Garrett’s Destiny by Anna Blakely

Chapter 15

Avery sat in the back of the truck and prayed.

After waking up with a pounding headache and a throbbing jaw she was surprised it hadn’t shattered, she and Jess had comforted each other the best way they could.

With Avery’s prompting, Jess had told her all about where she lived and what her family was like. That she had a younger brother, Josh, who’d gotten the flu at the last minute and had to stay home with their mom.

Then Jess had started to cry because she blamed herself for what had happened. She’d told Avery that her dad had wanted to reschedule the trip, but—according to Jess—she’d acted like a total brat and had thrown a fit. Eventually talking her parents into having her mom stay home and tending to Josh while Jess and her dad went on the cruise.

Avery had promised her none of this was her fault. She’d also did her best to convince the poor, scared girl that her dad would never blame her for anything that had happened.

Then Avery had shared her own story with the sweet girl. She’d told her all about her parents and Alex. What it was like growing up in a small town in North Carolina, and how moving to the big city had terrified her.

To pass the time, Avery tried to explain to Jess what her job was. But it didn’t take much to realize the girl was confused at best, disinterested at worst.

But that was fine, because anything was better than focusing on where they were and what would happen to them if they weren’t rescued.

And then the man came and took them away.

It wasn’t the one who’d taken her before. That man had been cocky and so completely full of himself. This guy…the one driving the truck… he was the one who’d come into the room after, yelling at Marcus for touching her.

And right now, he looked like he’d been hit with a thunderstorm of emotions.

Sad—Avery could’ve sworn the guy had been crying. Pissed off at the world—she could totally relate. But the thing that struck her most odd was how utterly and downright terrified he’d looked when he’d been shoving them into the back of the truck.

But he was one of the bad guys. An important one, from the way he’d shouted orders to the other men before they left.

And ever since then, Avery couldn’t help but wonder…who or what could scare a man like that?

“Where do you think he’s taking us?” Jess asked from the other side of the truck.

The vehicle hit a bump, and Avery winced when her head bounced off the inner wall. “I don’t know.”

“Wherever it is, it can’t be good.”

No, Avery supposed it wasn’t. But what could they do? Their hands were tied—both literally and figuratively. And they were stuck in here with no way out.

The truck hit another bump. One so big, Avery felt her ass fly off the bed’s floor before slamming back down.

“Ow!” she failed to hide the pain the hard jolt had caused.

Jess’s worried eyes rose to hers. “You okay?”

“Yeah, I—”

One of the trailer’s double-doors creaked open. Not a lot, just enough to let a sliver of evening sun into the dark space.

“That last bump must’ve popped it loose,” Jess pointed out the obvious.

“Yeah…” Avery let the word linger. Her wheels began to spin as quickly as the ones carrying them over the dirt road.

“What?” Jess picked up on her change in demeanor.

“I have an idea.” She looked back at the pretty blonde. “A way to escape. But you’re not going to like it.”

The young girl looked at the open door and back to her. “If you’re thinking we should jump and make a run for it, you’re right. I don’t like it.” Jess glanced at the door again. “But if it means getting away from that asshole and finding help for my dad, I say…let’s do it.”

Pride for a girl she’d just met warmed Avery’s heart.

With a smile, she awkwardly pushed herself to her knees. Doing her best to keep her balance steady, she slowly made her way closer to the back of the truck.

Jess got to her feet with the grace and ease of a teenage girl, and Avery made a mental note to take up yoga if—no when—she got back home.

The fleeting thought that yoga would also help limber her up for Garrett crossed her mind, but she pushed it away for now. She needed to focus because…holy shit, the road was passing by in a blur.

Fear crept its way in.

This was crazy, right? It wasn’t like this was the movies. She sure as heck wasn’t a stuntwoman. And Jess…God, Jess was just a baby compared to her.

The seeds of doubt began planting themselves in her mind. Filling her brain with everything that could possibly go wrong.

They could land on their heads and break their necks. They could survive but break their legs and be unable to run. The driver could spot them from his sideview mirror, and slam on the breaks and catch them.

Oh, God. I don’t think I can do this.

