When that arrogant son of a bitch is finally far enough from me I can breathe, I pry open my hand. The little black nub that Austin forced into my hand seems to be an earpiece of some sort, with a small silver tail hanging from it.
Slipping the soft foam to my ear, I speak. “Hello?”
Nothing.
“Hello? Is anyone there?”
“I’m here, Evie,” a woman says in a sultry voice I don’t recognize. “You can call me Mav. I see you’re still near the main house, but at least you’re outside. Do me a favor. There’s a lake on the south side of the property. I want you to head that way, straight toward the large tree.”
As instructed, I take a cautious stroll to the far end of the vast yard.
“Good,” she says. “You’re on the move. Now, Evie, I want you to listen very carefully to me, because you and I don’t have a lot of time. But I believe women should always have choices. I have no doubt you do too. In another minute, you’ll be at a crossroads. Either we’re going to whisk away our little damsel in distress, or . . .”
Having no idea who this person is, I keep my sarcasm in check, swallow my irritation, and finally bleat out, “Or?”
“Or I can give you your one and only shot at what you really want.”