I was so engrossed with what was happening that I didn’t hear the sound of another vehicle approach, not until I stood flooded in its headlights. I turned to it, too shocked to move until it came to a stop, the front passenger door opening, a man running toward me. Suddenly animated, I screamed and ran, nothing but the clacking sounds of my heels in the dark night, followed too closely by the heavier footfalls of the men now pursuing me.
Someone tackled me, sending me sprawling onto the gravel road, pain shooting through my knees, the heels of my hands, my face as I hit the ground hard, the weight of the man on my back keeping me pinned. The fall knocked the wind out of me, leaving me gasping, and I’d never forget the smell of the man who held me down, his breath hot on the side of my face.
“What the hell?” Arthur called out. He too had been chasing me, for when the man who had tackled me hauled me to my feet, I met Arthur’s hard gaze, the tears in my eyes blurring his image.
His surprised expression gave way to fierce anger, a rage I’d never before seen.
“Arthur?” My voice trembled and my stomach sank.
He looked at me, then at Jamison who now stood beside him, still dressed in the tuxedo he’d worn to tonight’s dinner. Jamison shook his head and reached into his pocket, retrieving a syringe and handing it to Arthur. When Arthur approached, I tried to take a step back, but the hands that held me only tightened around my arms.
“Arthur?” I asked again, terror gripping me at what I saw in his eyes.
“You should have stayed at the hotel like I told you, Eva.” He clutched a handful of my hair and painfully turned my head, making me cry out. “But you never were any good at doing what you were told, were you?”
“Stop, please!”
The tip of the needle stabbed into my neck, the pain instantaneous as he depressed the plunger and emptied the contents into me.
“Arthur—”
The men released me as he pulled the needle out. I stumbled forward, everything blurring. I reached out to steady myself, my hands sliding off Arthur’s chest, too weak to hold on. Arthur’s grip in my hair tightened and I took a step as he moved me, but that was my final step, because my legs failed me then. He had to drag me after that, muttering something under his breath. I managed to call out to him one more time, looking up at him just before he slammed my head against the side of the truck. Pain exploded behind my eyes, blinding me, and I slid down onto the grime-covered gravel, my fingers closing around the toe of his shoe. He pulled it away, then, with his foot, rolled me onto my belly. His hand wrapped around my wrist, pulling my arm up at a painful angle while fingers tugged at my engagement ring, sliding it off my finger before he barked his next command.#p#分页标题#e#
“Get her loaded with the rest of them.”
“There’s something special in tonight’s shipment.”
Gabriel listened to the informant’s message. It was brief and to the point, but still vague enough if anyone had somehow managed to tap the line. He turned to Syn who stood looking over their selection of firearms.
His little brother liked their job entirely too much.
“You about ready?” Gabriel asked, sliding the phone into his pocket.
“What do you think?” Syn asked. “Can’t decide between American made or German.”
Gabriel picked up his preferred pistol, a lightweight weapon he knew well. “When in doubt, go American, brother. Always.” He checked his watch. “And hurry up or we’ll miss the rendezvous point.”
“Rendezvous,” Syn said, chuckling. “You’re funny. You mean ambush.”
“Call it whatever you want to call it, but move your ass. There are a dozen girls in this shipment and I just got word one is special.”
Syn picked up the American made machine gun. “Special, huh?”
They walked up the stairs and out the door to the pickup truck.
“He didn’t elaborate but he’s never let us down. Let’s go.”
“Take it easy,” Syn said, climbing into the passenger seat as Gabriel started the engine. “We haven’t missed a rendezvous yet. Curious about what’s special though.”
“Me too.”
They drove down the winding road of their property, the automatic gates opening as they neared. They then left the large, Gothic style mansion behind.
Chapter Two
My head throbbed like someone had hit it with a baseball bat. I moaned, unable to feel anything but pain, unable even to open my eyes.
“But sir, she’s…” someone argued.
“I said get her loaded.” It was Arthur voice.