The lock opened with an audible click.
One hand free, the cuffs dangled from my other wrist. No sense in wasting time picking the other side. Plus, if they stopped, I could slip my free hand into the loose cuff to make it look like I was still bound.
I felt along the trunk door near the lock, where the safety latch should have been. I found the release wire and wedged my bracelet between the wire and the metal. Turning my wrist side to side, I wrangled the wire loose.
The trunk door presented another problem. The kidnappers would see if it flew open.
I ran my fingers over the latch in search of a groove or hole to hold onto when I pulled the release cord. I found a hole large enough to push the end of the open handcuff into. Yanking to test the hold, I grabbed the wire with my free hand.
Keeping the tension on the handcuff and the trunk door, I yanked down on the cord and flexed my other arm at the same time. The latched released, but thankfully, the door only opened an inch.
It worked!
I pushed on the metal above my head. The trunk opened enough for me to taste freedom. Unfortunately, we were traveling at a good speed, too fast for me to jump.
* * *
Gabe
I rounded the corner into my parents’ living room and stopped dead in my tracks. Chantal fucking DuBois stood next to the fireplace with Shanna.
“Where the hell is she?” I had the woman a foot off the ground and pinned to the wall before I’d realized I’d moved.
“Stop it. She doesn’t know anything.” Shanna tugged my arm, but no way in hell would I let Chantal go before I got some answers.
“Why are you here?” I shook her hard enough that her head thudded against the wall.
“To talk to you.”
I knew better than to trust her tears. I’d seen them before. They meant shit. “Talk.”
Shanna sighed. “Gabe, put her down.”
I released her but refused to step back.Fuck her personal space.
Chantal straightened her shirt. “I swear, I don’t know what happened to Maggie.”
“This is the second time your name’s come up when someone I love is in trouble.”
She turned her head and nodded.
“If you didn’t have anything to do with this, why have you been following Maggie?” I studied her reactions for any hint she was lying. A waste of time, but it gave me something to do that wouldn’t land me in jail for assault and battery.
“I went a little nuts when I saw the engagement announcement—”
“No fucking kidding.” I balled my hands. “You threatened her.”
“I know and I’m sorry.” She drew a deep breath. “I was okay leaving Gabriella with you. You’re rich with a huge family. I knew she would be loved, but I didn’t know anything about Maggie.”
What the hell is she talking about?“Don’t tell me you actually care aboutElla.”
Chantal hung her head. “I can see why you’d think that, but I carried her inside my body for nine months. I tried to love her when she was born, but all I could see was you in her.”
I stepped back to keep my balance. I knew she’d played me the entire time we’d dated, but I had no idea how much she hated me. “Did you get pregnant on purpose?”
“Yes, because I saw a child as a way to get back what your family stole from me.” Her bluntness surprised me.
“Tell him why you followed Maggie.” Shanna stepped closer to me.
