Hard to Trust by Wendy Byrne

closer and peered inside the back window of the car. Even in the dark, there was no mistaking the aroma of weed coming through the open window. Opening the driver side door, he silenced the guy with a chokehold. After dragging him out of the car, Jake stuffed a gag in the guy's mouth and handcuffed him.
    The odds were down to three against one. Most times he'd relish those kinds of odds, but he had no way of knowing if there were more men inside. In which case, he was royally screwed.
    He also didn't know Tessa's condition. Based on what he'd seen, it could range from groggy to stone cold out of it. Or she could be perfectly fine and faking it this whole time. He worked through a shudder. Second-guessing every thought in his head wouldn't help the situation.
    He had to assume she was vulnerable and wouldn't be much help when things went down. Going in blind with guns blazing didn't seem to be a very good option. He needed to see inside to get his bearings before he did anything else.
     
    *  *  *
     
    Tessa's head and body pounded as the dull ache of the drugs traveled through. She'd been given narcotics once before and didn't care for the feeling of powerlessness then or now. Every time she pried open her eyes, a kaleidoscope of colors blurred her vision. Red, purple, green, and yellow mixed with people dancing in front of her eyes.
    Was she at a dance club? She shook her head. No, that didn't make sense. Her hands were tied to a chair or something preventing her from moving them. She wished she was back in Jake's apartment and hadn't attempted to go it alone.
    Maybe she was at Jake's. Nope. He'd deserted her.
    Wait. No. Did she desert him? Who was Jake, anyway? Did he really exist?
    Nick. Memories of what she'd seen flitted around her brain, but were they real?
     Thoughts tumbled about in no particular order leaving her fuzzy mind in charge of making sense of them. Not good.
    A stinging sensation lit up her jaw as her head flipped to the side. But somehow it didn't hurt.
    "Where is it?"
    The voice echoed in her ear like she was at the end of a long tunnel. Maybe she was but didn't realize it. If she could only open her eyes. Were they glued shut?
    Why did they keep asking the same question over and over again? They wanted information, and she must not have provided it, or she wouldn't still be alive. Tessa squeaked open her eyes to study the men. They blurred before her. Was that three or four of them? She couldn't be sure.
    The blood burned inside her veins like they'd mainlined fire into them. Even while she knew the concept was inconceivable, she still couldn't prevent the idea from tunneling inside her head and taking hold. Maybe she'd died and was in hell. That might explain the burning sensation. But where were the horns and pitchforks? The giggle bubbled up inside her until she couldn't prevent it even if she'd wanted to.
    Concentrate . What happened?
    She'd been sitting at the cafe trying to decide what to do after she found…oh crap…Nick…dead. Men had shoved her into a car. They'd threatened to kill people unless she did what they asked. She breathed a little easier as the resurgence of ordered thinking came into place.
    Now if she could begin to control the remainder of her body she'd feel a whole lot better. Whatever they'd given her still made her head keep flopping down, even when she willed the muscles in her neck to hold steady. Add that to her bruised and aching body, and she was a hot mess.
    "We need to know what you found. You're not being very cooperative."
    Her left eye felt swollen and didn't want to stay open. The puffy skin kept interfering with her vision. She wanted to remember. Telling was bad. That idea had been drilled into her head by all her trainers for so long, the broken record constantly played in her brain despite its current malfunctioning status.
    An operative never told. Never. Torture. Death. Whatever they might try to entice her with wasn't going to work. She wouldn't divulge