Chapter Twenty-One

There is some adult content in this chapter. You have been warned.

Nancy wasn't sure how many hours had passed, but if she had to guess, she figured it was around three since Randy and Krieger had dumped her in the middle of nowhere. Her left leg was throbbing, preventing her from moving faster than she would have liked. On top of that, she was exhausted and beyond thirsty.

Because of that, she was making it a priority to find some supple of water. She knew she could do without food for days from what she had read in books, but water was a completely different story. She couldn't afford to become dehydrated, because that would only make her weaker and she needed any amount of strength she could get if she was going to survive.

And she was going to survive.

That's the only thought that kept her going as she trekked further and further into the forest. No way in hell was she going to let those bastards win—she had too much to live for. Not only that, but she really wanted to see where things could lead with Max. Sure, he'd started off as a total douche, and she wanted nothing more than to see him rot away along with Randy. But the more time she'd spent with him, she realized he actually was a good man.

Yes, his career choice wasn't ideal, but she supposed the old adage was correct—opposites attract. And they certainly were opposites, there was no doubt about that.

She was so wrapped up in her thoughts, she didn't pay attention to where her feet were going and tripped over a root. Letting out a soft cry, she fell hard to her knees, pain burning a fiery trail up her injured leg. Tears sprang to her eyes, but Nancy didn't have the energy to push them away. Instead, she leaned back against a tree and let them fall.

It wasn't just tears of pain—it was tears of anger, frustration, and yes—maybe a little hopelessness, too. But, damn it, she was a human being. Why shouldn't she get to sit there and feel sorry for herself? Where were the rules against that?

Maybe that was what she liked so much about Max. He truly wanted to take care of her, which was something she'd never had before. She'd always been the one to take care of everything herself, her independence being something that defined her. But would it really be so bad to let someone take some of the burden away from her?

Nancy was so tired of everyone expecting everything out of her. She wasn't perfect—in fact, she never pretended to be perfect. But there was always this expectation out of her that she was never supposed to let anyone down, be the brave one when facing down an enemy. Even Randy and Krieger were expecting it of her, wanting her to put on a show for their sick audience.

Well, screw them. She wondered how pissed they would be if she just sat here and did absolutely nothing. Maybe everyone would demand their money back from them.

A chuckle burst out of her mouth before turning into full-blown laughter, the sound echoing all around her. She honestly didn't care if anyone heard her. It felt good just to let it all out—the ridiculousness of the situation was enough to make anyone hysterical.

"Okay, Drew. Get a hold of yourself," Nancy said softly, getting her breathing back under control. She knew she needed to get up and find some water before it got too dark. And looking at the setting sun, she knew she didn't have much time before that happened. Maybe an hour tops.

Using the tree for support, Nancy lifted herself up off the ground. Glancing down at her leg, she saw that blood was starting to seep through the cloth she had tied around it earlier. She knew that she needed to try to keep as much pressure off of it as much as she could. Spotting a thick sturdy branch to the side, Nancy reached down and picked it up.

Putting the knife into the waistband of her jeans, she gripped the stick tightly in her right hand and continued on her way.

John Krieger couldn't understand how Nancy was able to evade them for this long. When he had come up with the idea of throwing her into the woods, he honestly thought he would find her in the first hour, and have the remaining twenty-three to play with her.

Four hours into the game, and he was no closer to finding her than he was when they first started. Of course, if he'd had it his way, he never would have let her go into the forest for this little cat-and-mouse game that Wolfe had insisted on. He still wasn't sure why he'd even listened to him in the first place.

Well, he would take care of that problem soon enough.

The sound of approaching footsteps startled him out of his thoughts. He turned around to see Wolfe approaching him from the left, a huge grin on his face.

"What the hell are you so happy about?" Krieger grumbled as he started to walk again.

"I found her."

Krieger stopped, anger coursing through him as he faced Wolfe. "And yet, here you are empty-handed."

"Don't worry about it," Randy said with a roll of his eyes. "She's not going to get very far with what I did to her."

"And what exactly did you do to her?"

"I stabbed her in her leg. She's not moving very fast at the moment."

Krieger clinched his teeth, taking a deep breath. He couldn't let his rage get the best of him because that would only lead to him taking it knife and shoving it into Randy's throat. "While I appreciate your work ethic and enthusiasm, I would have been happier to have her here in front of me."

