My stomach dropped. I turned, heart pounding, and looked through the rearview mirror.
One car.
Then two.
Then more.
They appeared like shadows spilling onto the road, surrounding us slowly, deliberately.
“No plates! At least ten. They’re speeding up.”
I saw iron bars glint in the sunlight. Arms hanging out of windows. Faces hidden under caps and cloth.
My blood turned cold.
Ryle stirred, crying weakly. I pulled him closer, shielding his face with my body as if flesh alone could stop metal. I grabbed my phone and dialed David.
Once.
Twice.
No answer. The cars closed in.
The driver swerved, sweat pouring down his face.
“They’re blocking the front,” he shouted. “Madam, hold on!”
Then it happened.
One second the road was there. The next second everything exploded.
BANG.
The car was hit hard from the side. Metal screamed. Glass shattered. The world flipped. I slammed into the seat, my head snapping forward, my chest crushed tight. Ryle screamed my name.
Before I could even crawl toward him, the door was ripped open.
Then hands grabbed my hair. I was dragged out and thrown onto the road like trash.
I twisted, reaching back. “My son… please, my son is inside…”
A boot came down on my spine.
All the air left my lungs.
“You still worrying about other people?” a man laughed above me. “You’ve lived too easy. Today you learn what pain feels like.”
“I didn’t do anything,” I tried to say.
My mouth barely opened before a slap cracked across my face. Stars burst behind my eyes. Warm blood ran down my chin.
They didn’t touch Ryle.
I heard him crying inside the car. Someone said, annoyed, “Leave the kid. Madam only wants the woman.”
The slap came fast. My head snapped to the side. Blood filled my mouth. Everything spun.
They tied my wrists to the back of the car.
I realized what was about to happen and started begging. I screamed Ryle’s name again and again until my throat tore itself raw.
The engine revved.
Then I was dragged.
My body scraped against the road. Stones ripped through my clothes, my skin, my bones. Pain was everywhere, loud and sharp and endless. My arms felt like they were being pulled out of their sockets. My knees burned. My back screamed.
They laughed.
Someone filmed it.
Like I was nothing.
Like pain was entertainment.
I don't know how long it lasted. Time broke apart. I remember stopping. Hands loosening the rope. Someone kicking me once more for good measure.
Then nothing...