Love Me Long (Love Me Book 4)

Chapter 15

The ride to wherever she was being taken was a short one, and no matter how much she struggled against the ropes, they were too tight for her to get out of them. It was a bumpy ride towards the end, so she knew that wherever they were taking her was off of the main roads.

When the van lurched to a stop, Chloe slid forward and then attempted to get up on her knees, but it proved too awkward to manage.

She couldn't see, but maybe she could get some clues from her other senses. Fighting wouldn't get her anywhere. She wasn't strong enough, and she would only get hurt. So many thoughts raced through her brain, did anyone see her taken, was Valentine watching her as Lada had, would anyone even worry about her when it was time to go back to the hospital, and she wasn't around?

The doors to the side of the van opened, but the two men remained silent. One of them reached up and grabbed her legs pulling her forward, causing her dress to hike up.

"She's not a bad-looking one. Maybe we can have a little fun first?" One of them asked. Chloe did her best to memorize the voice and bite back a whimper. Show no fear.

"If anyone will be having fun, it will be me!" The other voice, which was deeper and older, said. "She's mine, got it!" The man pulled her forward and hiked her over his shoulder. Chloe noted that he smelled of cigarette smoke and peppermint. It was an odd combo for a bad guy.

Chloe also smelled the water and heard the gentle rocking of boats. They had taken her to the docks. It would be an easy place to hide her body, especially if they took her out and away from shore. At the realization that her life might be nearing the end, she began to struggle, but the man's arm was like a steel band around her legs. Chloe's hands were tied behind her, making them useless.

The atmosphere changed, and she knew they were in a building. The man wasn't stopping as he kept on walking further into the building. She heard a door bang open, and she was dropped on something soft, like a bed. When the bag was ripped off of her head, Chloe had to blink at the bright light, and as her eyes adjusted, she recognized Dimitrie.

He looked mad and showed no sign of even remembering her. "If you make a sound, I'll cut out your tongue," he said in a chilling voice as he leaned in and sniffed her hair. "You and I will have some fun." Of course, the last two sentences were muttered in English since he was talking to Chloe.

Chloe thought it best to keep her mouth shut. She didn't think she would get any bonus points for having saved his life at this point. It would probably be the opposite, and he would be embarrassed. Some men didn't like to be reminded of their weaknesses.

"You wait here and don't make a sound. No one will hear you anyway." Dimitrie watched Chloe as she nodded.

The two men left, and the door banged shut behind them. Chloe was still bound by her feet and hands, so there was little she could do except lay helpless on her side, but it didn't take long for her sense of self-preservation to kick in, and she started to work on the ropes once again, trying to shimmy over to the edge of the bed and use a piece of metal. All she ended up doing was cutting herself and giving her wrists rope burn.

Don't cry. Chloe said to herself, closing her eyes tight against the tears that were forming. She started to think of Valentine and all of the good times they had had, the first time he had told her he loved her, the first time they had made love. She thought about all of the things and people she loved, imagining herself and Valentine walking through some of the squares in Savannah, having dinner with Ben and Lia and Faye and Silas. They said if you imagined something hard enough, you could make it happen.

Not knowing what was about to happen to her, all she could think to do was say Valentine's name over and over again, hoping he would hear her. When she heard the door open and then slam shut, she froze.