I hadn’t had time to throw on any clothes since I’d run straight to Alexis’s room, and the gravel was hard and freezing on my bare feet. I only wore a pair of black underwear and noticed the outside temperature was colder than it had been at the safehouse. The sound of a key being inserted into a lock filtered through my ears before I was pushed forward onto a hardwood floor.
“Man, this place is a dump, huh?” one of the men said.
“Yeah. John said they bought it off some hunter’s kid whose dad left it to him. Perfect for torturing traitors in the middle of the woods. No one comes around here anymore, and it’s been vacant since John tortured that guy who Victor thought informed on him two years ago.”
The other man groaned, and I heard the slight creaking of the couch. “Heavy little thing, isn’t she? She’s got more weight on her than Bianca.”
I struggled to keep my heartbeat from raging as I realized they’d set Alexis down. Praying she was unharmed, I cleared my throat.
“Where are we?”
A fist grabbed my arm, yanking me toward a chair. After being forced to sit, my bound hands rested behind my back as they zip tied each ankle to one of the chair legs.
“We’re in bum fuck Upstate New York, Nick, and no one’s coming for you. Michael couldn’t find this place if he tried. So,settle in while we do our best to extract some info from your pretty little girlfriend.”
“If you harm one hair on her head, I’ll murder you,” I said through clenched teeth.
“Eh, tough to be scared of a guy in his underwear tied to a chair, but whatever you say, man.”
The room fell silent before he asked his counterpart, “When do you think she’ll wake up?”
“We shot her up good, so she’ll probably be out for a few more hours. John said there was some non-perishable food in the cabinets. Beans, Spaghetti-Os, shit like that.”
“How long are we going to be here?”
“Until we get the names of Victor’s Eastern European contacts from Alexis, or until she gives us the location of the flash drive she hid. We need to work quickly because the radio said there’s a fucking blizzard rolling in. She’ll crack with a little pain. All women do.”
I clenched my jaw, proud that Alexis was stronger than these two idiots put together. She was tough as nails, and I had faith that she would endure. But I also was determined to get us out of this mess, so I sat quietly, fidgeting slightly with the zip ties that bound my wrists to see if I could find any give.
“I haven’t slept in almost twenty-four hours. I think I’m going to take a quick nap while she’s still passed out. Can’t get any info out of her like that anyway.”
“I’ll build a fire and then I’m going to get some rest too. The sleeping area’s upstairs. John said there’s a bed and a couch up there. I’ll take the couch.”
I heard the sounds of someone moving about the room. Eventually, I heard both men head upstairs and breathed a sigh of relief that I was alone. Alone was where I could think. Alone was whereIthrived. My brain worked best that way, which was something Michael had realized after my parents died. He understood that being alone wasn’t painful for me; it was where I found solace. And now, in the thick quiet, I was going to figure out how to save us.
I scooted my chair on the floor, thrilled when it didn’t result in any scraping noises. The previous owner must’ve put furniture pads on the chairs, which was an extreme stroke of luck. That would allow me to move across the wooden floor unheard and possibly find a way to extract myself. The graze wound on my arm hurt like hell, but I pushed the pain out of my mind, resolved to address it later.
I closed my eyes, lifting my chin toward the area where I’d heard the men set Alexis down. Breathing deeply, I extended all my energy toward her, hoping to calm her as she slept.
I’ve got you, princess, I said silently in my head.I won’t let them hurt you.
And then, I got to work figuring out how to free myself.
Chapter 9
Nick
Iscooted around the room, understanding that I only had limited time to figure out a solution. I could sense warmth emanating behind me, and I slid my chair toward the source, assuming it was a fireplace. Sure enough, the warmth grew as I slid closer, and eventually, I butted up against a hard surface. I felt it with the tip of my finger, and it felt rough, so I assumed it was a brick hearth.
Gliding along the floor, I felt along the hearth, cursing my blindness since my head was still covered. Suddenly, my hand brushed something metal, and I felt it with my fingertips. Joy flooded my frame when I realized it was a fireplace poker. It wasn’t sharp enough to cut the zip ties, but I knew that if zip ties were heated, they lost some of their rigidity and could be more malleable.
Leaning my chair back against the hearth, I pushed my wrists as close to the fire as possible. My skin warmed, and I gritted my teeth, willing to endure the pain if it would get us out of this situation.
After several minutes, I quickly scooted to the poker and lifted up on my feet to press the warm zip tie against the hook. I felt the tie loosen, if only a little, and then scooted back to warm it again near the fire.
I must’ve repeated this same excruciating chain of events over thirty times, but eventually, after poking and prodding the zip tie when it was warm, I was able to create enough slack to pull my hand through. Inhaling a deep breath, I tugged my hand, feeling my skin rip as I dragged it from the zip tie.
Suddenly, my hand popped free, and I yanked the bag off my head, resting it in my lap. I observed my bloody and battered hand, realizing I’d need to address that once I’d dealt with the bastards who’d kidnapped us. I yanked my other hand free and inhaled a sharp breath when I heard movement upstairs.
