Ocean of Lies (romantic suspense)

Chapter 2

Blood dripped from the cut on Sydney's cheek after it collided with the pavement. Her vision blurred as a pair of gloved-hands grabbed her shoulder, pulling her body back into a hard chest. A thick arm wrapped around her neck, squeezing, cutting off her air supply.

The pain radiated through Sydney's throat and into her head. She couldn't breathe. Instinct replaced shock as she knocked her elbow back into her attacker's stomach as hard as she could muster. He let out a deep cough but tightened his grip, his other arm looping around her waist as she desperately fumbled in her bag.

She had nothing to defend herself.

Callie screamed from somewhere close by. Sydney couldn't see her, but she could hear her.

The man pulled Sydney towards the road and she dug her heels into the pavement in vain. A white van had appeared sometime in the commotion. He dragged her closer to it, so Sydney thrashed harder, trying to escape before he could throw her into the open trunk.

The crack of a fist against bone reverberated next to Sydney's ear and suddenly, the arms restraining her fell. She ran back and turned as a stranger dressed in black pummeled her attacker to the ground. He threw punches into the man's masked face, bones cracking as blood soaked the material and dripped onto the pavement.

Callie's screams broke through Sydney's daze. Somehow, she had ended up in the back of the van, her body falling to the hard metal surface after the man inside struck her against the head with the butt of his gun.

Sydney lunged forward as tears blurred her vision, her hands reaching toward Callie even as arms wrapped around her waist to pull her back.

"Let her go," a deep voice said, one she recognized. Still, she struggled against the hard body, panic blossoming in her chest as a gunshot pierced the air.

Her rescuer grabbed her hand and pulled her behind an SUV. She ducked next to him as an attacker in the van continued to fire, the bullets shattering glass and ripping into the metal frame of the car. She put her hands over her ears as she took in her savior's black clothes, bloody fists, and tight grimace.

Luke.

When the shots stopped, Sydney peered over the roof of the vehicle, staring helplessly as the white van sped off into the distance, leaving nothing but a heavy silence behind. Even the attacker who had been pummeled to the ground was gone, and Sydney guessed he had scrambled away as his companion provided cover fire.

Sydney slowly stood. A ringing in her ears dulled any sound. She had forgotten she wasn't alone until someone gently squeezed her shoulder. Turning around, she took in his black jacket, the droplets of blood on his face and hands, and the frown on his rugged face.

Luke stood close and spoke with a gruff voice. "Are you okay?"

Sydney flinched at the sound, reflexively taking a step back as her arms crossed in front of her chest. She didn't say anything. Instead, her attention was focused on the parking lot, at the dark patches of blood.

Luke's voice penetrated the silence again, a jumble of words that didn't make sense to her until she saw the phone pressed to his ear.

"It was a white van, no windows. Maine tag." Luke recited off some letters and numbers, which Sydney slowly realized was the plate number. "Three men, all masked. They took a girl in her early twenties. Pink ruffled dress, black jacket." He looked at Sydney. "What's her full name? Address?"

In a daze, she recited the information. Then she stared at the blood stain again. Hot tears formed in her eyes so she blinked, allowing them to fall freely down her cheek.