“You expect me to believe you?” I spat.
A menacing chuckle escaped his lips. “Come with me and find out. Or we can wait for him to show up and try to rescue you. If we stay here, I’m going to kill him. It’s your choice.”
I didn’t know what to say. I’d do anything to keep Declan out of harm’s way, but even if I went to New York with Vincent, I knew it wouldn’t stop Declan from going after him.
Vincent blew out a frustrated sigh and went back to the couch. “Guess we’re waiting here, then. If you change your mind, we’ll leave immediately.” He sat down and opened the newspaper again. “And if you try to escape, you won’t like the outcome. I’d much rather have you alive than dead when your man shows up. But either way works.”
His words chilled me to the bone. I had no doubt he’d kill me without a second thought. Turning onmy heel, I went back up to the bedroom he had me in and shut the door. I looked around for anything that could be used as a weapon or tool that I could use against Vincent to help me escape. There was no way in hell I could just sit on my ass and do nothing. But what could I do? There were two windows in my room, but I was on the second floor. I walked over and looked down to see what I’d land on if I jumped out.Rose bushes.I’d be ravaged by thorns if I did that. Not to mention, I’d most likely break a leg or two.
“Think,” I grumbled to myself.
I turned away from the window and sat on the bed, my heart beating so hard I thought I’d pass out. But then, I peered over at the corner of the room, where there was a basket filled with rolled-up blankets. An idea came to mind, and I smiled.
I knew what I could do to get out of there.
Every time I heard footsteps, I slipped the blankets under the bed and hurried to the antique chair across the room. Never once did Vincent try to come in. He spent most of his time on the phone, but I could never hear exactly what he was saying.
What bothered me more than anything was time. I had no clue what time of the day it was, but judging by the position of the sun I’d say it was early afternoon. By now, everyone at my office would be trying to hunt me down. I wasn’t the type to just not show up at work. And then, when nobody would be able to find me, it’d cause chaos. Magnolia Grove was never going to be the same once word got out about my abduction. Not to mention, the outcome of the situation. I didn’t want to think of what was going to happen when Declan and Vincent faced off.
I had no doubt Declan would find me, but I wanted to find him first.
There was only one more blanket left to tie to the others. It was long enough so I could climb down the window. Would the knots hold? There was no telling. Knowing my luck, the blankets would rip, and I’d fall and break my neck. But then, I had another concern. Should I try to escape in the daytime or at night? Being under the cloak of darkness would help, but I had no clue where we were. The last thing I wanted was to be roaming around a swampy area in the dark. Getting eaten by an alligator wasn’t on my to-do list. At least, in the daytime, I would be able to see and avoid the swampy areas,but Vincent would also be able to see me running away.
What was I going to do?
Once I had the last blanket tied, I secured one end to the leg of the massive dresser by the window, pulling it as tight as I could. I’d tried moving the dark mahogany furniture and it didn’t budge; it weighed a ton. I just hoped that when my weight pulled on the blankets, it would hold.
Holding my breath, I turned the latch on the window and slowly lifted it. It creaked a little and I stopped, my pulse pounding in my ear. I waited to see if I heard any footsteps coming up the stairs, but there was nothing. It still sounded as if Vincent was on the phone downstairs.
Sweat started to drip down my forehead and I wiped it away. The window was only open about an inch. I lifted it a little more and it creaked again, a more shrilly sound this time.
Dammit!
There was another window a few feet away, but if I tried to escape out of that one, I wouldn’t have enough blankets to get me to the ground. I’d have to let go and hope I landed without hurting myself.
I moved to the other window and turned the latch, lifting it ever so slowly. It moved up an inchand there was no sound.Success!I moved it up a little more and it was perfectly quiet. My heart raced in my chest; I had the chance to be free.
However, all my efforts came to a halt when the sound of the doorbell echoed through the house. I froze and stared at the bedroom door, wondering if there was going to be a barrage of gunfire below me. Declan was an assassin, but he never went into detail about how the process worked. Did he go in guns blazing, or was he a silent striker?
The thought of him being at the door and facing off with Vincent made my insides knot in fear. Swallowing hard, I tiptoed to the door and opened it just a crack. The doorbell rang again, and I listened to Vincent tell whoever he was on the phone with that he had to go. He probably wasn’t even going to answer the door, but I was curious as to who it was. I could only imagine it was more of Vincent’s guys to help him deal with Declan.
Declan would be outnumbered.
Vincent’s footsteps pounded on the hardwood floor, and it sounded as if hewaswalking toward the door. He cleared his throat and a few seconds later, I heard the front door open. I held my breath again so I could hear what was going on. However, I wasn’t expecting to hear a familiar voice.
It was Linda.
My heart stopped and a wave of fear washed over me. What was she doing here? I didn’t want her anywhere near Vincent.
“Good afternoon, young man. It’s a nice day outside, isn’t it?” Linda announced, her voice friendly and inviting.
And, of course, Vincent put on his charm like he did with me the first time we met.
“That it is,” he replied. “I might have to go out and take a walk.”
“I definitely would,” Linda said back. Sadly, I knew he wouldn’t dare leave me alone in the house. A part of me wanted to use this time to sneak out the window, but I had to make sure nothing happened to Linda. “The reason I’m here,” Linda began to explain, “is because I’m good friends with the Hamricks. I always make their renters a cake as a welcome gift.”
“Well, thank you,” Vincent said politely.
