Gianna didn’t answer right away. Her eyes flicked toward the curtained window, the one they hadn’t dared to touch since being locked in. Then she looked at Avery.
“No,” she whispered. “They’re going to kill us.”
Avery’s stomach flipped. Her chest tightened as if someone had cinched a belt around her ribs. “They’renot,” she said emphatically. But the words felt like a lie. She wanted to believe the man was telling the truth, but she was just as scared as Gianna.
Gianna’s voice rose, trembled. “Wesawthem, Avery. They’re not gonna let us go. We can identify them.”
Avery’s throat burned. “We’re going to get out of this. I promise, we’ll find a way.” She said it like a vow, as if the sheer force of her will would give her an idea to escape.
Then the bedroom door slammed open, the knob banging against the wall leaving a mark. Avery prayed her mother hadn’t decided to come by, that Bobby had gone home, that no one else was going to be trapped with these dangerous people.
The broad man with the hard jaw and dark eyes stood in the threshold. Avery jumped, and Gianna whimpered. They both instinctively shrank back. He slapped zip ties against his palm. Avery stared at them, sickly mesmerized. She knew what was going to happen and was helpless to stop it.
Tears spilling freely, Gianna cried, “Please don’t hurt us.”
“I’m not gonna hurt you,” he said flatly, “if you behave.”
He stepped into Gianna’s bedroom, looming like a thundercloud. “If everything goes smooth, we’re outta here in a couple hours.”
Gianna sobbed harder.
He frowned and pointed at Avery. “You. Come here.”
“What are you doing?” Avery snapped, trying to sound strong, but her voice trembled. She forced herself to stand, legs wobbling. Shewould notcry. She had toactstrong, no matter how scared she was.
“I have an errand, it won’t take long, and I’m not leaving you two free to pull any stunts.”
Anerrand?Avery’s heart pounded. If he left—if—maybe she could reach a phone. Or scream. Or—
He spun her around and snapped the zip tie around her wrists, tight enough to sting. She gasped as he pushed her down onto the hardwood floor.
“Ow!” Her tailbone struck hard, pain shooting up her spine.
“Sorry,” he said in a tone filled with humor. He grabbed her ankles and cinched them together. She winced. “You’ll be fine,” he said.
Then he moved to Gianna, who cried softly as he bound her in the same way, but let her remain sitting in the rocking chair. He looked at her with a hint of concern, which surprised Avery. “You’re okay, right?” He actually sounded like he cared.
Gianna nodded, still crying.
“I’m not going to hurt you, girl, not if you behave. I told you that earlier, and I mean it. But this”—he motioned to their bound limbs—“is just in case either of you gets an idea while I’m gone that you can sneak out. And I let your parents go sit in the living room, so they’re a little more comfortable. I’m not a monster.”
“Did you tie them up, too?” Avery demanded.
He grinned. “Yeah, I did, they’re fine. But you’re not going to be here alone. My partners are staying behind. Remember, one of my people is hurt, and I can’t risk bravery and stupidity at the same time. Got it? If you try anything, you will be hurt. That, I promise. This is almost over.”
Gianna nodded, trembling.
Avery didn’t flinch. She glared at him with more hatred than she thought she had in her soul.
He smirked at her like she amused him, winked, then stepped out and pulled the door shut.
Avery stuck out her tongue at the door. It was stupid, but made her feel a little better.
Then she turned to Gianna, whose face was wet with tears.
“We’re gonna get out of this,” Avery said again, her voice low, firm. “I promise.”
Brock stepped into the bedroom, quietly closing the door behind him. Rena sat cross-legged on the queen-sized bed, talking to Sam, holding a damp cloth to Sam’s sweaty forehead.