"Don't worry, you'll have her soon enough."

"Soon enough isn't now!" Krieger roared, causing birds to fly out of trees. Forgetting all about his rage control, he stormed up to Wolfe and gripped his throat, squeezing tightly. "I think I've had about enough of your shit."

Randy swallowed hard. "What are you going to do? Kill me?"

Krieger smiled.

"You do that and you'll never find her."

"Oh, I can find her," Krieger said softly. "Don't you worry about that."

Randy flinched as Krieger began to squeeze harder. If Krieger didn't know any better, he would say that Wolfe was afraid to die. "But I can make it easier."

Every part of Krieger wanted to keep squeezing Wolfe's throat until his head popped off like the top of a flower from its stem. Finally after a few moments, he eased his grip on his throat. "Fine. I'll give you two hours to find her. If she's isn't at the cabin by that time, I'll kill you. And trust me—there will be no other chances for you."

Just as darkness was encroaching around her, Nancy finally found a small stream. It took everything she had not to run and dive in it. Thankfully, her leg prevented from doing just that. Instead, she stumbled to the stream, dropping beside it.

Dipping her hands into the cold water, she brought a cupful to her mouth and drank greedily. The cool liquid instantly soothed her parched throat as it made its trail down to her stomach. She kept drinking until her stomach was full, unsure of when the next chance would be to have some more. She wished that she had a bottle or something she could carry around with her, but there was nothing that could be done about that at the moment.

Taking another handful of the water, Nancy splashed her face, scrubbing away at the sweat that was dripping down. She wanted nothing more than to lie down and sleep, but she had to keep moving. She wasn't sure how far Randy and Krieger were from her, but she knew she couldn't stay here, no matter how much she wanted to.

Allowing herself one more sip of the water, Nancy began to rise to her feet when she heard the sound of a twig snapping. Her senses immediately went on the alert, unsure if she was about to come face to face with an animal, or something much worse. She really hoped for the former, but with her luck she figured it would be the latter.

Trying to remain as quiet as possible, Nancy eased backwards until she was hiding behind a large tree. The noise had come from her left so she moved her body until she had the perfect vantage point, while still remaining completely hidden. She gripped the stick tightly in her hands, only wanting to use the knife as a last resort.

Time seemed to drag on as she waited for her surprise visitor. She could barely see anything in front of her, it was so dark. Unfortunately, it was a new moon tonight, so she didn't even have that to help her.

When it rains…blah, blah, blah.

Finally, a figure emerged from the forest, coming to a stop beside the stream. Nancy slowly moved her head, clutching onto the tree tightly as she spotted Randy Wolfe. His warning from earlier still rang true in her head. There was no way she could let him catch her, or she was as good as dead.

Randy didn't seem as if he was in any hurry to find her as he looked across the stream, his hands in his pockets. He seemed to be lost in his thoughts, perfectly distracted. If she could just sneak behind him, she could knock him out and buy herself some more time.

With that thought, she increased her grip on the large stick and inched away from behind the protection and safety of the tree. She took small steps, walking on the tips of her feet. She was so close to him…

Ten feet…

Five…

Three…

Randy turned suddenly, backhanding her hard across the face. Nancy let out a cry, falling to the ground, but retaining her grip on the stick. Her face was throbbing, but that was nothing compared to the pain in her leg.

"I told you what would happen next time, blue eyes," Randy said as he slowly approached her, a leer on his face. "Looks like your time is up."

"Screw you," Nancy bit out before swinging the stick at him and hitting him in the stomach.

Randy let out a whoosh of air, doubling over in pain. "You bitch!"

Ignoring the pain in her leg, Nancy stood up and started to run away from him. She barely made it two yard before she was tackled from behind and brought to the ground. Instinct immediately took over and she turned over onto her back so she was facing him.

"You could have made this so easy for yourself, Nancy," Randy crooned softly, stroking her face with the back of his hand. "Krieger said he wanted me to bring you back, but he didn't specify what condition."

"Get off of me!"

"Why would I want to do something like that? You're a beautiful woman, Nancy, and we have this area all to ourselves." Randy eased his hand down until it was pulling up her shirt.

