Dante disconnected the call.
“Fuck, Lori called while we were on the phone.”
“Call her back, let her know that we’re on the way,” Trevor stated, and he looked antsy and nervous. “Come on.”
Dante felt his desperation to get to Lori. In their arms, she was the safest.
* * * *
Lori heard her cell phone ringing. She was about to go back to grab it as Ben headed outside and then she heard him yell.
Lori ran through the open back door and gasped as the forearm hit her throat. She fell onto her ass, gasping for air. As she tried to catch her breath, there was some big man holding Ben. Ben was crying and calling her name. She started coughing as she held her throat.
“I was going to keep you for myself, but it seems that the boss has other plans for you. Get up. We’re going for a ride.”
The man had dark, evil eyes and as Lori looked at Ben, she feared for his life.
“Leave him. Please, he’s just a baby.”
The guy looked at Ben then back at her.
“He dies with you. That will be the best revenge from Connor to your men. Get up.” Lori could hardly stand, her legs were shaking so much. The man gripped her by her hair and kept a tight hold on Ben’s shoulder.
“Where are you taking us? Please just leave the kid. He didn’t do anything.”
The man squeezed her hair harder.
He leaned closer to her and sniffed her hair. She felt the bile rise in her throat. This man was the one who tried to kill her. He killed Sylvia.
“Lori, I’m scared,” Ben said in between crying.
“Shut up. You and your aunt are going to die together.”
“Stop it. He’s just a kid.”
“Not for long. He’s going to be dead and buried right on the construction site your men and the Cantrells are building. Perfect way to die. Slowly as the dirt caves in around you like quicksand.”
Lori wanted to fight the man and scream for help, but now they were in the wooded area between their house and land and the Cantrells’ and the Henleys’. Ben knew the way to the men’s house and to Tom Cantrell’s.
“Why are we headed toward the Cantrells’?” She looked down toward Ben. He locked gazes with her and she winked at him. He instantly stopped crying and put on a tough face. She knew that he expected her to save him, them, but she wasn’t certain how. All she knew was that she needed to get Ben to safety. Her life didn’t matter as much as his.
As they came to a rocky area before the clearing and where his car sat, she made her move and hoped that Ben had the quick thinking and fast legs he needed to get to help.
Using all of her momentum, she sidestepped in front of the man’s legs and shoved her hips sideways into him. As she tumbled to the rocks and the man released Ben so he wouldn’t fall, she yelled to Ben.
“Run, Ben, run and get help!” she screamed. As the man tried to grab Ben, Lori jumped up and hit him in the ribs and jumped onto his back. She wrapped her arm around his neck and squeezed as he coughed. She looked quickly to the right and saw Ben running, little arms pumping and heading toward the Cantrells’. That was her mistake. She was so focused on making sure that Ben got away that she must have loosened her hold because the man bent over and threw her from his back. He then proceeded to lift her up by her shirt, and struck her repeatedly. He was practically growling and she thought she saw stars as she tried covering her face. She rolled into the fetal position and he lifted her up by her belt buckle as if she weighed nothing at all and tossed her like a rag doll. Her already-bruised arm and shoulder hit the ground. She heard the crack and felt the pain in her forearm. He was going to break her
bones one by one and bury her alive. The fear, the recollection of her panic attack–induced nightmare was going to become a reality. She would never see Charlie, Trevor, and Dante again.
She screamed in pain and anger as she tried to crawl and stand up. He struck her again, punching her in the side of the head and causing her body to roll to her back. She couldn’t move her arm. She couldn’t even feel it.
He was over her, straddling her waist, crushing her with his weight.
“I knew that you would be a good fit for me. The others didn’t put up half the fight that you’re putting up.” He took uneasy breaths and stared down at her face then over her breasts. Her top was ripped and he stared at her cleavage. She couldn’t make a move. She was throbbing in pain.
She watched him control his breathing then trail a finger over her lips and chin then down her neck to her breasts. He licked his dirty, filthy lips then pulled his lower lip between his bottom teeth as his nostrils flared.
“I think I’m going to fuck you before I bury you alive.” He cupped her breast and squeezed it hard.