cold air hitting her skin through her still soaking wet clothes. She must not have been out of it for too long. Her wrists were bound in front of her with duct tape and her ankles were tied together with rope. It was like they’d run out of tape and just had to improvise at the last minute. She glanced over at the cab area where both men were still not paying her any attention. They probably thought she’d be out of it for longer, which meant they likely weren’t going far. She needed to get out of this van.

The cab and cargo area were separated by a metal curtain with small holes across the top, making it harder for her to see out the windshield. But that also meant they wouldn’t be able to see her very easily either. She had to move fast. Looking around, waiting for her eyes to adjust to the darkness, she noticed the cargo area had a bunch of sacks and boxes. Maybe there was something inside one of these that she could use to help her escape.

She’d watched plenty of self-defense videos. Even before her ordeal with Russell and Vivian, she knew how dangerous it was to be a woman these days. She instantly remembered all those short clips of how to break free from duct tape by swinging your arms down across your hips. But first, she had to find a way to get to her feet. That maneuver would only work if she was standing. Easier said than done. They were on a bumpy road. Likely unpaved, which meant they’d driven her into some rural area. Reese let out a nearly silent sigh. Rural meant there wouldn’t be anyone nearby to help her, but it might also mean she could lose them more easily.

The two men up front continued to yammer on, but she ignored them, and focused on what she had to do. Getting out of this van before they reached their final destination was her top priority. Then she’d figure out what to do or where to go next. She’d been the victim too many times already. This time, she would get away.

With her hands still bound, she started to work on her feet. The rope was tied in a series of knots that didn’t make much sense, but after a few minutes, she was able to loosen them just enough to slip one foot out, then the other one quickly followed. Reese couldn’t help the smile on her face. She was sore and exhausted, and her chest burned, likely from being held under water. But she’d deal with all that later. Right now, she just had to survive.

The van took a sharp turn that would’ve knocked her off her feet if she’d already been standing, but luckily, she’d only gotten up onto her knees. A box slid across the floor and painfully struck her side, but she stifled a cry, biting the inside of her cheek to keep from making any noise. Once the van seemed to be on a straight road again, she slowly brought herself up to her feet and grasped at the wall of the van for support.

Something sharp pierced her finger and she winced in pain as a warm liquid dripped down her palm - likely blood. But maybe she could use this to her advantage. Since it was nearly pitch dark in the cargo area of the van, she used her fingers to gently probe out whatever had sliced her. It felt like a nail or a piece of a metal hook. Perfect. She aligned the duct tape with the sharpest part and poked right through it. She repeated the action again and again, uncaring when she missed and it sliced her skin. Streaks of blood coated her hands and wrists, but she kept going until the duct tape was nearly cut all the way through. Then she lifted her arms up over her head, and dropped them down, hitting across her lower abdomen and hips. A soft pop sounded and her hands were free. The sticky residue would be a pain to get off, but that was the least of her worries right now.

She waited to see if the men had heard. But they’d turned on the radio and were facing forward as if nothing was amiss.

Good.

Every second they didn’t look this way, was another one she had to figure out how to get out of here. She spotted the side sliding door first and quietly made her way to it. She couldn’t see where the locking mechanism was, but she felt around for the little nub and found it a few seconds later. This was great. The only problem was they were now moving a lot faster. If she opened this door and jumped out, not only would she probably get seriously hurt, but they would instantly know and would just put her right back in, likely hurting her even more in the process.

No. She had to find another way out. Except she was running out of time. Her gaze landed on the back double doors, but they posed the same problem. It’s not that she was afraid of getting injured. At this point, she could hardly care if she broke a leg or an arm, though with a leg, it would make it impossible to get away when they gave chase.

And she was sure they would.

Taking in a silent deep breath, she closed her eyes tightly for a moment, willing them to see clearer in the dark when she opened them. The van took another sharp turn and several boxes and sacks slid across the floor. She was nearly knocked off her feet, but caught herself just in time as a large crate skidded her way. Her hands landed on what felt like a leather jacket. It probably belonged to one of her kidnappers. Another shiver racked her body and she slipped her arms into the sleeves, craving the extra heat it offered, even if it was several sizes too big and smelled like gym socks in a smoke shop.

Wrapping it tightly around herself, she squinted from a headlight from an oncoming vehicle, but then her eyes went wide when it illuminated something that had her heart pounding in her chest. There was a lock to some compartment in the middle of the floor. Not just any lock, it was the kind that required a small key, not a combination. Silently, she dropped to her knees and crawled over to the shiny metal to get a better sense of what she was working with.

