When her throat thickened with tender emotion, she bit her bottom lip and steeled herself. Stay on task. To find her happily-ever-after, she first had to live long enough to meet Mr. Right.
She stretched her fingers, grasped the leather strap and flicked it close enough to her mouth to catch it between her teeth. Progress. Angling her head to drag the belt closer to her fingers, she gained a better grasp of the dangling end between her pointer and middle finger. Still not the combination of her most dexterous fingers, but better than before. And maybe...
“So you believe that love is strong enough to fight off death?”
His question surprised her. “I do. They’ve done studies that show that the mind, especially a person’s state of mind and attitude, has a big effect on how well a person recovers from illness and injury. Love can be the motivation to overcome big obstacles.”
“Hmm.” His hum sounded intrigued.
“You’b neber hearb dat?” she mumbled around the leather strap in her teeth.
“I’ve heard things like ‘mind over matter’ and ‘attitude is everything.’ And while they are chipper sayings that are good for morale, I always believed they were just mantras made up by some spiritual guru to sell DVDs and coffee mugs.”
“Naw. I’b seen it in action,” she said around the belt, adjusting her head to give her fingers more slack to scrunch up. Mind over matter, Lilly thought as she inched her fingers up the belt, held taut by her mouth. A few millimeters, then a few more. Baby steps...
The bed wiggled some more—Dave was obviously still working to free his feet—and Maddie gave up on sleeping beside her. Fluffy tail swishing, her cat hopped onto the floor, presumably to hide under the bed again.
Lilly was finally making progress with the belt. Slowly. But she was getting somewhere, and her heart pattered harder with excitement. She resisted the urge to rush, despite the fact that because the sun was setting, the room was getting darker.
“You okay up there? You sound funny.”
“I’m fine. Working on somfin.”
“Good. Because I’m not getting very far with the tape around my feet.” She heard his disappointed sigh.
When she’d inched the belt far enough through the loop that the buckle wiggled, she released the grip she had with her teeth. “Come on...please...”
“Lilly?”
“Hang on...”
The angle that she’d turned her hands meant the tape had twisted tighter and was beginning to cut of the blood flow to her fingers. Her grip was getting clumsier as her hand grew numb. But the buckle frame had moved, the metal prong sliding in the hole. She held her breath, repositioned her fingers another millimeter or two up the strap...
“So if the mind can will something to happen, why don’t more people survive disease and accidents?” he asked.
A fair question, but one she didn’t want to take the time to debate or explain at the moment. Not when the prong was sliding further...out...of...the...
Hole! She exhaled happily as the tiny bar fell free of the belt hole. Now if she could continue to wiggle and push up the strap...
Bit by bit, one tiny step at a time, the leather slid farther through the frame. The closer she got to freeing her hands from the belt, the more her adrenaline surged. Combined with the numbness from decreased blood flow, the excitement and anticipation made her hands shake. Steady, she told herself, taking a short break to draw a cleansing breath and try to calm the trembling.
“Me-ow!” Maddie’s yowl jarred her nerves.
She shifted her gaze to the door, where her cat stood on her hind legs and bopped at the doorknob, her signal that she wanted out of the room. Lilly had to blink to refocus her eyes after having her attention narrowed up close for so long.
“Sorry, girl. No can do,” she said, turning her attention back to the belt. So close! With the new slack in the strap, she’d gotten a better grip and repositioned her fingers. A little more, a little farther—
She gasped and gave a tiny cry of celebration when the belt slid free.
“What’s wrong?” The concern in Dave’s voice touched her.
“That was a happy sound. I got the belt off. I’m not strapped to the bed anymore.” She struggled to a seated position and leaned over to peer down at Dave on the floor, showing him her freed, if still tape-bound, hands.
“Excellent. Well done!” He flashed her a handsome grin, and pleasure puddled in her core like the joy of indulging in a gooey chocolate dessert. Her pulse raced as if on a sugar high, but she brushed aside the sweet sensation.
