When The Night Falls Book 2 of When Good Things End trilogy

CHAPTER 30

"Can we just catch a break?" I whispered under my breath as I slowly stood up along with Laurent. Only good thing about this situation is that I'm wearing my corset. I just need to get them out and hand them to Laurent.
He caught onto what I was thinking but shook his head.
"On the floor ladies," the masked man taunted. "This time we'll be taking someone to help with the situation."
I grit my teeth as the glint of swords gathered in a circle around us. Not this again. I never asked for round two. "He's just a guard, leave him alone," I protested as they grabbed onto the both of us.
"Guard?" He pulled Laurent up to look at him. "You think a Ro'mave bloodline would be demoted to a simple guard position?"
"I'm not a pure blood." Laurent's other eye was an iced glare.
He let go of his face. "Like I care. We're getting what we came for either way."
I shrugged the hand of my shoulder as our hands were tied back behind us.  It wasn't comfortable. The ropes made me stumble as I was pushed up. Laurent steadied me, staying in front of me as I tried not to panic.
"Let's get going than."
I followed along, sticking to Laurent's side as my head started to throb and my chest restricted. They're not going to put that mask on again.
"Laurent," I called out. My eyes blurring as I felt a bag slip over my face. I don't think I can handle this. I can't go through this again. I won't survive.
"Split them up," a man ordered as my knees rammed into something hard. I'm growing to throw up. The shove made me stumble up onto a platform and I felt as the area around me got darker.
It's the wagon from earlier. The ground started to shake as I focused on breathing. Laurent's not in the same place as I am.
They split us off.
It took me a while to focus on what to do in the situation. Clear thoughts were hard to come by but I finally pulled myself together.
I just need to get out of the ropes and find Laurent. Then we make a run for it depending on how far away we are now. The wagon kept moving swiftly, the sound of the wheels roaring with the speed.
How far are we going at this rate?
One of the corsets hidden sheaths was empty. My wrists twisted as I pulled out a dagger from the other side and slipped it under the rope. Slowly sawing away at it in my laying position.
I'm not as unprepared this time around. The bag was easy to yank off once I freed my hands. I need to find Laurent.
My feet couldn't hold balance as the wagon suddenly stopped. I barked forward, yelling out as I tried to grab onto something.
"Woah there steady love," Laurent said with a huff, catching me as I fell out of the wagon through the curtained wall. He set me down on my feet, wiping off his dagger and handing it back to me. "Thanks for the help, I honestly needed something quick to cut through the ropes."
I barfed, leaning on one of the trees and ridding my nauseous stomach of everything I had eaten.
"What is going on?" I asked. Pulling myself together to look around. We were in some sort of forest, that was evident. Two wagons were stopped in the middle of an ordinary run down looking dirt road.
What had surprised me were the bandits and masked men, all of them groaning on the floor. The blood smeared on Laurent's cheek made a lot more sense. He seemed surprised as I wiped the rest of it off.
"You left them alive?" I noticed, crouching down to one of the masked guys and pulling it off.
He glared back at me. Spiked strawberry blond hair with a scar across his left eye. Laurent pulled out the ropes that were used on us and pushed the guy up into a sitting posture.
"I guess I should have been more careful with the guard," the guy laughed, blood rushing from a stab wound at the side of his abdomen.
My nurse training kicked in instantly as Laurent tied his hands back I ripping the guys shirt off.
"What my abs not enough for you?" Laurent questioned as I tore the shirt into bandages.
I rolled my eyes. "We need the guy alive bae." I tied the stripped shirt around the wound making the man flinch.
"You guys a couple or something?" He asked. His eyes roaming around, looking for a sword no doubt. I smiled at him, timing off the bandage a bit tighter.
Laurent kicked up one of the other men's swords and caught it before sheathing it at his belt. "We'll use the horses to get back," he said.
"Hey!" The guy yelled for the others.
Laurent and I pulled out our weapons in the blink of an eye. The both of us confused as the bandits ran away.
"Wait!" I yelled as they jumped onto the horses and ran away.
The guy at my side swore, kicking his feet and trying to get up. "Why the hells did I hire them for if their just going to run away!" He yelled.
"So it was you who decided to kidnap my girl?" Laurent tossed my dagger swiftly at him. The steel landing between his legs, inches away from severing off his an important piece of his body.
I couldn't help laugh at his expression of shock. Serves him right for thinking he could get away with kidnapping me twice. "Should we leave him out here for the night?" I asked. "Who knows. Maybe the wolves will teach him a lesson on how to treat others.
"You said we need him alive," Laurent reminded, still glaring at the guy as he yanked the dagger from the ground.
I sighed. Feeling better now that I knew we had the situation in control. It's cold. Winter should be coming already.
"We can put him in the other wagon for the night," I offered.
"I don't want to get in that dirty thing!" He protested as Laurent pulled him over to the wagon and tossed him inside.
My corset pressed against my ribs as I took a cloak from the ground and threw it into the wagon after the guy. "He might get cold." I shrugged at Laurent's questioning look.
"And you won't be?"
I raised an eyebrow with a teasing smile. "You don't wanna keep me warm?"
"Don't do that to me-"
"Get a room!" The man groaned.
I dropped my smile and kicked the wagon. He shut up quickly and I followed Laurent to the wagon in front of the road. The inside was bare, like the one I was in. Nothing but the closed off wooded walls on wheels.
Laurent offered my a hand up. "After you." His smile reassured me as I walked in, crouching with the low ceiling. It was warmer inside as I settled into the corner and sat down.
A soft black cloak settled over me as Laurent joined. I snuggled closer to him and he relaxed into my hug.
Tomorrow that man's going to have to much more than he might expect. Depending on how far were into the forest would be how far he'll have to hike with a wounded body.
I want to leave this kingdom the second we get back. I'm done waiting. I don't need to get kidnapped a third time.