SAFE BY HIS SIDE (MANHUNT)
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Authors: Rita Herron
HIS SIDE
By
Award-Winning Author
Rita Herron
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
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Thank You.
The darkness closed around Lenora Lockhart. Suffocating. Endless.
The four-by-four room where her abductor kept her gave her no room to move. To stretch.
No way to escape.
God knows she’d tried everything. Had torn her nails and skin clawing at the heavy cement and wood door. Her wrists had bled from her attempts to free herself of the chains. And the rest of her body ached from...fighting him.
She had no idea where she was. What city or state.
Only that she’d been here for weeks. At first she’d tried counting the days and hours, but with no clock or window, she’d lost track of time completely. She wasn’t even sure when it was daylight.
Except — the night was when he came.
Footsteps sounded, creating a shuffling noise as he dragged his limp foot behind him. Next to her, another woman’s sobs wrenched the air as he opened the door to her prison.
Lenora’s own terror vibrated in the dankness as she struggled for a breath. She buried her head against her legs, her throat thick with fear as she listened to the woman scream.
Hating that she couldn’t save her, Lenora shoved her fist against her mouth to stop herself from yelling at him to stop. If she did, he’d drag her in the room and force her to watch.
He’d done it before.
And as much as the woman’s cries sickened her, she’d learned to be quiet. Follow his orders.
It was the only way to survive.
And she was going to survive, dammit.
She had too much to live for. Her mother was probably hysterical wondering where she was. If she was alive.
And her fiancé…their wedding plans…they’d just started making them. Her bridal gown was in the shop for alterations. The lilies had been ordered. The food and DJ arranged…
Her chest heaved. Drew was probably crazy with worry as well.
She glanced down at her tattered clothes, dirty and blood stained, and knew she looked horrible. Didn’t want him to see her like this…
Would Drew still love her when he heard what this bastard had done to her?
The rancid smell of sweat, urine and vomit permeated the air from the icy chambers. Her own sweat, now mixed with his. Her own fear and body odors. Her skin felt clammy, dirty, her mouth gritty, dry.
The screams grew louder, and she squeezed her eyes shut, but the images of what he was doing to his other captive flashed in front of her eyes like a horror show.
Her stomach convulsed, and she swallowed hard to hold back the bile rising to her throat.
Suddenly though, the screams died. A huffed breath reverberated in the air. A curse. Then bitter, sinister laughter.
Had he killed her?
If so, that meant she’d be next…
A loud noise exploded from somewhere. Upstairs? Were they in the basement of a house? A cave?
Voices shouted, footsteps clattered, then her captor cursed. She heard his shuffling as he raced past her door. Where was he going? Not up the stairs?
Was there a hidden exit down here?
More voices, shouts, footsteps, then the sound of something breaking. Wood? A body slamming against the door to the upstairs?
“Police!”
“Stop, it’s over!”
A gunshot rang out. More footsteps.
She held her breath, wiping at the tears running down her face. She was going to be rescued. Free at last…
Another gunshot.
“I’ve got the bastard!” a man shouted.
“Look for the women!” a female yelled.
“Dammit to hell. This one’s dead,” the man said. “And still warm. If we’d only gotten here sooner.”
A rush of emotions overwhelmed Lenora, and she beat at the door. “Help! I’m in here!” She balled her sore hands into fists and pounded as hard as she could.
Seconds later, the man with the deep voice shouted, “Stand back. I’m going to get you out.”
She backed into the dark corner as far as she could, a shudder coursing through her as she heard him trying to open the door. Metal ground against wood, the sound of an ax slamming against something.
Finally the door screeched open. A faint stream of light nearly blinded her, and she squinted, her vision blurred, her memory foggy. How many days had it been since she’d been let out of the darkness?
Not since he’d brought her here.
Pain shot through her temple as the light of a flashlight hit her eyes. “I’ve got a live one!” the man with the deep voice shouted.
More footsteps pounded as if they were racing through the place searching for others. Lenora shivered, emotions overwhelming her as her rescuer lowered the flashlight and shined it on the floor of her prison.
“My name is Sergeant Micah Hardin with the Texas Rangers, Miss. I’m here to save you.”
She nodded, but her body felt frozen. Too many times the other man had come for her. Dragged her out. Done unspeakable things to her.
Could she trust this man?
He’d said he was police, hadn’t he?
“You’re Lenora Lockhart, aren’t you?”
Relief whirled inside her. He knew her name.
“I won’t hurt you,” he said in a husky murmur. “We’ve been looking for you and the others for a long time.” He dropped to his knees, crawling into the cave-like darkness with her.
The glint of metal flashed in front of her, and she realized he was showing her his badge. “See, the Silver Star of Texas. Sergeant Micah Hardin.”
He held his hand out to her. “Come on, you’re safe now. Let me help you.”
Fear mingled with humiliation at the condition she was in. But she finally tore her arms from around her legs, took his hand and crawled from her prison.
Shadows moved. Her captor bellowed as a lawman hauled him up and handcuffed him.
She choked on a sob as the sergeant helped her to stand. But she was so weak that she collapsed against him.
He swung her up into his arms, and she buried her head against his chest as he carried her through the dark tunnel, then up the steps and out into the night away from the horror.