Now was not the time to examine her surprising reaction to Dave. Instead she wiggled her way to the edge of the bed and rolled onto the floor beside him. With her hands now in front of her, she’d be better able to attack the tape restraining them.
Dave stretched his hip toward her. “Wanna have another go at getting the keys from my pocket?”
Heat rose up her throat to tingle in her cheeks. “Um, sure.”
She scooted closer and slid one hand in his pocket. But like the previous attempt, the tape and awkward angle meant she couldn’t dive deep enough in the pocket to snag the keys.
“All right. Plan B,” Dave said. “Or are we to plan C or D at this point?”
“Doesn’t matter what letter we assign it, if it will work.” She was already wiggling and twisting her arms, hoping to make the tape looser, thus giving her more mobility for whatever task was next.
Dave cocked his head. “I think we’re back to playing gerbil. Nibble away.”
She nodded. “Right.”
She brought her wrists to her mouth and bit at the tape, managing to chew off little pieces of the plastic packing tape. One tiny bit at a time. Spit it out. Nibble and rip again.
From the door, Maddie meowed impatiently and stood on her hind legs again to rattle the doorknob.
“Do you know a way to quiet the cat?” Dave pulled a face, reflecting his frustration. “If she keeps rattling that doorknob, Wayne will hear it and think we’re trying to bust outta here.”
“Maddie, stop!” she called to the cat in a stage whisper, trying to infuse her tone with authority minus the volume. Which, of course, didn’t work. Maddie sat down for a moment to blink at her but resumed her meowing and doorknob bapping seconds later.
“She wants out,” she told Dave, stating the obvious, “to eat or use her litter box. She won’t quit until she gets her way. She’s not very cooperative or well trained, I’m afraid.”
“Then we have to hurry.” Dave met her gaze. “It’s just a matter of time before the cat’s ruckus brings our friend back down the hall to see about the noise.”
She frowned and divided a look between Dave and Maddie. “I’m sorry. I—”
“Forget it.” He shook his head in dismissal. “Just...keep gnawing.”
She did. Biting, ripping, spitting out the torn bits. After a couple of minutes, she’d chewed through the layers enough to tear free of the looped bindings.
Her eyes darted over to Dave’s, and he sent her another approving smile. “Great!”
As she plucked the remaining scraps of tape off her skin, she rubbed her sore wrists.
“Now get the keys,” Dave said, rocking back and straightening his legs so that she had access to his pocket.
She swallowed hard and steeled herself to go foraging at his groin again. “Okay.”
Scooting closer to him, she snorted ironically. “Helen must be laughing her tail off.”
“Laughing? The Helen I knew would be terrified for us.”
Lilly dipped her chin in agreement. “Well, sure. Because of the unpredictable and dangerous man with the gun. But if she knew I was going spelunking in your jeans just a few hours after having told you off...”
Dave met her raised-eyebrow look with one of his own. “Spelunking, huh? Don’t worry. There are
no bats.”
She chuffed a short laugh. “It’s not the bats I’m worried about, pal.”
His eyebrows inched higher, and when she slid her fingers in his pocket, he hissed through his teeth.
She snatched her hand back. “What?”
His mouth tightened. “Nothing. Just...don’t take anything that happens down there the wrong way. There are some things I can’t control.”
Her heart stutter-stepped. Then, drawing her shoulders back, she blew out a cleansing breath. “Whatever.”
She jammed her hand deep into his pocket, found the keys with minimal groping and dragged them out with a sigh of relief. “Got ’em.”
He nodded, his own expression relaxing. “The house key is probably sharpest.”
Four keys dangled from the simple ring. The largest was obviously for his truck and bore the auto company logo. Two were the shape and size she associated with door locks and the fourth was smaller, as if for a padlock or mailbox.
“Two house keys?” She bent her head to begin sawing through the tape lashing him to the bed.
“My place and here.”
She glanced up, blinking her surprise at his profile. “You still have a key to this house?”
“Yeah. Who was I supposed to give it to?”
