Page 5 of His Other Half

Pulled toward the door, she looked over her shoulder at Cami, who'd fallen to her side and curled into a tight ball on the floor, despite her hands behind her.

She couldn't leave Cami like this. Acting for herself, she stopped.

The man pulled her, nearly dislocating her shoulder. The pain angered her.

"Yah," she screamed, flinging her upper body from side to side to get away.

Once his hand came off her, she stomped on his foot, backing away from him. Out of her peripheral vision, Askook stepped toward her. She lunged, ramming her head into the other man's stomach, screaming loudly. Someone in the casino had to hear her and investigate the noise.

Hands grabbed the front of her shirt. She violently threw herself back, ripping the material out of Askook's hands. Like his name, Askook was a snake.

Breathing hard, she squared off with him. At one time, she could leg wrestle any boy or girl growing up. But not anymore. Askook stood at least six feet two inches, a good five inches taller than her, and outweighed her by seventy-five pounds. The only thing she had was speed against his bigger body, but with her hands tied behind her back, she wouldn't get far.

All she could do was delay him from taking her out of the room.

Scooting back, she darted behind the table in the middle of the room. Staying light on her feet, she dodged left when he went right.

The other man headed the other way. Realizing her mistake of letting them corner her, she screamed.

"Get her and shut her up." Askook moved forward.

Panicked, she said, "I'll kill—"

Bang.

Both men whipped their gaze toward the door. Her heart raced. Was that a gunshot? Had someone heard her? Was someone coming to help?

"Grab the other girl and take her to the trailer." Askook grabbed Josie before she could react.

Lifted off the floor, all the air left her body as her stomach hit his shoulder and her upper body careened upside down. Her chest seized. Unable to use her arms, each bounce of his steps hurt her more, making it impossible to get her breath back.

"Go to the west wing." Askook ran with her slung over his shoulder.

Bang.

The other man said, "It's coming from that way."

Askook came to a sudden stop. "We'll go down the emergency stairs."

"I don't have a key."

Askook spoke in his native language. Catching some of the words, she kicked her feet and banged her head against his lower back. She wasn't going to let him take her into a different room and separate her from Cami.

"Cami?" She violently threw her body back and forth while kicking her legs. "Fight!"

Askook lost his hold on her. She fell hard on her shoulder, her cheek scraping the carpet. Dazed, she groaned, trying to push away with her feet, but she couldn't lift her upper body off the floor.

The floor vibrated. She bent her neck, trying to find Cami and found the other man carrying her friend the opposite way down the hallway. Searching for Askook, she found herself alone.

Cami's kidnapper turned out of sight. Gathering all her strength, she tightened her stomach muscles and heaved herself up until she sat on her butt. Bending her legs to the side, she got to her knees when a man entered the hallway carrying a gun.

She opened her mouth to scream and recognized the wildness in dark eyes set in a face of stone. Doubting herself, she stayed on her knees. The Tarkio member she remembered coming into the body shop a few times always wore a vest. This man had on jeans and a flannel shirt.

In her hope that help arrived, maybe it was someone else. Someone else with a gun.

The man squatted down in front of her, keeping his gaze above her. "Josie, I'm going to take you out of here."

Relief that he knew her name, she leaned toward him. He wrapped one of his thick arms around her and lifted her to her feet. Getting her balance, she stepped back to follow the direction Cami was taken, but he pulled her in the opposite direction.

"No." She looked over her shoulder, needing to go the other way.

He kept leading her toward the end of the hallway. She dragged her feet.

"Stop. I have to go after her." Her adrenaline spiked, struggling in his arms. "My friend. They have my friend."

"Sweetheart, we're going to be lucky to get out of here alive." He pulled her into a stairwell.

The door shut. Her breathing echoed in the hollow space. Failure consumed her.

The loss of her friend stripped her of strength. She descended the stairs on legs made of rubber. If it wasn't for the Tarkio member, she would've fallen.