Chapter One

 

Carol rammed her tongue against the cloth shoved in her mouth, desperately trying to push it out before her captor taped it in. She twisted her head away, but the fingers holding her nose pinched closed didn't let go. Her lungs felt as though they'd burst and tears came unbidden to her eyes. A glimpse of silver out of the corner of her eye made her struggle even harder, but there was no recourse. He slapped the duct tape securely over her mouth even as her body arched and fought for air.

By the time the fingers were gone, the gag was secure. Even as her body sucked in air through her now-runny nose, Carol tried to get the cloth out of her mouth. But her lips were already stretched wide and held by the strips of duct tape he'd plastered over them. Her hair hung in her face, but that didn't deter her captor. He had just taped over those as well, not caring that they would be pulled out of her head by the roots once the tape was removed.

This couldn't be happening. This was the twenty-first century and she wasn't rich. She struggled against the strong arms that held her, managing to kick one of them in the shins before she was thrown to the floor of the already-moving mini-van. The middle seat had been removed and as the vehicle turned a corner, she rolled onto her side to look at the men who had kidnapped her.

Three of them, she saw now. One driving, two in the back with her, one of them rubbing his shin where her foot had connected. She ignored the pain in her toes...where were her shoes? Had she lost them in the parking lot behind the store? Or here in the van? The handcuffs bit into her wrists; they were too tight and she knew the circulation to her fingers had been cut off to keep her from using them. Despite the pins and needles, she wiggled her fingers to keep them going as long as she could and tried to pull her hands around to the front as far as possible. She wanted this gag out.

"No way, bitch." The shorter of the two in the back grabbed her shoulder and threw her face down. His voice was as rough as his hands, neither showing any kindness or caring. She'd gotten no more than a glimpse of cold blue eyes and an five o'clock shadow before he grabbed her by the hair and yanked her head back. Carol cried out in protest as he gave his companion instructions. "Get her ankles. Bitch wants to kick, we'll make it harder for her to do so."

She tried to flail her legs, but the neo-Nazi's strong hand in her hair kept her from being able to move much. She heard the sound of the duct tape before she felt it sticking to her naked ankles...why hadn't she worn stockings today?...effectively wrapping them together and further taking away her ability to fight back.

The bully let go of her head and her body fell to the floor. She barely managed to turn her head in time and her cheek slammed against the floor, making her cry out again. But the gag effectively prevented more than a grunt to escape. Even as the cloth became soaked with her saliva, Carol automatically tried to push it out, but all she managed to do was compress it a little bit.

"Hood her."

That came from the other guy in the back with her, the one who had bound her ankles. The one who had put his meaty hand over her mouth as she locked her car - was it only a few minutes ago? It seemed like an eternity since she'd driven up the wide alley that led to the back of her bookshop and parked the car. The shared area was employee parking for three businesses; a pizza shop not yet open, a lawyer who had court today...and her own shop. But today was Tuesday and the pizza shop's usual delivery day. She'd seen the van and dismissed it as making a delivery to them, pulling into her parking place without another thought about it.

But then she'd turned her back on it to lock her car. The door had opened behind her and before she knew what was happening, a hand had closed over her mouth and she was pulled by strong arms inside. The door shut even as she fought for release, the vehicle pulling out of the alley even as her arms were handcuffed and her mouth gagged.

And now a black bag came down over her head, effectively cutting off whatever clues she might have been able to determine as they drove through the city streets. She thought they were headed to the expressway and when the van sped up, she knew her guess was correct. The hood was cinched around her throat, the drawstring more than snug and Carol stopped trying to figure out where they were going as she now tried to figure out how to keep breathing.