Page 54 of Asher's Assignment
Instead of getting up, Asher wiggled onto his back. He’d kick this jackass in the face the moment he opened the hatch.
A shadow passed the window, then a few seconds later, the tailgate lifted. Asher lashed out, but connected only with air.
Light blinded him from a flashlight, and the man’s low chuckle sounded from several feet away. “Did you really think I was that stupid?”
“I don’t know. You kidnapped me in broad daylight. That’s pretty dumb.” He squinted, turning his face away from the brightness. The guy had one of those megawatt flashlights—the kind that were as bright as the sun. With the headache he already had, the light made it a million times worse. But maybe that was the man’s plan. Disorient him so he couldn’t think well enough to plan an escape.
“In that neighborhood, even if someone saw something, they won’t tell. There, the cops are the enemy. Who are you?”
Asher froze, confused. “What? Why did you abduct me if you don’t know who I am?”
“Because you were in my way. Who are you? Who hired you?”
“No one hired me. I was there with a friend.”
“Esther, yes.”
“How do you know her name?”
“I know a lot of things. But not who you are. Again, what’s your name?”
Asher hesitated, but decided for now, to play the man’s game. “Asher.”
“Asher what?”
“What does it matter what my last name is?”
“Because I like to know who I’m dealing with. Don’t make me hurt you.”
Asher didn’t need to see past the bright light to hear the hammer being pulled back on a handgun.
“What’s your name?”
“Asher Horn.”
“See? That wasn’t so difficult. How do you know Esther?”
“I told you; we’re friends.”
“Funny. I’ve never seen you around before this past week.”
Asher’s focus sharpened. Just how long had this man been watching Esther? “I don’t know what to tell you, man. We’ve been friends for a while.” He decided to feed the man the lies they’d constructed to tell others. “I live out of town for now. I’m here looking for a job and staying with her while I job search and house hunt. Now, how about you tell me who you are?”
“No. But thank you for that information.”
Asher heard rustling. The light bobbed. Then, in one quick movement, the man leaned into the car and plunged a needle deep into Asher’s thigh.
“What the hell, man?” He tried to move away, but with his hands behind his back and the limited confines of the car, he could do little more than twist.
It wasn’t enough. He watched the man inject something, then back out of the car.
“Enjoy your nap.”
The guy stepped back and shut the hatch. A moment later, the horn honked once and the locks engaged.
Muttering a curse, Asher kicked at the window. His vision swam and what should have been a powerful kick barely thudded on the glass.
No. This shouldn’t happen so fast. Intramuscular injections took time to be absorbed.