She clenched her back teeth, choking down the spike of grief and frustration that accompanied his reminder of their mutual loss. Once his feet were loose from the bed, she set to work cutting the straps of tape around his ankles. He’d managed to draw the strips tighter, bunched into thick ropes with his tugging and writhing attempts to get loose.
Her fingers were still stiff and tingly after having her own wrists tightly bound, but she hacked at the strips feverishly.
Her cat yowled again and padded the door.
“Stop it, Maddie. No!”
“Wait!” he whispered harshly, turning his head toward her. “Shh!”
She quieted and stilled her hands as Dave angled his head to listen. When she wrinkled her brow in question, he whispered at a barely audible volume, “The squeaky floorboard in the hall—”
Chapter 9
The bedroom door flung open.
Maddie bolted out of the room.
Bleary-eyed, Wayne wobbled and leaned against the door frame for support, apparently without having noticed the cat. “Wha’re y’two doin’? I’m tryin’a sleep!”
Lilly curled her palm around the keys and slowly tried to move her hands behind her back before Wayne noticed that her hands were unbound. Of course, she was no longer on the bed, where he’d left her. She held her breath.
“Just talking, man,” Dave said, angling his body in a way that clearly meant to hide her.
“Well...don’t!” Wayne squeezed his eyes closed, then widened them and blinked as if trying to clear his vision.
How much of the tramadol had Wayne taken? Did he even remember moving her to the bed? His unsteadiness, slurred speech and apparent blurry vision indicated he was pretty doped up. He’d be slower to react, just like a drunk, but also like a drunk, he could be more volatile too.
Glaring at them, but apparently unarmed, Wayne moved into the room, his gait uneven. “Get up.”
Dave and Lilly exchanged a look, but neither of them moved.
Wayne grabbed the bedpost nearest him for balance, then kicked at Dave’s bound feet. “Get up!”
Dave drew his feet back, got them under him and rose awkwardly to his knees but went no farther. “Give me a second. My feet are numb.”
“That ain’t my problem,” Wayne growled.
While Wayne’s attention was focused on Dave, Lilly shifted slowly until her arms were behind her, hoping Wayne wouldn’t realize they were unbound. She clenched the keys in her fist, then spotted the discarded wad of tape from her wrists by Dave’s hip.
Her stomach swooped. She rose on her knees and scooted awkwardly toward the tape. With her feet still tied together, her balance was off, and she basically flopped on top of the discarded wad of tape. And, naturally, drew Wayne’s attention.
“Where d’you think you’re goin’?” Wayne grabbed her arm and tugged. “I’m movin’ you, too. Can’t trust ya not t’chatter ’n’ plot ’gainst me, so I’m sep’rating you.”
Lilly shot a panicked look to Dave. His even stare and slow nod silently bid her to stay calm. She inhaled slowly and worked to school her expression.
“C’mon.” Wayne jerked at her arm. “On y’r feet, Lilly.” He spoke her name as if it were an insult. “You’re comin’ w’th me.”
Muscles tensing, she pushed clumsily to her bound feet, trying to brace herself for what might come next.
Wayne swayed a little and grabbed the bedpost again to steady himself, and when he said nothing for a moment, she hazarded a glance at the floor. The tape was gone. Where—?
At that moment, the wad, which had stuck loosely to the seat of her pants, fell to the carpet with a quiet plop. She stiffened, while inside her heart thrashed against her ribs.
Wayne’s confused gaze drifted to the flattened ball of tape, and he blinked as if forcing his drug-clouded brain to make sense of what he was seeing.
Dave didn’t wait for their captor to catch on. From his position on his knees, he lowered a shoulder to ram Wayne in his wounded side. With his feet still taped together, Dave could only lunge at him. But he aimed well, and the two men toppled together to the floor. While Wayne struggled under the surprise of the attack, Dave used those precious moments of advantage. He smashed his forehead into Wayne’s nose, then while Wayne grabbed his offended face, Dave rolled aside and brought his bound feet up to kick out at Wayne, striking in the region of his kidney.
