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OWEN STILES WOKE to darkness and movement. He tried to lift his hands to the hard ache at the back of his head, but his arms wouldnt move. He was bound, he realized, animal panic rising in his throat. He forced it down, trying to remember what hed learned at Campbell Cove Academy.
First, ascertain where you are and what the danger is.
The where was easy enough. He was in the white van that had been parked outside the church when he went looking for Tara.
He hadnt liked the way shed sounded on the phone. And if he was brutally honest with himself, there was a part of him that had been nearly giddy with hope that she was going to call off the wedding.
He wasnt proud of feeling that way. His love for Tara was unconditional. Her happiness meant everything to him.
But he couldnt deny that he wanted her to be happy with him, not some blow-dried, Armani-wearing Harvard Law graduate with a chiseled jaw and a cushy job with a top Louisville law firm.
Ignoring her command to stay put, hed turned the corner of the hallway that led to the brides room just in time to see a wedge of tulle and lace disappear through the exit door about twenty yards away.
Hurrying out after her, hed been just in time to see a large man throw a pillowcase over Taras head and haul her into a white panel van parked in front of the door. Hed called her name, shock overcoming good sense, and earned a punch that had knocked him into the side of the van. At least, that was the last thing he could remember.
Okay, so hed ascertained where he was. And the fact that he was trussed up inside the moving van made the danger fairly clear, although he couldnt see anyone lurking around, ready to knock him out again, so he supposed that was a plus.
The back of the van seemed to be closed off from the drivers cab area by a metal panel. That fact posed a problemhe couldnt see how many people were in the front of the van, so he couldnt be sure exactly what he was up against. However, he had seen only two men wrestling with Tara, and theyd both been big guys. He wasnt sure there was room in the vans cab to accommodate more people.
So there were probably two bad guys to deal with. And thanks to the closed-off cab, he could move around unobserved, which would give him a better chance of working out a way to escape.
He felt warmth behind him. Tara?
With a grimace of pain, he rolled over and peered through the gloom. A bundle of silk, lace and tulle lay on the floor of the van beside him. The pillowcase over her head was still there, and he caught a whiff of a faintly sweet, medicinal odor coming from where she lay.
He wriggled closer, ignoring the pounding ache in his head, until his face lay close to the pillowcase. The odor was much stronger suddenly, giving off fumes that made him feel light-headed.
Ether, he thought. The pillowcase was soaked with ether.
Those idiots! Ether could be deadly if used without care, and they werent even monitoring her condition.
He jerked at the bindings that held his arms behind his back to no avail. Theyd apparently duct-taped his hands together. They werent going to come apart easily. But he had to get the pillowcase off Taras head.
Wriggling closer, he gripped the top of the pillowcase with his teeth. The smell of ether nearly overwhelmed him, but he held his breath and tugged upward. Inch by harrowing inch, he dragged the ether-soaked pillowcase from Taras head until he finally pulled it free.
He spat the taste of ether out of his mouth. Then, his heart in his throat, he leaned over to make sure Tara was still breathing. A few terrifying seconds passed before he felt her breath on his cheek. Shaking with relief, he pressed a kiss to her forehead. Thats my girl. Stay with me, sweetheart.
As he waited for her to come around, Owen started working on the tape that bound his wrists together. His eyes had finally adjusted to the darkness inside the van, giving him a better look at their immediate surroundings.
The interior of the cargo van was empty except for Owen and Tara. Also, what hed mistaken for a closed panel between them and the front cab wasnt technically closed. There was a large mesh window in the panel that should have given him a look at the occupants of the cab. But their captors had covered the mesh opening with what looked like cardboard, not only blocking out any light coming through the front windows but also keeping them from hearing whatever conversation might be going on between their captors.
The upside to that, Owen thought, was that their captors probably couldnt hear much of what was going on in the back of the van, either.
He looked around for any sharp edges he could use to tear the tape around his wrists. The covering over the wheel well was bolted to the floor of the van, but the bolts were old and worn, not providing much of a cutting edge. Still, he scooted over to the nearest bolt and gave it a try.
