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"Hi, Em," Jim said from the doorway. "Sally said you were working back here."
"Hi, Jim. How are you?"
"I'm good. Just doing a favor for a friend. Finish up what you're working on, and I'll escort you to your apartment."
"Thanks, Jim, but Chance should be back soon. I'll just stay here until he gets back. I've got plenty of files to get through."
"Chance called and asked me to escort you upstairs so you could prepare for your date tonight."
"I'm sorry. I'm really confused."
"Have you checked your messages lately?"
I picked up my phone and saw that I'd missed two messages from Chance. I read them, marked my place in the file, and took Jim's offered arm. "Who am I to question the great Chance Munroe?"
Once I sent Jim on his way, I reread Chance's texts. Much as his methods annoyed me, I was looking forward to a real date with Chance. I enjoyed a glass of wine while I relaxed in the tub. It was nice to put on a dress and heels again, but when I looked in the mirror, I didn't recognize me. I realized how much I had changed since I came to Wilkins' Gap. I was lost in thought, when I heard a knock. "Just a second," I said, slipping on my stilettos on my way to the door.
"Sorry, Chance. I'm almost re..."
XXX
I woke up when my head hit the side of the van. Fudge, what the heck happened. The last thing I remembered was Chance knocking on the door. I opened it and... It wasn't Chance. I was in the back of a van, I could hear two men talking up front. My hands were tied, and my eyes were covered. I figured the fact that I wasn't gagged, proved that my captors were strangers. I was freezing. My head hurt, but I couldn't tell if that was because they hit me, or drugged me, or just from rolling around in the back of the van. I had dressed up for my date with Chance. I was really beginning to think that the fates had decided subtlety didn't work on me, so they kept giving me these signs even I couldn't miss. Tom got shot when I was about to break up with him. I'm kidnapped just before my first actual date with Chance. Fudge.
"I'll help you get her on the snowmobile, then I'll head back to town," captor number one said. "I want to keep tabs on any response they plan so we can head them off if need be."
"OK," said captor number two.
"Sure you can handle her by yourself?"
"I think I can manage."
I had no idea how long I'd been unconscious. With the blindfold over my eyes, I had no way to tell if it was light outside or not. The one thing I knew for sure was that Chance would find me.
I decided it was in my best interest to pretend to be unconscious as long as possible. When the back doors of the van opened, I felt the cold air rush in, but that didn't really provide me with any new information. One man put his hands under my armpits and the other took my ankles. They laid me down on something flat.
"She'll freeze to death before we get to the lab, dressed that way. Wrap that blanket around her before you tie her in," captor 1 said. "We need her alive, don't matter if she's got a little frost bite. Who dresses like that in the Idaho mountains in winter?"
Apparently, they're not only kidnappers but fashion critics too. It was hard not to shiver, but I tried my best to think warm thoughts. I thought about wearing Chance's gigantic sweats and wooly socks. I imagined I was wrapped up in Chance's arms. Once they put the blanket around me it was better. I was still cold, but I thought I'd survive.
"I'll let Trevor know what's going on in town. Looks to me like she was getting ready to go out, so someone will probably miss her right off," captor 1 said.
I reaffirmed my vow to get better educated on wilderness survival, if I survived this. I took stock of what I had. I was wearing earrings. I have pierced ears. These were long chandelier style—not something I wear every day. I remembered seeing something about using a dangly earring as a fishing lure. I hoped I didn't get that desperate. I had on a teal print sheath dress with a teal cardigan over top and my grandma's pearls which would be more a good luck charm than a weapon. My best weapon was my stiletto heels. They were the perfect teal to match my dress. I wear a lot of teal, at least I did in my former life. Camo was my new teal. I wore the shoes so much that I wore down the heels. I learned how to replace the heel caps myself by watching a video online. It was easy and cheap and meant I could continue wearing my favorite night out shoes. I knew that If I removed the cap from the heel the heel itself was small enough and stiff enough to make a viable stabbing weapon.
They were taking me to the lab—I assumed the secret government one hidden in our woods. The only reason I could come up with for kidnapping me was to get the location of the BFFam. If they had someone following Tom and I the night we got to the observation point, he must not have made it back to the lab. If they had the information, there'd be no reason for them to kidnap me. But once I told them, they would have no use for me. Double fudge. I would become expendable.
The snowmobile started, and we were moving. Rubbing my head against the floor, I was able to work my blindfold free. It was dark out. I tried to move as little as possible. The driver had to stay focused on the trail, so I was able to sneak a peek. There was only one guy. I was lying on a sled being towed behind a snowmobile. I came up with two options. Option 1 was for me to wrap the blanket tightly around me and roll off the sled as quietly as possible then try to hide in the woods. The risks were that captor 2 would come back for me, the fact that with my heels and the way I was dressed, I wouldn't be able to move very easily, and I wouldn't survive for long.
I wasn't crazy about option 2 but, it seemed to give me a better chance of survival. If I could take out the driver at least temporarily. I could steal his pants, shoes, and jacket and drive the snowmobile back to civilization. I wouldn't know which way to go and I could run into friends of my captors, but at least I'd have some hope of survival.