Pure, unadulterated terror shot through Nancy as she realized what he planned to do to her. There was no denying the lust and hunger in his eyes, even in darkness. Bringing her hands up, she began clawing at his face, satisfied when she drew blood.

Letting out a feral growl, Randy grabbed her hands and put them above her head, pinning them there tightly as his other hand continued to work its way up her body. Nancy let out a terrified scream, the sound echoing all around them as it reverberated throughout the forest. Randy took his other hand and held it over her mouth, muffling her screams.

"No reason to draw attention to ourselves, blue eyes. Let's just enjoy this moment." Randy smiled down at her, but there was no warmth to it. It was so predatory, it made her sick to her stomach. "I promise to make it enjoyable for you."

Nancy wasn't sure what happened next. Maybe it was a freak adrenaline rush or fear that overtook her, but all of a sudden, Randy was flying across the forest and away from her. He didn't stay down for long though as he came rushing back towards her, rage contorting his features. Nancy didn't even think as she drew the knife from her waistband and stabbed Randy in the gut.

Shock quickly replaced the rage as Randy stumbled back from her, looking down at his stomach where the knife was plunged deeply. Nancy stumbled away from him, her eyes wide. She couldn't believe she had just done that. It wasn't even a conscious decision—it was something that took over her completely. Survive or be killed.

Nancy didn't even remain to see if Randy was mortally wounded or not. With a wound like that, she knew death would be inevitable for him unless get got some help quickly. With one of them out of commission, it helped her odds immensely. She took off through the forest, not looking back even once.

She wasn't sure how long she ran, dodging trees and other obstacles in her way. It was a wonder to her that she hadn't managed to break any bones, it was so dark out here. But she didn't let that deter her as she kept running, looking for some sort of shelter for the night. She knew without a doubt, she didn't want to face Krieger in the dark. He was always the more dangerous one of the two and just knowing what he had stored for her had her terrified.

Nancy came to a sudden stop as a cabin came into focus. It was eerie with it being out here in the middle of nowhere, but Nancy figured it was a hunting cabin that was only used during the winter. Which meant that she may have finally found the break she was looking for. It would be abandoned, providing her with the perfect cover for the night.

Her rumbling stomach also made her hopeful for food and water.

Slowly making her way towards the cabin, Nancy cautiously peeked through all the windows, but didn't see anything or anyone. The lights were off and it appeared to be empty. Figuring that the front door had to be locked, she tiptoed to the back door. Even if that one was locked, she stood a better chance of breaking in undetected than she did going in the front. Not that anyone would possibly notice for months, but she wanted to be courteous, just the same.

Gripping the doorknob tightly in her hand, she turned the knob. She was a little surprised when it turned easily in her hand, offering no resistance at all. I guess it's not that odd, considering the owner didn't figure anyone would come out here while hunting season was off limits.

Pulling the door open slowly, Nancy eased herself into the small cabin, closing the door softly behind her. She had no idea if Krieger or Randy even knew of its existence, but she didn't want to take any chances of them discovering her. She planned on leaving it as undisturbed as possible, perhaps improving her chances of remaining hidden.

From what she could make out in the dark, the interior of the cabin was small—basically one central room. A bed was to the left, along with the living room while the kitchen was to her right. The ceiling was made of heavy beams, the floors hardwood. Bed sheets covered everything, protecting the furniture from dust. A closed door was beside the kitchen and Nancy figured it led to the bathroom.

Finally allowing her body to relax for the first time in hours, Nancy walked to the kitchen, hoping that the water was working. Taking a glass from one of the cabinets, Nancy turned the tap, thrilled to see water running from it. Filling up the glass, she chugged the water down, ignoring it as some dribbled down her chin.

She was turning to kill the glass up again when a noise behind her caught her attention. It almost sounded as if it was the scraping of a shoe against the floor. Putting the glass down into the sink, Nancy started to turn around.

Before she could make it all the way around, something heavy crashed down on her head. She was out cold before her body even hit the ground.

Oh, no! It's a cliffhanger!

I would love to thank the following people for their awesome reviews: Angelvie S, Randompersonality (I totally got what you were saying and agree completely!), SC15, Michelle Gallichio, and Cupcake. I just love you guys so much!

I also want to thank everyone else who is reading and may be too shy to let me know what you think. I appreciate all of you guys, too!

I apologize for any mistakes and I look forward to seeing what you think!