Harley laughed. “Why?”
“I want to know about you.”
“What’s your favorite band?”
“I don’t really have one. As you already know, I love Ed Sheeran, and I am a major T-Swift supporter.” She winked. “But I also love Fall Out Boy, Luke Bryan, and Imagine Dragons. I suppose I love a little bit of everything.”
“I like all of them, except maybe T-Swift.” He grinned when she laughed. Just the sight of her smiling made his heart soar. “Music’s a tough one for me. I like to listen to a lot of different artists. When I’m driving, I prefer country, but when I’m boxing I prefer Disturbed or Skillet.”
The image she had in her head of him boxing had her blood warming.
“What about food?” His voice pushed the image out of her head, and she looked back at him.
“Pizza. I like all pizza, but a deep dish with nothing but tons of pepperoni is my absolute favorite.”
“Pizza’s good. I love barbeque. Give me some tender ribs and I’ll be in love.”
Norah laughed and reached over to touch his arm. His skin sizzled at her touch, and he had to force his eyes back on the road. He thought that once he had savored her, he would be able to control himself better. But as it turned out, it had only caused him to want more.
“I wonder what it would have been like had be met under different circumstances.”
“What do you mean?” Harley wondered.
“Do you think you would have talked to me? Been attracted to me had we met at a coffee shop or bar somewhere?”
Harley let out a quick laugh. “I would have definitely been attracted to you and I would have absolutely talked to you; would have probably begged you to let me take you home.”
“Really?”
“Without a doubt.”
She smiled and looked out the window. “I’m really glad we met, Harley.”
“I am too, Norah.”
13
Norah continued to stare out of the window and into the surprisingly bright sky. How much should she tell him about what she was feeling? She wondered. She had never told anyone that she loved them. With Clayton, it had been implied, but thinking back on it now, she realized she had never actually told him. She knew now she had never felt it.
She smiled when the Seattle skyline came into view. It was a beautiful sight. She would be grateful when she could put all the horrors of the last few years behind her and move forward with her life. Their lives, she hoped as she stole a glance at Harley. Because there wasn’t a future she pictured for herself without him in it.
She glanced at him, and her eyes widened when she saw the black SUV speeding towards them.
“Harley!” she yelled just before she heard the crunching of metal from the impact.
Everything began to move in slow motion. She felt the glass of her window shatter and heard the screeching of tires. The smell of the airbags deploying was one that she knew would be embedded in her brain.
She heard screaming and looked to Harley, but his eyes were closed. Was that terrified sound coming from her? She felt the car come to a stop and tried to release her seatbelt.
“Harley!” she yelled, and reached for him. He was slumped back in his seat, his head to the side, but she could see he was breathing. “Harley, please wake up.” Tears streamed down her face as she pushed her seatbelt away and climbed out of it.
“Norah?” he whispered, and she smiled reassuringly at him when his eyes opened slightly.
“Harley, it’s okay, I’m here.” She cradled his face in her hand. His forehead was gashed open, and she pressed the sleeve of her shirt to it.
“There you are,” a voice sounded from behind her, and she turned just in time to see two large arms reaching in and pulling at her.
“Harley!”
“Norah!” he yelled, and reached for her, but he was pinned by the steering wheel.
“Let me go!” she screamed, and used what energy she had left to kick and claw at her attacker.
“Boss won’t be happy if you aren’t in one piece, but I’m sure he wouldn’t complain about whether you are conscious or not. I suppose I could say you were hurt in the accident, huh?”
The man turned her to face him and she saw nothing but emptiness in his eyes. He was bald, and she saw a tribal tattoo climbing up the side of his neck.
“Remember me?” He smiled menacingly at her. “I can see that you do.”
“What about the cop?” another man asked from the rolled-down window of another SUV.
“He’s as good as dead,” the bald man said, and Norah looked back to the car that was already swarming with onlookers. Why wouldn’t anybody help her?
“Hel—”
“You had better not finish that sentence,” the bald man said, and clasped his hand over her mouth. “I’ll kill every single person who tries to help you. Wouldn’t want that on your conscience, now, would you?”
He shoved her into the backseat and climbed in after her.
Tears streamed down her face when she saw two men pull Harley from the car. They immediately surrounded him, and she wished she could have gotten one more look at him. Was he okay? He had to be okay!
“Oh, chill out,” the man said, and shoved a bottle of water in her hand. “Drink.”
She turned her head away from him.
“I said drink.”
“I’m not thirsty,” she said, doing her best to stop the panic attack she felt coming on.
She was no good to Harley if she lost her head. She had to find a way to get away from the men, to get back to him.
“Well, that’s a job we can cross of our list, huh?” The bald man slapped the shoulder of the driver, and they laughed. “Took us two tries, but we got her!”
Norah looked around the inside of the car for any kind of weapon, but other than the gun in the bald man’s waistband, she saw nothing. The inside was just as black as the outside, and the windows were tinted. The stench of cigarettes flooded her senses, and she saw the bald man light one.
“Want a smoke?” He laughed and then put the end in his mouth.
“Why did you take me?” she asked him. “I don’t know anything.”
“Not for me to tell you, sweetheart. Just wait, you’ll see the boss man soon enough.”
“Did Tom send you?”
The driver snorted. “That fool doesn’t run things.”
“As I said before,” the bald man started, shooting a glance at the driver, “not for us to tell you.”
Norah crossed her arms and tried to slide as far as she could away from the bald man. She wasn’t sure she would survive jumping out of a moving vehicle at their current speed, but she had to try. She reached for the door handle, prepared to throw herself, but felt her hope deflate when nothing happened.
“Good thing these cars have child safety locks on them, huh? Would hate for you to mess up that pretty face,” he said as he stroked a finger down her cheek. She saw no lust in his eyes, though, only disgust. That was something, she told herself.
“Where are you taking me?”