Shades of Deception by Amanda Meadows

don't, I'll kill both of you,” he muttered, slicing open the purse so that the contents fell onto the asphalt.
    The vials of Amber's glucose pills rolled on the ground. One disappeared beneath the Range Rover.
    John ignored everything except the wallet and keys. He left the ruined purse on the ground.
    “Where's the phone?” He grabbed the gun from Hannah and pointed it at Amber's chest.
    “I . . . um . . . I think I left it inside. I was in a hurry. I forgot my jacket, too.”
    Amber's teeth chattered so hard that she wasn't sure John understood her.
    But he simply looked around the parking lot quickly before opening the door to the Range Rover.
    “Get in and don't do anything stupid. I would just as soon shoot you than drive your privileged little ass around.”
    Amber hurried over, her eyes on the gun, and tripped over the purse strap. She landed heavily on her knees and cried out.
    “Get up!” John yelled above her.
    Amber reached out to steady herself and her fingers touched a vial. Without even thinking, she grabbed it and stumbled to the car door, desperately hoping that a customer or employee would drive by and see them.
    John flicked the gun in the direction of her stomach and Amber clambered in the back seat. As she started to sit, she remembered the vial of glucose pills in her hands. She hurriedly tucked it in her back waistband. Within seconds, both John and Hannah had climbed in as well. The sounds of the doors slamming shut made Amber jump.
    Amber thought about screaming. But who would hear her? The parking lot was virtually empty. Unless Sonia got suspicious in the next few minutes, nobody would even know what had happened to her. The only positive thing was the phone hidden in her boot.
    “Hannah, drive out to the cabin.”
    Amber's eyes widened. Cabin? What cabin? What were they planning to do with her? Now that they were out of the wind, she could feel nervous sweat pooling beneath her arms. Did Hannah have any control over John? Or was she too hopped up on drugs?
    If John hadn't had the gun, then perhaps Amber could have tried to tackle John. But all the martial arts in the world couldn't stop a bullet. She thought of the stupid vial in her waistband. Why had even grabbed it? 
    As they headed away from the grocery store, John started to relax. He put the gun on his thigh, his finger just beside the trigger. Amber had to tell herself not to do anything stupid. Even if she managed to get in one good kick, she could be dead before Hannah even stopped the car. No, she would have to sit here and hope an opportunity presented itself.
    She tried to follow where they were going but every time she tried to look out the window, John casually raised the gun and pointed it at her. She settled for staring at her lap and trying to count the seconds, hoping to at least keep track of how far they traveled.
    And then her leg began to buzz. Shit! Someone was texting her. She tried to cough to mask the sound, but the damn thing buzzed a second time.
    John laughed.
    "Hand it over," he said. "Though I suppose I can't blame you for trying to keep it hidden."
    Hands shaking, Amber fished the phone out of her boot. John grabbed it before she could see who had tried to text her. Opening the window, he flung the phone far into the woods.
    "Don't want anyone trying to track you down with gps," he said.
    Amber sank back against the seat. The phone had been her one hope of escape. After an agonizingly long ride, she felt the car leave the main road and start lurching down a bumpy path.
    The gun jerked up off John's thigh, startling both him and Amber.
    “Easy up there!” he yelled, not bothering to turn his head.
    “This isn't even a damn road!” Hannah shouted back. “I hate this god forsaken place! It's in the middle of nowhere and . . .”
    “Shut up!” yelled John. “I'm sick of all your whining.”
    The front of the car went silent.
    Well, that was a bad sign, Amber thought morosely. Nobody ever intimidated