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As I felt my way along the walls, I was careful to stay quiet, praying they didn’t find Billy’s phone. I kept to the walls as I made my way down the hallway, knowing that the center of the floor creaks every five steps.
A loud crash erupted in the living room, followed by groans and curses. As I inched closer to my bedroom door, I could hear Maureen whimpering on the other side of it. Hang on, babe, I’m coming.
I took a deep breath and stood up. Nice and slow, Bailey.
The doorknob was cool against my sweaty palm. Relief washed over me as it turned with ease. I pushed the door open just enough to slip inside before it creaked. The hinges were old and rusty, but they were my hinges, and I fucking knew how far I could push before they screamed.
My heart thumped in my chest as I closed the door and locked it behind me. I blinked a few times, my eyes finally adjusting to the dark. “Maureen,” I whispered, “don’t make a sound. I’m going to get us out of here.”
I heard her suck in a sharp breath as she stilled against the chair.
Goosebumps pebbled my flesh as a cold draft brushed over me. Old houses. I sank to my knees and crawled toward my overnight bag. I unzipped it slowly and exhaled a sigh of gratitude. II quickly pulled out a hoodie and a pair of sweatpants—clothes I’d brought to wear when I was hungover driving home tomorrow. I almost didn’t bring them. Thank fuck I did.
I dressed faster than I ever had in my life. Maureen’s breath quivered as she waited. I was proud of her for holding it together. Being the daughter of a Sheriff had its benefits. Her father had been teaching her survival skills since she was old enough to walk. Skills like how to stay calm in sticky situations.
I reached back in the bag for my sneakers when my hand brushed against something else. Something rough and heavy. I gasped as I wrapped my hand around it.
Saint.
It was the gift he put in my bag. The one he told me not to look at until I got here. And now I knew why. I wouldn’t have accepted it earlier. I was so convinced that nothing bad could happen to me out here. One of the most naïve thoughts that I’d ever let enter my head.
Now that we were being held hostage by Billy and Chad, I couldn’t have been more fucking grateful.
I unsheathed the bowie knife and kissed the blade. It made my nipples hard just thinking about how satisfying it was going to feel when I plunged it deep into Billy’s flesh.
Footsteps thumped loudly through the other room. “Where the fuck are you, Bailey?” Billy yelled. “You can’t escape me, you little slut.”
My pulse raced as my adrenaline kicked in. I scrambled over to Maureen. She sucked in a deep breath of air as I ripped her gag off. “Don’t make a sound. I’m going to get these ropes off you.”
The knot was tight, and I couldn’t see what I was doing. Fuck. I took another deep breath and brought the knife up. “Okay, Maur, I need you to stay very still so I can cut you out of this.”
“I trust you, Bales,” she whispered. “Do it.”
“Come out right now, bitch. Or you’re not going to like what I do to you.” Billy’s voice was getting closer.
I placed my hand in between hers in an effort to not cut her. I’d rather cut myself instead. I brought the knife to the rope and sawed back and forth, using my other hand as a barrier between the blade and her skin.
The threads loosened as I worked faster before finally cutting through. Her arms dropped to her sides as I pulled the rope away from her body and threw it to the floor. She spun around and grabbed me, hugging me to her chest.
“Bales…” she whispered in my ear.
I caressed her back. “I know… it’s okay.” But we weren’t out of the woods yet. Figuratively and literally.
“I need you to do everything I tell you.” I tip-toed over to the drawer next to my bed and inched it open. Inside I found my spare set of car keys and a flashlight. When you live out in the middle of nowhere, you have to be prepared for anything. This wasn’t the first time I’d lost power from a storm out here.
I handed her the flashlight and tucked my keys into my pocket. “It’s exactly twenty steps to the living room from here. Hug the wall or else the floorboards will creak. Now once we get to the end of the hall we have to step to the right three times to avoid hitting the coffee table. Then ten more steps to the front door. Billy most likely bolted it, so wait for me to unlock it before taking another step. As soon as we’re outside, turn the flashlight on and shine it to the right. That’s where my car is. And then run like fucking hell.”
She sucked in a sharp breath. “Okay, I got it, but what if… we run into them?”
I nodded unsure if she could even see me. My eyes had adjusted but it was still dark as fuck. There were two of them but there were also two of us. They had the advantage earlier by splitting us up but now it was an even playing field.
“There’s a bottle of tequila on the coffee table which is three steps forward and to the left at the end of the hallway. Break it, and it becomes a weapon. Don’t hesitate. It’s us or them.”
Maureen shuddered next to me. “Oh, I have no problems shivving either one of them to death.” Her voice held a dark edge that had never been there before.
I tied my hair back before grabbing her hand and guiding her to the door. “As soon as I open this, you need to go first so I can close it behind us before it creaks. That’s when you start counting your twenty steps.”
It had gotten extremely quiet in the living room. I wanted to believe that Billy and Chad had given up and left. But I knew that was only wishful thinking. They were most likely lurking in the dark, hoping we’d come out and alert them to where we were. Fucking douchebags.
