Sprinting back to the yard, he found Tommy standing at the gate. His eyes were wide, mouth pressed in a tight line. “Where is she?”
“She’s gone. Call your brother. Whoever took her has a head start. We need to move fast.”
Tommy grabbed his phone and made the call.
“Cody?”
Ollie’s scared little voice almost brought tears to his eyes.
He walked over to the boy and crouched in front of him.
“Where’s Mom?”
“I don’t know, buddy.”
“Does the bad man have her?”
Dear Lord, how could he look this boy in the eyes and answer his questions honestly without breaking his heart?
He grabbed Ollie’s hand and squeezed. “I think so.”
“Are you going to find her?”
“I’m going to do everything I can to bring her home. I promise.”
Ollie threw his arms around Cody’s neck, his tears soaking through the fabric of Cody’s T-shirt.
As much as he needed to get moving, he held the boy tight for a minute longer. He didn’t take his promise lightly. He’d move heaven and go to hell and back to bring Katherine home. Not just because Ollie needed his mom, but he needed the woman he loved.
20
Awareness trickled through the darkness holding Katherine hostage. Throbbing pain in her head beat along with her pulse, turning her stomach and forcing her eyes closed. She groaned and curled onto her side. Maybe if she lay here long enough everything would go back to normal. Her world would shift to the way it was supposed to be, and she’d wake from this nightmare.
But wishful thinking wouldn’t get her out of this mess.
She opened her eyes and light blasted against her retinas. Her stomach revolted and the throbbing against her temples turned into body-consuming agony. She slid to the side of the bed and let her head fall over the edge seconds before vomit spewed from her mouth.
Heaves wrecked her body, sweat dotting her hairline. After she emptied her stomach, she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand then flopped back on the mattress.
Oh God. She was laying on a bed.
A different kind of terror shot through her and forced her to a sitting position. She leaned her back against the dirty wall and took in her surroundings. The bare mattress she sat on waspushed against the far corner of the room. An old dresser with a missing top drawer was the only other furniture. The carpet was thin and stained.
But one fact reigned supreme in her mind.
She was alone.
Ignoring all her pain, she shoved up to her feet and staggered toward the closed door. She lunged for the handle, but when she turned it, the door wouldn’t budge.
Shit. She was locked in. There had to be another way—another option. She wouldn’t just sit around and wait for her abductor to come and do whatever it was he had planned. Patting her pockets, she searched for her phone but came up empty. Disappointment pressed down on her lungs. She’d handed that over before putting on that stupid bandana.
Okay. No phone. Doors locked. Look for something else to help.
She spotted the lone window on the other side of the room. A threadbare curtain blocked out most of the sun. Pulling in a steadying breath, she made her way to the window, praying she could wiggle her way out without being noticed. She peeled away the fabric and found a fifteen-foot drop.
She swallowed hard. The fall could kill her but so could staying in this room. A large maple tree was close to the house. If she could jump far enough, she could grab hold of a branch and climb down to safety.
From this vantage point, there weren’t any neighbors, but she wouldn’t waste time figuring out what to do until she was free. First, she had to get to that branch.
