Between Us and These Bones

32

Eliza's POV
[1 minute before Tarryn
jumps out of the car]

"Tarryn, I love you. I'll be okay, okay?"

"No, no," she cried and I gripped the steering wheel tighter. Her expression wasn't anything I'd ever seen before. Her eyes were wide with fear and uncertainty. I shook my head, tears slipping down my face. "I can't do this!"

"I will be okay. I promise, sweetheart," I said, trying my best to comfort her.

I began to slow down as we reached the corner, skidding to a stop at the edge. "Go, Tarryn," I screamed, and she opened the car door, the headlights of the van about 100 feet away. "Now."

She jumped, a giant leap down to the ditch. I took off without another glance and heard the tires squealed as I sped away, leading them away from my daughter.

Heart pounding, I sped away from her, and it broke my heart to leave my daughter behind. But I knew she would be okay, Tarryn was a survivor. I had to believe she'd be okay.

Tires squealed behind me, the van behind me kept coming, never noticing Tarryn jumping. I let out a breath of relief, making random turns, trying to

- a loud tangle of metal collides with the car, making the car swerve, and smashing into the guardrail. My body flung to the side at the impact, my leg twisting in pain.

In the dark, I noticed a figure cross in front of the headlights, walking to my side of the vehicle. I panicked, too panicked to be concerned about the blood that dripped from my forehead, running down my face.

The person opened the door and leaned down, panic leaving me with a thunderous heartbeat. Wayne's eyes connected with mine and he smiled wickedly. "Eliza, you stupid bitch," he murmured, opening the car door and ripping me out of the seat, his fingers burrowing into my skin.

Pain ripped through my leg as he hauled me to the van, where two men stood in dark clothes. Wayne shoved me into the side of the van, twisting my arms behind my back. "You're going to regret leaving me," he whispered, and I felt the hotness of his breath against my neck. "I'd apologize for killing your husband but I'm truly not. It was fun to see him suffer like that, to see him take his last breath."

I bit my lip, fighting through the pain, and snapped my head back, catching Wayne in the nose. He swore and I ducked out from his weight,

The click of a gun made me freeze, cool metal digging into the back of my head. "Do something stupid like that again, Eliza, and I'll shoot you. And then you'll never see our children again."

"Where is she anyway? Where's our daughter, Eliza?" Wayne asked, tapping the gun on my head, eyes blazing with anger.

"She doesn't remember you," I said, "she doesn't know about you."

Wayne handcuffed my wrists together and grabbed ahold of my hair, pulling me up off the side of the van and into the back. He climbed in beside me, slamming the door shut.

+++

I woke up handcuffed to a bed. I blinked a few times, arms above my head, my hair strewn over my face. It hurt to move, every bone in my body aching.