But as quickly as the thought came, another one took its place. Not one of her own, petrified creation. No, these were Garrett’s words. The ones he’d spoken to her when they were on the bridge…God, was it just that morning?

You’re stronger and more daring than you give yourself credit for. And if you need proof of that, all you have to do is look at us.

His words proved true then, and they were true now. She could do this. She had to.

If she didn’t…

Avery turned to Jess who looked even braver and more determined than she was.

Though they’d only just met, like Garrett, Avery felt a sort of bond. One they’d forever share thanks to the horrific circumstances that had brought them together.

You can do this, Aves. Jess is counting on you to do this.

“Okay.” Avery gave the girl a nod. “This is probably going to hurt.”

There was no probably to it. They were traveling at least thirty miles an hour, so would it hurt? Definitely. Could they end up with broken bones? Maybe.

But a broken arm or leg would still be better than whatever horrors awaited them if they sat on their asses and did nothing.

You’ve got this.

That voice was her sister’s. And both she and Garrett were right. She was stronger than she gave herself credit for. And she could do this.

“You ready?” She looked to Jess.

The brave girl gave her a nod. “Ready.”

“Make sure you curl yourself inward and start rolling as soon as you hit.”

She had no idea if it was good advice, but it was something she’d picked up from one of the action-adventure romance books she’d read last year.

It had worked for the hero and heroine in that story. And as she pushed the door wider with her shoulder to give them both room, Avery prayed it would work for them, too.

“Okay, on the count of three. One…two…three!”

Avery squeezed her eyes shut and forced her feet to push of the truck’s metal floor. Jess let out a tiny squeal as they both took air.

And for a split second, they were weightless.

The unforgiving ground was like concrete as they hit. Pain ricocheted through Avery’s body from the hard impact, her right side taking the brunt of the fall.

Her shoulder, ribs, and hip felt as though they’d been smashed with a giant sledgehammer, and every last molecule of oxygen was pushed forcefully from her lungs.

But they’d done it. They were free.

Curling into a ball proved to be a difficult task with their hands secured behind their backs, but still, they rolled.

When they finally came to a stop near the side of the road, Avery took precious seconds to catch her breath and make sure she hadn’t accrued any life-threatening injuries.

Her chest heaved with its efforts to suck in some much-needed air. Though it took her a moment to gather her bearings, she was able to do a quick assessment of her limbs and other parts necessary to begin running.

“Are you…okay?” She turned to look at Jess.

Amazingly the resilient teenager was already pushing herself up to her feet. Dressed in cutoffs and tank top, her hair was full of dust and tangles, and her arms, legs, and one of her cheeks were a bit scraped up.

Other than that, from what Avery could tell, she was fine.

Thank you, God!

“Holy crap!” The bedraggled girl blew out a breath. “I can’t believe we just did that!”

“Me…neither.” With a wince, it took Avery a bit longer to rise to her feet. Still wearing nothing but her one-piece suit, she felt like every inch of her exposed skin was already beginning to bruise.

Definitely going to feel that for a few days.

Shooting the fading truck a quick glance, Avery nearly cried in relief when she saw it still driving away.

Motioning to the grass, she said, “Come on. We need to keep ourselves covered as much as possible in case he notices we’re gone and comes back.”

Fighting past the pain in her battered body and the unprotected soles of her feet, Avery walked over rough dirt and rocks as they made their way into the field.

The grass was thicker here than the fields she’d seen from their early morning bus ride, but still didn’t conceal them completely. Still, it was better than nothing.

Running as fast as they could back in the direction from which they came, Avery kept her eyes peeled for any signs of life. A house, a car…something that would give them a chance to find help for Garrett and the others.

Several minutes later, she heard it.

A motor. Not rough and clunky like the truck they’d jumped from. This one sounded smoother. Newer.

“There!” Jess yelled. “Hey! Over here!”

She was at the side of the road before Avery could stop her. Jumping up and down, she did what she could to catch the driver’s attention.

Avery swung her head back toward the oncoming vehicle.

She could see the black SUV clearly now. Not only was it new, but it also looked official. Like ones she’d expect someone from the government to be driving.

