As the men roughly gathered the women together in the center of the room, prepping them to move to a new location, Kelly began to give up and let despair creep around the edges of her brain.
They’d watch her even more carefully now and her chances of getting away seemed even more grim than they already had. She closed her eyes as tears fell, stinging her flesh where she was bruised and cut.
She took deep gulping sobs, no longer able to hold back. She was terrified. Her mind raced as she tried to figure out how this had happened to her. How was this possible? Only that morning she’d been arguing with Jack over a stupid car. What she wouldn’t give to go back to that moment and tell him she’d only been upset because she’d fallen in love with him.
What she wouldn’t give for five more minutes with the man she’d married as part of a deal only to lose her heart to him when she least expected it.
A frighteningly loud crash broke the silence and Kelly watched as the door splintered off its hinges and flew into the apartment. There was a blinding light and a sound that took Kelly’s hearing completely away. For what seemed like hours—but was likely only seconds—the whole apartment was in chaos.
Kelly’s sight came back before her hearing, and through the spots that floated in front of her eyes, she saw men and women. Blue vests. Guns.
Thank God. These were officers or agents of some sort.
Time slowed as she watched the officers take down the three remaining men in the room. She watched in horror as two of the men were shot while the other quickly gave up his weapon, lowering himself to the ground with his hands held out at his sides.
She and the other women stayed crouched on the floor, huddled together as chaos reigned.
Then she saw Jack.
Kelly broke, and the tears fell in an unstoppable current as Jack’s arms encircled her, and she knew she was safe. She knew her nightmare was over.
He lifted and carried her, cradled in his arms, out of the confusion, down the stairs and out of the building. She couldn’t hear Jack as she sobbed in his arms, but she felt his lips as he buried his face against her neck. They moved against her skin, over and over as he spoke to her, and she let herself sink into his arms while he carried her away from danger.