Page 98 of Shadow Redemption
She peered into the night, straining for a glimpse of a road sign to indicate where Gorman was taking her, but the SUV moved too fast and the roadway had few lights.
Her gaze settled on her bracelet. She prayed the trackers worked. Otherwise, even if she freed herself, Ruth had no way to contact Ben. Gorman confiscated her phone and turned it off so Zane couldn’t trace her location. After taking her from the hotel, he and his buddy drove to a private airstrip and shoved Ruth into a helicopter. Her pleas to the pilot for help met with deaf ears and a punch to the gut from Gorman in retaliation.
Both thugs were armed and willing to use force to control her. She already had bruises to show for her last attempt to free herself before being forced into the car. “Where are you taking me?”
Buckner, the thug beside her, smiled. “Paradise.”
Right. If that was the case, these two bozos were snakes in the garden. “You don’t want to do this. Kidnapping is a federal offense.”
“On the contrary, Roxanne,” Gorman said with a quick glance at her in the rearview mirror. “We volunteered for this assignment.”
“Who sent you?”
He chuckled. “Don’t worry. You’ll find out soon enough.”
“You’re taking me to Jeremiah Davidson?”
“I guess your traitor boyfriend told you about the prophet.”
“What do you think?”
That brought a frown to his face. “I think you need an attitude adjustment and if the prophet can’t take care of it, I’ll be glad to offer my services.”
“The man I’m dating is a firm believer of retribution.”
Gorman scoffed. “You think that threat scares me?”
“He’ll be your worst nightmare.”
Buckner growled, balled his fist, and drew back as though to strike her again.
“No,” Gorman snapped. “The prophet doesn’t want anyone but him to touch her.”
“He’s not here, is he? Besides, the prophet wouldn’t let her disrespect us like that.”
“You’re both going to be in hot water.” Ruth gave a soft laugh. “I bruise easy.”
“We’ll tell the prophet you didn’t cooperate.” Buckner sounded nervous.
“Too bad for you,” Ruth taunted him.
“Shut up, lady, or we’ll tie a gag on you,” Gorman growled.
Afraid to push her luck too much, Ruth fell silent, exhilarated by her small success. Anything she could do to cause dissension in the ranks had to be a good thing.
A short while later, Gorman drove up to a closed gate in a concrete block wall. Another thug wearing a handgun approached. He stared at Ruth. “That her?” he asked Gorman.
“Yeah. Open up. The prophet’s expecting us.”
When the gate swung open, Gorman drove through. The gates clanged shut behind them.
Fighting her fear, Ruth remained silent as the car slowed to a stop.
Buckner threw open the back door and dragged her across the seat and out of the vehicle. “Causing trouble will make things harder on you. Do yourself a favor and watch your mouth. The prophet don’t tolerate backtalk from anyone, especially women.”
She looked back at the closed gate. Too far to run from these two men and too high to scale.
Gorman grabbed her upper arm on the opposite side and the two men led her toward a large building. “Forget it, Roxanne,” Gorman murmured. “You won’t escape.”