Or a drug dealing mob boss who liked to cut people up for fun.

Fearing it was the latter and cursing her enjoyment of scary movies, Avery ran to where Jess was still jumping. “Jess, wait!”

Afraid this was like the horror flicks she’d seen—the ones where the people escape only to flag down one of their captors—Avery yelled at Jess to come back into the grass.

“What are you doing?” Jess argued even as she followed her.

Shoulders burning from the strain, Avery dropped into a crouched position. “What if it’s them?”

“What if it’s not? My dad’s back there!”

So was Garrett.

Shit, shit, shit.

They were at a crossroads. A giant one. And Avery had no idea which one to choose.

If these were the bad guys and she and Jess had just flagged them down, they were truly and royally screwed. But if it was someone else, someone who could help them get Garrett and the others free…

The vehicle skidded to a stop, and Avery’s heart leaped into her throat.

Apparently, it didn’t matter which road she would’ve chosen. Whoever was in that SUV had already seen them.

“Avery?”

She could feel Jess’s muscles trembling next to her. Knowing platitudes would be useless at this point, Avery chose to keep quiet and bowed her head to pray.

A door slammed shut and then another. She held her breath as they remained silent and still. Maybe whoever it was couldn’t see them, after all. Maybe the grass had hidden them better than she—

“Avery!”

Her eyes flew open, and her heart sang with praise. “Garrett?” she whispered, unable to believe what she’d heard was even possible.

“Avery! Jessica! Where are you?”

Ohmygod!

Avery shot to her feet. Tears filled her eyes the second she found him.

“Garrett!”

His eyes grew round when he spotted her, his entire body lighting up with relief. “Avery!”

Garrett ran to her. She awkwardly made her way to him. And when they met near the side of the road, he damn near knocked her over with his strong embrace.

“Oh, God!” He squeezed her tightly. “Oh, thank God!”

“H-how did you…wh-where did you…”

She couldn’t seem to formulate a sentence to save her soul. But it didn’t matter. Nothing else mattered but the fact that Garrett was here.

“Let’s get these off of you.” Spinning her around, Garrett used a knife he’d gotten from who knows where to cut through the plastic ties with ease. “How did you manage to get away?”

“The truck’s back door popped open, so we jumped.”

“You what?” Garrett spun her back around, the look of shock on his face almost comical.

“It was our only shot at escaping.” She offered him a tiny smile. “So, we took it.”

With several mumbled curses, he handed the sharp weapon to a man she’d never seen before. Dressed in brown camouflage like the military wore, he looked to be about Garrett’s age.

While he freed Jess from her restraints, she asked, “Where’s my dad?”

The man cutting the ties at her wrists answered with, “He’s still back at the warehouse with the others.”

“Those men still have him?”

“No, honey,” the stranger assured her. “We took care of them.”

“You took care of them?” Avery looked up at Garrett. “What does that mean?”

Once again, the other man answered for him. “It means, they’re no longer a problem.”

“Look at me.” Garrett’s soft order had her following his command instantly. His eyes were filled with emotion she couldn’t quite place as he leaned in and took her mouth in his. Keeping the kiss short, he pulled away just enough to rest his forehead against hers. “I thought I’d lost you.”

“Me, too.”

He lifted his head and brushed some hair from her face. “Are you hurt?”

“I-I’m okay.”

Despite her answer, he began to gently run his hands along her body to check for possible injuries. “Did those bastards touch you?”

“It’s just some scrapes and bruises,” she promised. “Really, I-I’m okay.”

It was the truth, as miraculous as it was.

Relief flooded his gorgeous eyes, and she thought he might kiss her again. Until he spotted the bruise on her swollen jaw.

“Ah, baby.” He took extra care to rest his palm against the side of her face. His touch was feather soft, but his next words were positively lethal. “If he’s not already dead, I’ll fucking end him.”

Not already...

“Garrett, what happened?” She glanced at the man standing with Jessica and then the vehicle before bringing her gaze back to his. “Who’s he, and where are the other hostages?”

Before he could answer, the stranger looked at Garrett and said, “Falcon, man…I hate to break up this heartwarming reunion, but we really shouldn’t be out in the open like this.”