She felt around and traced the seam of what had to be a trap door in the floor. This van was a freaking custom build, and it was exactly what she needed to make her escape.

Now she just had to find a way to get this lock off. Her mind was suddenly thinking a hundred times clearer than it had been even two minutes ago, and she carefully found her way back to that nail or hook that had done a terrific job of loosening the tape.

She pulled and twisted it, but no matter how hard she tried to pry it out of whatever it was stuck in, the darn thing wouldn’t budge. Exhausted and running out of time, Reese sank down the side of the van until her butt hit the floor. She was almost out of here, but if she couldn’t find something to open that lock with, it would all be for nothing. She was so close! Not really able to see much, she used her hands and fingers to search the floor, tracing every inch she could reach in the hopes of finding something, anything that could help.

The van made another sharp turn, and everything in the cargo area shifted again. Reese was about to give up all hope when her fingers landed on what felt like a small nail or screw. Relief nearly overwhelmed her, but she wasn’t in the clear yet.

With renewed hope, she crawled back to the lock. Her hands and fingers were raw and bleeding, but she hardly even noticed the discomfort. The van was slowing down. Maybe they’d been on a freeway before, but now it felt like they’d gotten off and were going down a street. That meant there could be traffic lights or even a stop sign. She had to get that trap door open and in position so she could drop and run as soon as they came to a stop.

Working in near pitch darkness wasn’t easy. She kept missing the hole in the lock and poking herself in the soft flesh of her fingers. Every time the van jerked or hit a bump, she’d lose the hole and have to start over. The van was still moving, but they were definitely on a city or urban street now, not a freeway. Where the hell were they taking her?

It didn’t matter. She wasn’t giving up. Not now. Not ever. She stuck the nail in again, but just as she was about to wiggle it inside the lock, the van hit a bump and she accidentally shoved it in further than she’d wanted to. When she tried to turn it or pull it out, it was stuck. Reese nearly cursed out loud. This was her only chance and she’d completely fucked it up. Forcing herself to control her breathing so as not to hyperventilate or draw the men’s attention to herself, she fiddled with the thing, this way and that, right and left, shimmying it in every direction. But there was no give, and then she heard a very soft sound that ratcheted her heart rate. She let go of the nail and carefully pulled on the lock. When it gave way and opened, tears welled in her eyes and freely flowed down her cheeks.

She was getting out of here.

Reese pulled the lock off the small latch and set it aside, then pulled on the latch. It was heavy, but even in her weakened and exhausted state, she managed to open it enough to see the ground moving under the van. This was going to work. It was barely a two-foot drop. She just needed to wait for them to come to a stop and then she’d slip out and be gone. She lifted the latch up a bit higher, just enough to get her legs and most of her torso out. Holding them up off the ground was harder than she thought it would be. She was fairly fit, but she wasn’t someone who spent much time at the gym. Maybe now she would start. Right after she got away from these guys.

The van hit a bump and she bounced a bit, the metal edge of the latch digging into her chest. She winced but managed to not make a sound.

“You think she’s awake?” One of the guys up front asked.

Reese froze. If they turned around now and saw her like this, it was all over.

“Nah. I haven’t heard so much as a whimper out of her. We’ll be there in a few minutes. Then she can be his problem.”

A few minutes? Her heart pounded in her chest so loud she swore it was making an audible sound against her ribs. She had to move. Now!

If she slid out and stayed perfectly still, she might be able to avoid getting run over as they went by. Maybe. She wasn’t sure. But the van hadn’t stopped for even a single second the entire time she’d been conscious. Maybe they’d run every light, or maybe there were no lights where they were taking her. It didn’t matter anymore. The only chance she had of getting away from those guys was to get out of this van. And she had just minutes to do it.

At peace with whatever happened, as long as she wasn’t taken back to Russell - because who else would go through all this trouble to kidnap her - Reese drew in a deep breath and carefully slipped out of the latch, only opening it as high as she needed to pass through. She had no idea how much landing would hurt, but she needed to land flat or risk breaking her legs or neck. Keeping her legs up against the belly of the van, she felt for something to act as a toehold and managed to find some sort of pipe or hose that would work for the moment. The underside of the latch had two notches in it, almost as if they were made to be handles. She white knuckled her fingers around them as she slid the rest of the way, her head being the last to come out. The heat of the engine and the roar of the road flying by under her were the first things she noticed, but despite the growing discomfort and fear, she was more determined than ever to see this through.

But now came the hardest part. This van wasn’t going to stop until it reached its final destination. Which meant she had to let go.

Now .