I soften my voice and go in a different direction. “Listen, Russ, I know you didn’t mean for any of this to happen. Let me help you figure out what to do next.”
“If you don’t shut up, I’m going to find something that will.” His voice is laced with agitation.
I keep my tone low and soothing. “Just hear me out. I can help you.”
“You’re a lawyer trying to trap me.”
“I’m not going to pretend I’m not motivated to live, but you have the same motivation, don’t you? Don’t you want to survive the night? That’s the question you need to be asking yourself. You didn’t plan this, but now you’ve set it in motion, and there are going to be consequences.”
Decker looks past me, scowling.
When he remains silent, I take that as a sign to continue. “Be smart about this. I don’t know what happened with Congressman Crenshaw and Hazel Myers, but right now, you’re looking at attempted murder and kidnapping. If you kill me, you’ll be dead or spend the rest of your life in prison, and, in case you’re not aware, Illinois doesn’t have parole. If you’re lucky, you’ll be old and gray before you see the light of day.”
I let the silence hang, and when it gets too uncomfortable for him, his gaze skids to mine.
I speak with cold seriousness. “If you kill me, Charlie will have nothing to lose. And I promise, the last thing you’ll think is that you should have listened to me.”
He doesn’t speak but he’s paying attention, so I continue, “Here’s the thing, Russ. The consequence of panicking is you eliminate a lot of options. Now you’re down to three. Take me with you, kill me, or leave me and run for your life. That’s it. Those are the only three choices you have. And you’re running out of time.”
“This is all Crenshaw’s fault! If he’d followed the plan, I wouldn’t be in this mess!” Decker yells.
Maybe he is ready to spill his secrets. “What went wrong? I can help you. I know people. If you tell me what happened, maybe there will be a light at the end of the tunnel.”
He jumps up from the couch then stops in front of me with his hands curled into fists. “Do you think I’m so stupid I’m going to confess like some movie villain?”
I instinctively shrink back. “No! Okay. I won’t ask you again. Just don’t hurt me.”
His clenched hands flex. “Leave it.”
“You don’t want to talk about that, fair. But it doesn’t change anything. Of your remaining choices, your best chance at survival is to leave me. All I’m asking is for you to think about it.”
His expression flashes with fear. He begins pacing the faded wooden floor. “Stop trying to confuse me.”
My own heart leaps and crashes against my ribs. “I’m telling you the truth and trusting you’re smart enough to see it.”
He’s muttering and walking laps around my chair like a madman. “I just need time to figure this out.”
Alarm that he might decide to take his frustration out on me has me talking fast. “Charlie is going to be looking for me. You’d better start searching the cabin. If you want to take me for leverage, you’re going to need supplies. That is going to cost you money. And how are you going to get that? Do you even have cash on you? Do you have a gun? More rope? Duct tape to keep me quiet? What if you get pulled over with me in the car? How will you explain it?” Maybe helping him think through the best way to hold me hostage isn’t typical, but I need him to start assessing the situation. If I can make taking me sound like a nightmare, he’ll be more likely to leave me and flee.
Besides, if he starts taking inventory, I’ll be able to assess what I can use against him.
I can hear my own panic rising in my throat. I take a deep breath, gritting my teeth through the piercing pain.
As he continues to pace around me, I stare out the window into the inky night to compose my next argument. Off to the left, in the deepest part of the woods, I see a swath of light flicker so quickly I’m not sure if I imagined it.
Hope crashes through me.
I hold my breath, still loud and rushing in my ears, hoping to hear the sounds beyond the cabin. It’s hard over the rhythmic pounding, but I think there’s rustling in the woods.
It’s Charlie.
It has to be Charlie.
I raise my voice, hoping it will carry through the broken window to the man I love. “You’re wasting time. How long do you think you have until they find this place? You didn’t just stumble upon it. You brought me here. There’s a connection leading to you, and they will find it. I promise you. Listen to me!” I am practically screaming now. “My boyfriend and my brother are cops. They are going to find you. You don’t have time to sit around here thinking. You need to move.”
Behind me, Russ starts frantically opening and slamming shut the few cabinets. “There’s nothing here but dishes and a few cans of chili.”
Under the chair, I bang my foot on the trap door. “There’s a cellar, Russ. This is a hunting cabin. There’s got to be stuff down there you can use.”