“Falcon? “Avery frowned.

A strange look fell over Garrett’s handsome face. With a lick of his lips, he nodded and said, “That’s what my team calls me. I’m Falcon. This is Digger.”

His team? And what kind of names are Falcon and Digger?

Avery’s head swam with a million new questions.

“I don’t…” She shook her head and swallowed hard. “I-I don’t understand. What’s he talking about? What team?”

He gave her a smile that oozed with guilt. “Sweetheart, Digger’s right. We need to get you and Jess the hell out of here before the man who took you realizes you’re gone and decides to come back. I promise, I’ll explain everything later.”

“Okay.” She gave him a slight nod.

After riding back to the warehouse where they’d been held, Avery had helped Jess find her dad. It was a tearful reunion for all, Avery included. Especially when Jess had left her dad’s arms to rush over and give Avery a hug and tell her thank you.

All smiles and happy tears, the hostages were divided between four trucks. Three belonging to the hostage takers, or HTs, as she’d learned they were called, and another utility truck that was there when they’d gotten back to the warehouse.

All four of those vehicles were driven by an entirely different team. Avery had watched them closely as they’d shuffled everyone into their seats, deciding they looked and acted as she’d always imagined a special forces team would. Just like Garrett’s team did.

Garrett has a team.

She still couldn’t wrap her mind around that.

And it wasn’t just any team, either. No, it was a group of hot, sexy, badass men who’d flown to the DR, stormed the warehouse, and taken out all the bad guys.

Well, almost all of them.

The man who’d taken her and Jess was still at large, but Garrett and the others had assured her that she and Jess were safe.

Avery wanted to believe him. A few hours before, she would’ve believed anything he said.

Now, she wasn’t sure she could trust him at all.

Rather than riding in a truck like the other hostages, Garrett had insisted she ride with him in the SUV, along with the other three men on his team.

Wrapped in a blanket given to her by one of his guys, she sat next to him. He was unusually quiet, only talking when one of his buddies asked him a question. His hand holding hers the entire way, as if he never wanted to let her go.

When they finally made it back to the port at Amber Cove, she and Garrett were greeted with breath stealing hugs from Colt, who looked exhausted and heartsick with worry for his brother.

While the three were talking, Garrett and Avery were asked to go with ship security, along with the other hostages. They were escorted back onto the ship using an entrance normally reserved for employees only.

Once inside, Garrett did let her hand go. Right after he explained they were all going to be separated so they could give their official statements to cruise security, members of local authorities, and a man Garrett had introduced to her as his boss.

Three long, grueling hours later, she’d told them everything she knew and then signed a non-disclosure agreement. One promising never to divulge what she knew about Garrett and his team to anyone without direct permission from Rafe Owens, Garrett’s boss.

It wasn’t a hard promise to make since she didn’t really understand most of it, and no one had given her any specific details about who or what Garrett truly was.

Finally back in her stateroom, she shared a very emotional phone call with her sister before taking the longest, most amazing shower of her life. Then she’d gotten dressed and fell onto the bed.

And still, she was no closer to getting answers than she was before.

As she lay there, events from the days prior rolled through her mind. Memories assaulted her…glorious, wonderful memories. But there was one that kept coming back to her, no matter how hard she tried to ignore it.

Do you really sell insurance?

She’d asked Garrett that question while sitting at the beach.

I do. If you want, when we get back to the ship, I can show you my license.

Avery could still picture him squatted down before her that day. So caring and attentive. He’d gotten her water when she’d become too hot. They’d laughed and talked…and kissed.

And then he’d looked her right in the eye and lied to her face.

Tears that had yet to fall poured from her eyes and onto her pillow. She tried to fight them at first, but it was no use.

It was all too much, and everything seemed to hit her at once.

Garrett’s confusing betrayal. Being held at gunpoint and then groped by that horrible man. Jumping from a freaking moving truck. Thinking she was going to die…

It all came rushing over her in a giant tsunami of pain. And the only thing Avery could do was ride the wave. Until finally, blessedly, she cried herself to sleep.