The van must have left Mercerville Highway, he realized a few minutes later when the swaying of the vehicle increased, forcing him to plant his feet on the cargo holds ridged floor to keep from toppling over with each turn. But he couldnt stop Tara from rolling across the floor. A moment later, her head knocked into his hip with a soft thud.
Ow, she muttered, her voice thick and slurred.
Oh, sweetheart, there you are, he said softly, twisting so that his bound hands could reach the side of her face. He brushed away the grit on her cheek with his fingers. Tara, can you hear me?
Her head lifted, her hair and the torn remains of her tulle veil obscuring part of her face. Owen?
Yeah, its me. Careful, he added when she tried to sit up and nearly fell over.
She managed to steady herself in a sitting position and shoved her hair and the veil away from her face with clumsy hands. They, too, were secured by duct tape, he saw, though her captors had bound her hands in front of her rather than behind her. She seemed to belatedly notice the bindings and stared at her wrists. Whats happening?
Weve been abducted, he said, though he wasnt sure abduction was the right term. Neither of them was exactly rolling in dough, so he didnt imagine theyd been taken for ransom purposes. Taras fiancé was successful but not what anyone would term wealthy. Not yet, anyway.
So why had the men grabbed her?
Thats insane, she muttered, still pawing at her veil, which sat askew on her head. Why am I so woozy?
They put a pillowcase over your head. He waved his hand at the offending piece of material lying against the front of the cargo hold. I think it was soaked with ether.
Ether? Tara finally pulled her veil free and threw it on the floor beside her. The van took another turn, forcing Owen to brace himself against the side of the cargo hold. Tara was unprepared, however, and went sprawling against his side, her nose bumping into his shoulder.
Ow. She righted herself, rubbing her nose. She finally noticed Owens bound hands, her eyes widening. Youre tied up, too.
Think you can get the tape off me? Then Ill return the favor. He twisted around until his back was facing her.
My fingers arent working so well, she warned him as she started fumbling with the tape. She wasnt lying; it took a full minute before she was able to find the end of the tape on his bindings and start to slowly unwrap his wrists. But she finally ripped away the last of the tape, making the flesh on his wrists sting.
He stretched his aching arms, grimacing at the pain.
What time is it? Tara asked.
He pressed the button on his watch that lit up the dial. Just a little after four.
Oh.
He turned to look at Tara. You were supposed to get married at four.
She nodded. I was supposed to.
He reached for her, taking her bound hands in his. Well get you back there, Tara. Well get out of this and get to a phone so you can call Robert and tell him what happened. And then well get you back to the church and youll get married just the way you planned
I was going to call it off.
He went still. What?
In the low light he couldnt make out much about her features, but the tone of her voice was somewhere between sad and embarrassed. I was going to call it off. Right before that guy knocked on the door and told me there was a package outside.
Thats how they got you outside to the van?
Yeah. She wriggled her bound hands at him. Get this off me, please?
He pulled the tape from her wrists, taking care with the last few inches to spare her as much of the sting as possible. When she was free, he rolled up the tape from both of their bindings and shoved it in his pocket. It might come in handy if they could get themselves out of this van alive.
Freed from her restraints, Tara curled into a knot beside him, wrapping her arms around her knees. The puffy skirt of her wedding dress ballooned around her, almost glowing in the low light, making her look like a piece of popcorn.
Owen had the clarity of mind not to speak that thought aloud.
He put his arm around her, trying not to read too much into the way she snuggled closer to him. They were in the middle of an abduction. Of course she was seeking a little comfort from the guy whod been her best friend since middle school.
What do they want?
I dont know, he admitted. I dont suppose Robert is secretly a multimillionaire with a hefty trust fund?
Not that hes ever told me. She made a soft mewling noise. I am so woozy. They used ether?
Thats what it smelled like to me.
She cocked her head toward him. Exactly how do you know what ether smells like?
I took a history of medicine course in college, when I was still considering a medical degree.
And they let you sniff ether?
