Kidnap My Heart

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Emma

Thanks to IHateJasonGrace for the multimedia art! :)

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Kidnap My Heart

Chapter 29: Emma

My mind was whirling as I tried to figure out an escape plan in a ridiculously short amount of time. This wasn’t how things were supposed to go. My plan wasn’t supposed to be so rushed or so frantic. That was the entire point of the plan: take things slow, get Will to trust me like Eric trusted Taylor, and then boom. When they least expected it, Taylor and I would get away. When had things gotten so screwed up? Was it the moment we stepped foot in that mall? The moment we stepped foot in that photo booth? Or was it the moment I kissed Will back?

Taylor and I were sitting in the back of the car. Will was driving, and Eric was in the passenger seat. This entire situation screamed déjà vu at me. A month ago, we’d been in this exact same position, except this time, Taylor and I weren’t tied up and Will and Eric weren’t wearing ski masks. This time, the hatred I felt for my kidnappers—one in particular—wasn’t all consuming. It wasn’t even there, and that to me was scarier than being kidnapped in the first place. 

“Are you okay, Emmy?” Taylor asked, cocking her head at me. “You seem upset.”

I could see Will looking at me through the rear-view mirror. The reply I wanted to give got stuck in my throat and I shook my head instead. “I’m fine. I’m just tired.”

“Are you sure?” She shot me an expectant look. She could see right through my lie, but I wasn’t about to tell her what happened or how it made me feel in front of those two.

“Positive.” I hoped the look I was giving her sent the message across: Please stop talking. I can’t talk about it here, but I’ll tell you later if you’ll shut the hell up.

She nodded, an unspoken agreement forming between us. I didn’t want to tell her about it. I wouldn’t have wanted to tell myself about it. Still, an agreement was an agreement, and Taylor was my best friend. I couldn’t not tell her.

The ride into town was mostly silent. Will and I barely talked, and we were usually the ones who never stopped talking or bantering. Taylor and Eric talked a bit, but it didn’t seem like they could get past the awkward environment we were all sitting in.

No matter how hard I tried, no matter how many mental distractions I tried to set in motion, I couldn’t get Will out of my head. I couldn’t stop thinking about how his lips had felt on mine, how his touch had set me on fire, how he’d made me feel things I’d never felt before. I closed my eyes and had to physically stop myself from touching my fingers to my lips in remembrance. He’d know exactly what I was thinking about if I did that.

If I’d been shocked by the photo booth kiss, there were no words for this one. It wasn’t just one kiss. It was a make-out session. It was a moment. There were some moments that you couldn’t forget even if you wanted to; this was one of them. I knew the second I left his room that this was something I wouldn’t be able to disregard. My plan had been to keep that strip of photos as a token of my time with Will—as the only token of my time with Will— but that plan was out the window. That strip of photos would never be the only token he left me with.

Godammit, I needed to snap out of this trance he’d left me in. This wasn’t right. This wasn’t normal. I needed to get out of here.

After what felt like hours, we arrived. This time, the car stopped in the Wal-Mart parking lot. I wasn’t familiar with this place, but it seemed crowded enough to conceal Taylor and me and let us get away. It was now or never.