Watching in horror, Lilly held her breath. This could end so badly. And yet she couldn’t blame Dave for taking what could be their only opportunity to fight back.
Pivoting, she dropped on the bed and raised her feet to the mattress beside her. She fumbled one key into position in her hand and began sawing frantically at the multiple layers of tape.
She heard a growl and cut a glance toward the men. Wayne had rolled out of Dave’s reach and was clambering to his feet. He swiped at his bloody nose with the back of his hand and snarled at Dave, “Son of a bitch!”
Dave struggled to right himself and get his feet under him again, but Wayne now assumed the upper hand and kicked Dave in the chest. Once Dave had toppled onto his back, Wayne lobbed several more strikes with his booted foot into Dave’s ribs, his legs, his hip.
Lilly’s gut churned, seeing Dave battered so viciously. “No! Stop!”
Having made a slit in her bindings, she ripped hard at the tape around her ankles. She managed to free one leg and stumbled to her feet. She grabbed at Wayne’s arm, trying to pull him away from Dave. “Wayne, please! Stop it! Don’t do this!”
Pausing, Wayne turned an ugly scowl toward her. “Get off me!”
“Wayne, please. This isn’t who you are.” Of course, she didn’t know that about him. But if she could convince their captor the brutality was unnecessary, if she could continue to form some tenuous bond with him, using his name as often as possible, forcing him to see them as people and not liabilities, then maybe...
She knew the moment he realized she was free of her constraints. His expression morphed from startled to livid in a heartbeat. “What the hell? How’d you—?”
He swept his gaze around the room as if searching for the answer to his confusion. His attention lingered on the discarded leather belt. His face contorted in a snarl, then he grabbed her wrist. “How’d you get free?”
The biting grip on her wrist made her drop the keys, and with them, her heart fell to her toes. She tried to scoop them back up with her free hand, but Wayne got them first. He stared at the keys, scowling, his drug-muddled mind obviously needing time to sort through the implications of his discovery. “Where’d these come
fr’m?”
Dave rubbed his bad shin and gave a snort. “Where do you think, genius?”
Lilly shot him a warning glance and said under her breath, “Don’t antagonize him.”
The look Dave sent her said he didn’t agree with her approach, but he acquiesced.
After staring at the keys for another moment and wobbling on his feet, Wayne dropped on the bed and jerked Lilly’s arm to force her to sit beside him. He dangled the keys in front of her. “Where’s this car?”
The answer should have been obvious. But Wayne was drugged up, and, if she wasn’t mistaken, she smelled beer on his breath. The idiot! He was obviously struggling to think clearly. “You’re in no condition to drive, Wayne.”
His face darkened. “Where’s it?”
“Stay the hell away from my truck, you bastard,” Dave growled.
Wayne turned an evil grin toward Dave. “My truck now. My ride outta here...”
When Dave tried to roll onto his knees again, Wayne placed a foot on Dave’s chest and shoved him back down.
Lilly intervened before the situation escalated to blows again. “Wayne, listen to me. You’ve lost blood, and you just took a potent painkiller. You can’t—”
“Two.”
“What?” she asked.
He blinked at her as if trying to clear his vision. “Pain was bad, so I took two pills.”
She had to work to swallow the groan that swelled in her throat. A double dose of a narcotic, possibly with alcohol. Well, that certainly explained his fogginess, slurring and unsteady gait. Didn’t she see enough of patients abusing prescription drugs to be inured to the reckless behavior yet? Apparently not.
Keeping her voice calm, she touched his arm with her free hand. “All the more reason for you to go sleep it off. You’ve overdosed, and until the drug leaves your sys—”
He lurched to his feet, his face reddening. “Don’t tell me wha’ ta do!” Wayne started toward the hall with staggering steps, then stopped, swayed and clutched the door frame. Turning back to his hostages, he seemed to remember something, and stumbled back to grab Lilly’s arm. “Can’t leave you...l’se.”
Rancher's Hostage Rescue Page 9