Taras skeptical tone made him smile. She was sounding more like her old self, which meant the effects of the ether were wearing off. Not on purpose.
He glanced to the far side of the vans cargo hold, where hed thrown the ether-soaked pillowcase. In this confined area, the fumes it emitted might still be affecting them, he realized.
We need to find a way to wrap up that pillowcase so that we limit the fumes its putting out in this van, he told Tara. I wish I had a garbage bag or something.
Dont suppose you carry one of those around in your back pocket?
Not in a rented tux, no, he answered with a grin, feeling a little less grim about their chances of survival now that his smart-ass Tara was back. He shrugged off his jacket. I can wrap it in this.
The rental place isnt going to like that, Tara warned.
Not sure its enough, though.
Well, I have about twenty yards of silk, lace and tulle you can use. Holding his shoulder, she levered herself to her feet and started to tug at the seams of her skirt until the fabric tore free. In the darkness of the vans enclosed interior, Owen couldnt make out much besides a cloud of faint brightness in the gloom floating away from her body. Tara gathered the fabric into a ball and presented it to him. Will this do?
He crossed carefully to the corner of the cargo hold, feeling a distinct unsteadiness he attributed to the moving van, although he should be a lot more worried about the blow hed taken to the head. Hed been unconscious long enough for their captors to shove him inside the van and tie him up. He might have a concussion. Or worse.
But for now, he was conscious. His head didnt hurt too badly. And he had a job to do.
He wrapped up the pillowcase inside the layers of silk, tulle and lace, and pushed it back into the corner. Already, the distinctively sweet scent of the ether was almost gone.
Gingerly, he edged his way back to where Tara perched on the wheel well cover. That should take care of
The van gave a hard lurch, sending him toppling over. He landed hard on his side, pain shooting through his rib cage and hip.
Owen! Tara grabbed his arms and helped him to a sitting position. Are you all right?
He rubbed his side, reassuring himself that nothing was broken. Im okay He broke off, aware that something had changed suddenly.
The engine. He no longer heard the engine noise, or felt the vibration beneath them.
The van had come to a stop.
Chapter Two
Most of the haziness left in her brain from the ether disappeared in a snap when Tara heard the vans engine shut off.
Weve stopped. She looked up at Owen, wishing he wasnt just a shadowy silhouette in the gloom. Sometimes just the sight of him, so controlled and serious, could make her feel as if everything in the world would be okay. At least she could hear his voice, that low Kentucky drawl that had always steadied her like a rock, even in the midst of the craziness life had a habit of throwing her way. What are they going to do to us now?
I dont know. Maybe nothing. He didnt sound confident.
She reached across the narrow space between them and grabbed his hands. We need a plan.
We dont have anything to fight with, Tara.
Yes, we do. She squeezed his hands and pushed to her feet, heading for the corner where hed buried the pillowcase inside the remains of her skirt. She grabbed the whole bundle and brought it to where Owen waited.
She saw the faintest glimmer in his eyes when he looked at her, just a hint of light in the darkness. You are brilliant, sweetheart.
There were two of them. One who came to get me, telling me there was a package waiting for me, and one standing by the van. I think he was the one who put the pillowcase over my head. She kept her voice low, in case their voices carried outside the van. They think were still tied up. At least, wed better hope they do.
Itll still take two of them to get us out, so we wont have an advantage. Except surprise.
She grabbed his hand and gave it a squeeze. Surprise can go a long way. So, first one through the door gets the ether pillowcase over his head.
And we shove him back onto the second guy while hes off guard.
She looked at Owen, wishing she could see him more clearly. Think this has a chance of working?
No clue, but its all weve got. So lets make it work. He reached across and gripped her hands briefly. Then he unwrapped the pillowcase from the dress skirt.
The sickly sweet odor of the ether made Taras stomach twist, but with a little effort she controlled her nerves. She had one jobto fight with every ounce of strength and will she had to get out of this dangerous spot.
At least she wasnt alone. Owen was with her, and if there was one thing in her life she knew completely, it was that Owen would do everything he could to keep her safe. Hed been doing that for her since high school.