Sarah shook her head, her expression amused. “You aren’t even asking therightthing!” Her voice rose in volume at the end.
Eliana heard a muffled scream from behind her.
Faced with the prospect of going up against two men and Sarah, she went in search of another way of escape. Instead of a way out, in the empty kitchen, she found Faith in a chair. No,tiedto the chair. Faith had gray fabric over her mouth and wore jeans and a T-shirt, though her feet were bare on the floor.
It was freezing in here.
Eliana spun around, her face still throbbing from that slap. “Let her go.”
Neither of the men said anything. They stood on opposite sides of the room, watching.
Meanwhile, Sarah paced around, her movements jerky and frantic. “I’m not letting her go. You need to shut your mouth so we can finish this.” Sarah motioned to one of the men. “Secure her.” She waved generally in Eliana’s direction.
Eliana turned and ran for the apartment hallway as fast as she could.
Surely, there was a fire escape. A way to flee this place and bring help for Faith. These people meant only evil, and she knew it, to her very soul. They were the embodiment of the feeling she’d had at the community, the atmosphere that felt dark and oppressive. Now it was here, seeping into every part of this place.
Eventually it would seep into her.
She raced for the window at the end of the hall, not knowing if she could even get out.
Footsteps pounded behind her, and two arms wrapped around her waist. The assailant lifted her off her feet, squeezing all the air from her lungs in a rush. A surprised gasp. Eliana managed to take a breath and screamed.
Someone would hear it.
A neighbor would call the police. First officers would come—and then Carlos.
Help!
He dragged her to the main room, the living room. Empty of furniture. Threw her onto the floor. Her elbow and hip landed hard, and she managed to catch herself before she smacked her head.
This couldn’t be where Faith had been living, could it? Surely, they’d lured her here like they had lured Eliana. That’s what it had been, a trap.
But knowing that didn’t help her.
A cloth covered her mouth, and she felt it tighten behind her head. Before she could reach for it, he pulled her hands behind her back and tied them together. Tears filled her eyes, spilling over to fall down her cheeks.
He dragged her up, and someone scraped a chair into the room.
Eliana struggled against his hold. Heavy hands shoved down on her shoulders, and she was forced to sit facing Faith.
The other woman stared at her with dry eyes, full of fear. But also a certain resignation, as if she’d been expecting this. It was no surprise to her, and still Faith would trade her life to be anywhere else.
Maybe her fear-filled mind was projecting too much, but Eliana was probably right.
Let us go.
The words were muffled behind the gag, and Sarah didn’t answer her.
Eliana couldn’t see her captors from this angle, facing Faith—the oven behind her—and the empty living room at her back. She stared at the other woman, trying to reassure her with steady eye contact that they’d be okay. Somehow, they’d get out of this and get free.
Please.
Her mind couldn’t come up with more than that. But God knew what she was feeling. Right now, she needed that intercession.
How about a download right into Carlos’s brain? Or a signal in the sky that I’m in trouble, along with the address?
But it didn’t work like that.
