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“Oh, sure.” He stands from the bed and steps out of the room.
Now that the drugs are almost out of my system, I do a quick inventory to figure out my injuries. My side aches where Gabe landed the punch to my ribs. My head is thumping from either the drugs or my fear, and my arms are completely numb. I need to get them out of the cuffs before I’ll be able to make any type of escape. If I don’t get the feeling back, they’ll be useless.
Grabbing the metal ring, I attempt to pull my hand out, but the cuffs are entirely too tight. Even with my tiny wrists, I’d never be able to slip my hand through the opening.
Gabe pushes back through the doorway, a glass of water in hand. He stands there, unsure of what to do now.
“You could uncuff one of my hands and leave the other one attached to the headboard.” I’m not 100 percent sure yet, but I don’t think Gabe truly wants to hurt me. I think he genuinely believes we are going to be a family. If I can convince him to untie my hands, maybe I can convince him to let me go altogether.
He frowns for a minute. “Do you promise not to run away?”
“I promise.”
Gabe nods his head, then comes toward the bed. My whole body tenses when he gets close, unable to control the unconscious reaction. He sets the water down on the nightstand before he pulls a key from his overalls and unlocks the cuff.
I hiss when my arm falls from the headboard, and I clench my fist in an effort to get it to wake back up.
“Here.” Gabe hands me the glass, and I chug the contents. The water sloshes in my empty stomach, threatening to come back up.
I set the glass back on the nightstand, then use my free hand to adjust my body on the bed. It eases some of the tension in my cuffed arm. “So, what’s the plan? If we’re supposed to be moving, then what are we doing here?” At this point, refuting my involvement with Gabe would be pointless. I’ve seen enough documentaries on stalkers to know that disrupting his beliefs is a quick way to piss him off.
“We have to wait.” He sits on the bed next to me, reaching his hand out to hold mine. It takes every ounce of effort I have not to move away from him. His hand swamps mine, making me seem tiny and fragile.
“For?”
“I’m not supposed to tell you. I don’t really like keeping secrets, but I’m not allowed to tell you the plan.”
“When are we leaving?”
“Soon, I think.” Gabe shrugs, and it’s then I realize he’s not the one in charge here. Someone else is calling the shots. Probably has been from the very beginning. What I still don’t fully understand is how I fit into the puzzle. Obviously, Gabe wants me to be a part of his family. As more than a sister, if my intuition is correct. What does the mastermind behind this get out of abducting me?
Gabe keeps holding my hand, a contented smile on his face as we continue to sit on the bed.
This whole thing is beyond strange.
“How old are you, Gabe?” Maybe if we talk, he’ll slip up and tell me what’s going on.
“I dunno. Why?”
“Um, just wanting to get to know you better. You don’t know your birthday?”
He shakes his head. “Do you know your birthday?”
“Yeah, it’s in April.”
“Oh.” His shoulders drop. “Well, we’ll celebrate next year.” He smiles like the idea is the best one he’s ever had.
“Sure. What do you do every day?”
“I cut down trees. Then I sell them.”
“Do you like doing that?”
Gabe shrugs. “I’m sorry we can’t bring your animals. I know how much you love them.”
I blink at his statement. “I do love them. They’re probably missing me.”
“You were so kind to them. I loved watching you play with them at nighttime. I got jealous of how you’d pet them. But now that you’re here, you’ll love me like you loved them.”
