Filed to story: My Husband Regrets Divorcing Me (Audrey & Cornell)
Nicole halted and grabbed a wooden stick. She concealed herself in the grass, remaining utterly silent.
The driver approached, his footsteps splashing loudly with each step.
“Little girl, just come out. It’ll be easier on you if I don’t have to come find you. Once I do, I might just break your legs. And then they might just dig up your body to turn you into some kind of creepy doll.”
Nicole’s heart raced as fear gripped her. It seemed they planned to sell her. Who could be behind such cruelty? Several names flickered through her mind. Vicki, Doreen, and the Watts family…
“Listen up, young lady. I’ll let you keep both your legs. That way, you won’t suffer as much once we get there. What do you say? There’s no point in hiding. My people run this whole area. There’s no way out for you.”
Nicole was mentally tough and remained still despite the driver’s threats.
As the driver got within two meters of her, Nicole suddenly sprang up and swung a wooden stick with all her strength, striking the driver on the head.
Caught off guard, the driver clutched his head in pain. Nicole took advantage of his confusion and struck him several more times, knocking him to the ground. She then kicked him twice to ensure he couldn’t chase after her.
Once she was certain the driver wouldn’t be getting up anytime soon, she grabbed the stick and leaned on
it to hobble out of the grass.
Reaching the road, she found the car locked and the keys gone.
Unable to use the car and unwilling to risk encountering the driver again, Nicole had no choice but to walk in the rain, hoping to find someone who could help her.
Eventually, a car approached from behind. It was a private vehicle with a local Ardlens license plate.
Nicole felt anxious, unsure whether to flag it down. She feared encountering more trouble, but she also worried the driver might regain consciousness and pursue her in his car. With her condition as it was, she couldn’t run faster than a car.
While she hesitated, the car stopped. Nicole’s heart raced.
The window rolled down, revealing a woman with short hair and glasses who looked Like a teacher. She regarded Nicole with concern and asked, “Miss, are you okay? Do you need help?”
Nicole nodded and then shook her head, torn.
The woman in glasses persisted, “It’s rare to see cars around here. Are you sure you don’t want my help?”
Nicole paused briefly before asking, “Could you do me a favor and call up the cops?”
The woman with glasses, showing her laid-back demeanor, responded, “Sure thing. I’ll dial them up pronto.”
It appeared the woman was concerned about Nicole’s nerves as she activated the speakerphone, connecting to a seasoned operator on the other end.
“Hey there, Ardlens Police Department. What’s the trouble?”
The woman with glasses said, “Hi, I stumbled upon a wounded girl on the road, likely attacked. She’s stranded. Could you send some help?”
“Do you have a name?”
The woman with glasses turned to Nicole, querying, “Miss, what’s your name?”
Nicole shared her name and explained, “Hey, someone kidnapped me. He was a total stranger. I got his plate number…”
“Got it, sending an officer pronto. Hang tight.”
With the call wrapped up, Nicole’s tense demeanor eased a bit. The woman with glasses extended another invitation.
“Miss, why not hop into my car and chill for a bit? It’s pouring down hard, and your shoulder’s still bleeding. Keep this up, you won’t last until the cops roll in…”
After the call, Nicole’s guard was down a notch with the woman. Plus, the woman had just spelled her ID and name over to the operator. Her name seemed to be Evelyn Quinn.
Nicole nodded. “Alright.”
Once in the car, Evelyn pulled out a towel from the passenger seat’s storage and offered it to Nicole. “Here, wipe up. You don’t wanna catch a cold.”
“Thanks.” Nicole accepted the towel, dabbing at her face and wet locks.
Nicole coughed lightly. She sneezed.
“Thanks a lot, Ms. Quinn,” Nicole said, returning the towel politely.
“No problem.” Evelyn tossed the towel onto the passenger seat and then lit a cigarette, leaning her elbow on the car window. “I’ve just been chilling here waiting for you.”
The rain outside drowned out Evelyn’s voice. Nicole asked, “Sorry, what was that, Ms. Quinn?”
Evelyn smiled, saying, “Oh, nothing.”
Just then, Evelyn’s phone rang. She smiled faintly, saying, “Ops, gotta take this.”
Evelyn answered the call on Bluetooth, and Nicole could hear every word. “Evelyn, damn it! That chick bolted…”
Nicole’s heart raced. That voice…
Evelyn stayed cool, firing back, “I know. You’re useless. That chick’s with me now. No payday for you, dumbass!”
“Damn, you’re slick!” The man on the other end sounded impressed.
Losing a target was a major screw-up in their line of work. He’d rather get zilch than lose someone.
“Fine, you dumbass. Head to the base.” Evelyn hung up, ignoring Nicole’s shock. She smirked. “Well, still hanging in there, huh?”
Nicole realized she’d jumped from the frying pan into the fire.
Evelyn seemed harmless and even helped her report to the cops. Who knew she was a crook in disguise too!
“Who… Who the hell told you to do this?” Nicole demanded, her voice trembling with shock.
But before she could finish her question, her body betrayed her, collapsing like a sack of potatoes. She realized there was something off about the towel she’d just used.
That was all she had time to think before she fainted.
Evelyn watched Nicole pass out and chuckled. “You held out longer than most, But it’s all the same in the end.”
With a smirk, she started the car and drove off.
Nicole had no idea how long she’d been out. When she came to, she was in a dingy wooden shack. It was cramped and looked Like some makeshift hideout.
Her limbs were bound, and she felt like a sack of bones, probably thanks to the drug they’d pumped into her.
She struggled against the ropes, but they might as well have been made of steel. Frustrated, she stopped, conserving her energy while scanning her surroundings and tuning in to the sounds beyond the walls.
From what she could gather, there were likely two goons on watch duty, trading shifts. Ten minutes ago, she’d overheard chatter outside, followed by silence. Now, only one set of footsteps echoed in the darkness.
Before long, the wooden door of the shack groaned open.
In stepped a man with a bandage wrapped around his head. It was the driver who’d snatched Nicole that night.
He barged in and slammed the door shut, his eyes blazing with rage.
“You fucking bitch!” he spat, venom dripping from his words.
“I’ve been hauling people around for years, but never have I taken such a hit. I’m goddamn furious!”
Nicole figured this person was deep in the human trafficking game.
His words hinted at years of experience of ruining Lives. Countless souls had been screwed over because
of scum like him.
“Why are you doing this? I don’t even know you,” Nicole questioned, feigning fear.
Being aggressive wouldn’t help her now. Nicole knew she needed to be smart, evade getting hurt, and conserve her energy for a possible escape attempt.
“Of course, you don’t know me. If you did, I wouldn’t be in this line of work,” the man retorted, rubbing his hands together as he approached. Without warning, he delivered a harsh kick to Nicole.
“Remember what I said? About breaking your legs that night? It’s time to make good on that promise,” he declared.
Nicole winced from the pain of the kick to her leg bone. “Please, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean any harm. I just want to live…”
The man glared at her with malice. “You still think you deserve to live? You’d be better off sold to a place where death would be a mercy,” he sneered.
Terrified, Nicole inquired, “What kind of place is that?”
Cautiously, the man replied, “You don’t need to know.”
After a moment’s thought, Nicole asked, “Then who sold me? Please, kind sir, tell me. I don’t want to die without knowing…”
The man smirked at being called ‘kind sir.’
“We have rules. Everyone has their role. We just sell people. We don’t question where they come from,” he explained.
Nicole realized the man probably didn’t know who sold her. If even a minion knew everything, they’d have been caught by now.