I didn’t want to push my luck, so instead of talking and getting shot in the head, I watched the route John was taking. It might not matter because I could be dead at the end of our road trip, but if I wasn’t, knowing where we were might come in handy. I wasn’t all that familiar with the Chicagoland area, and I was sure he was taking a roundabout way to wherever we were going, but I stayed alert and focused.
John glared at me through the rearview mirror as he made an abrupt exit off the highway. Once he reached the top of the ramp, he ordered me to the backseat floor.
“Get down now, and if I even see the top of your head through the mirror, I’ll blow it off. Understand?”
I nodded and crouched to the floor. There went the only chance I had of knowing where he was taking me. I felt our speed slow down, then he made a half dozen turns, a few stops, then more turns. We went straight for what felt like another few minutes, then everything above me became dark. He had turned in to a building.
Shit, my demise is going to be in a vacant building where disgusting rats will eat my corpse until there’s nothing left of me. My body will never be found. This is likely the same abandoned building where Mason was waiting for John in my dream.
John slowed to a stop and killed the engine. He looked back at me as he climbed out of the seat. “Stay on the floor and don’t move. I’ll be able to see if you get up, so I’d advise you not to try it.”
I stayed down and wondered how I would make my escape. Things weren’t looking very good for me. I didn’t have a phone, a gun, or even a pocketknife. I was unprepared for his ambush that morning. He blindsided me like a pro, but cops were trained for those types of tactics, and he knew them well.
He opened the door and ordered me to put my hands behind my back. I felt the zip ties pinch my skin as he tightened them around my wrists. I winced. He grabbed my hair and pulled me toward him then knotted a blindfold at the back of my head. With a hand locked in each of my armpits, he pulled me out of the squad car and told me to stand. He led me to another vehicle, pushed me into the backseat, then zip-tied my ankles together. I was as helpless as a hog-tied calf.
“The gun is on the passenger seat, so don’t try anything stupid like jumping out. You’d probably die when you hit the road, but if you don’t, I’ll finish you off myself. Get down on the floor like you were before and don’t say a word.”
I estimated the drive to our final destination was fifty minutes or so. After a good number of turns—which I imagined were designed to confuse me—John finally left the main road. I assumed we were on a potholed driveway because of every dip and bump he hit. My ears perked when he stopped. Birds sang from the treetops, and the sound of traffic had disappeared. We were in the country. That was even worse for me—no nosy neighbors to witness John’s actions. I heard an overhead garage door open then he drove in and it closed at the back of the vehicle. John exited the car and pulled open the rear door.
“Sit up and slide to the edge of the seat. You’re going inside.”
“How am I supposed to walk?”
I felt the hot sting of a slap across my face. “I told you not to talk. I don’t care if you slither on your belly, just get out of the car.”
I slid to the seat’s edge and planted my feet on the concrete floor. I’d probably fall as soon as I tried to step forward. I thought of hopping, but without a visual of things ahead of me, I dropped that idea. I lowered myself to the floor and scooted on my rear. John shoved me in the right direction with his foot, and crossing the garage took a good five minutes.
“You have two upward steps ahead of you.”
I turned, leaned on my right elbow, and lifted myself up. I heard the jangling of keys, then the door opened.
John pushed me with his foot, and once I cleared the threshold, he locked the door. “Sit still. I’m going to cut the zip ties off your ankles and you can walk the rest of the way.”
I had a feeling we were at his home and I prayed that Jesse was here too. In hindsight, I wanted to kick myself for not calling Henry after my dream. That information could have helped them find me and Jesse. Now I was alone, and I’d have to get by on my wits and police training. John, my biggest obstacle, had the same training and likely a lot more years of experience under his belt. He’d be a worthy adversary, and at that point, he definitely had the upper hand.