Tom went to him. “Listen to me, son. My little girl has been on her own, out of necessity, for most of her life. She’s independent and she will not quit. I promise you that. She’s strong, my baby. She won’t let herself be killed, boy. Not without a fight. You keep that ring for her because she will be back here and she’ll want it back.”

Pulling himself together, Kyle took a deep breath and looked at the engagement ring he’d been wearing on his pinkie finger. He locked eyes with his father-in-law to be and nodded.

When Maggie woke up again, the throbbing in her head had subsided to a dull ache. She opened her eyes carefully but it was still dark. Judging by the position of the moon that she could see through the window, it was sometime between midnight and about four a.m. Alex lay next to her on the bed, his arm curled around her thighs. She shuddered in disgust.

Think Maggie! How can you get out of this? She tried pulling at the ropes that held her hands but that just made them tighter and her movement roused Alex.

“Maggie, honey? Are you all right?”

“I have to go to the bathroom.”

“Oh of course! Let me help.”

He got up and helped her to stand and led her to the bathroom. The cabin was large and modern. That was a hopeful sign that they weren’t out too far into the middle of nowhere, Georgia. He opened the door and started to undo her pants.

“No! Jesus. Get off me. Untie my hands, Alex and wait for me out there. The window in here is too small and too high up, I couldn’t get through it even if I could get up there. Let me have some dignity.”

Alex sighed. “I’ll untie you, Maggie. But I have a gun and if you try anything funny I will shoot you. Do you understand?”

“Yes. Now untie me.”

He did and stepped back, looking at his watch. “You have two minutes and I’m coming in.”

She moved her fingers a bit, getting the blood back into them and went to the bathroom quickly. Not knowing when he’d decide to barge in, she got re-dressed and washed her hands and then her face, which had bloodstains all down the left side. She had a bump the size of a softball on the back of her head and another smaller one on her upper forehead, just at the hairline.

She noticed that he seemed to take it all right when she was a bit bossy but she knew he wouldn’t take too much. She had to bide her time. The longer that she was there, the more time she had to think and plan. And hopefully, the more time Kyle would have to find her. She decided to be extra obedient. She wouldn’t try to run just yet, she had to get her bearings back but she needed him to let her stay untied. She called out to him. “I’m done and I’m going to open the door now.”

She did, slowly and held her hands up for Alex to see.

“You cleaned off your face. I’m sorry, I meant to do it for you but I fell asleep. Let’s go back to bed. I’m tired and you need to rest your head.”

“All right,” she agreed meekly and hoped he forgot about the ropes.

He didn’t. “Maggie, I need to retie you.”

“Please don’t. My wrists are all raw and it hurts my back, neck and shoulders to have to sit that way.” She tried very hard not to beg.

“I can’t trust you not to run.”

“Then tie me in the front and wrap something around my wrists to go between my skin and the rope. Please.”

She wanted to seem reasonable but not have a turn about of behavior that would be unbelievable either. She had to gain control of the situation.

He studied her. “Fine.” He got out some face cloths and put them around the abrasions on her wrists and then binding her wrists in front. The price was that she had to lie down beside him. It took every bit of her will to survive not to scream in terror and revulsion as he put his face in the nape of her neck and his breath skated across her skin.

Kyle, where are you?

“We got it!” Shane burst in through the door. “He bought a cabin about two hours east of here six weeks ago. I’ve called the judge. It’s still in this county, and he’s issued a warrant for arrest and a search warrant. It’s in an unincorporated area, no local police force so I’m taking my men out with me. We’ll meet the cops from the nearest jurisdiction to make a joint raid on the house.”

“I’m coming, too,” Kyle said and Shane started to disagree until he saw the set of Kyle’s mouth.

“You may wait outside the police line if you promise not to get involved. I mean it, Kyle. You can’t interfere, you could get her or yourself or one of my men killed if you don’t obey me.”

Kyle nodded.

“I’ll drive him,” Matt said and Edward grabbed his keys and he and Tom got into the back seat of Matt’s Bronco. Soon they all tore out of the driveway, heading east.

They drove at eighty miles an hour and made the two hour drive in under an hour and a half. Shane and his officers met with the local sheriff. Kyle watched, tense as his brother and his men all donned body armor and began their silent creep through the woods. They’d stopped their vehicles about a mile away from the cabin so they could approach it unseen.

Maggie was laying in bed, trying to think up a plan. Her muscles ached from holding still but she didn’t want any movement to wake him up. The sun was rising and Maggie figured it was about seven or seven thirty. She sighed without meaning to and Alex stirred.

His eyes opened and stared into hers with an eerie light. He brought his hand up and cupped her breast and she screamed.