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Snow blinked. She could hardly believe it. She turned slowly to find a little girl playing an Xbox plugged into the TV across from the bed. She’d never seen this girl, but from her dark skin, braids, and the sweetness in her expression, Snow suspected she knew exactly who this was.
“Kassie? Are you Hunter Bradley’s daughter, Kassie?”
“Yep.” The girl didn’t act the least bit bothered about their situation. At least she wasn’t hurt at all, as far as Snow could tell. “I know you. You’re Snow. You’re the one he’s been bodyguarding for the show.”
The pit of Snow’s stomach burned. Did that mean Hunter had spoken of her to his daughter? Kassie had to know about her as Heartthrob’s Most Wanted, but had it been more too? There were cameras on the set. Did video footage show Snow entering Eloise’s office? Would Hunter see who had snuck behind her in there?
“What are you doing here?” Snow asked.
“They told me my dad needed help,” Kassie said. “They said if I came with them it would help him and then left me here with a few games.” She concentrated on the TV, fingers punching buttons on the remote in her hands.
“Who told you that?” Did the girl know? Had it been Eloise? Snow’s mind was groggy. “Was it Eloise?” She’d been there. She’d probably seen Snow black out in her office. She’d had every opportunity to call out, to warn Snow, to go for help or even intervene.
But she hadn’t. She was in on this after all.
Kassie shook her head. “No, I’m not sure who it was. Some guy and a girl with him.”
That did them no good.
“Did they take you on your way to school?”
She nodded.
“Does that mean you’ve been here all day?” Had they given her anything to eat or had they just deposited the little girl in here thinking an Xbox was enough company to keep her quiet and entertained? Snow couldn’t figure out why the little girl wasn’t more worried. Maybe because this guy and girl who’d taken her had been nice to her? Or because they’d told her they were going tohelpher dad?
“Was it a long car ride? Do you remember where they took you?” Where were they now?
“I don’t know. It was just a car ride.”
“Does your dad know you’re here?” Snow worked her wrists against the restraints binding her hands behind her back. The effort only rubbed the ties against her skin. She bit her lip, tried to push through the pain and free her hands. If her hands were free, she could try the door. She could use something in here—something hard—to break the window. It wasn’t an egress window that made the home up to code. That meant wherever they were, this home was dated. Which didn’t give her much to go on.
Unless they were being held at the house that she and Hunter had staked out the other night.
Kassie crinkled her nose. “They said they would tell him. But they took my phone watch.” She lifted her wrist and shook it a few times, displaying a silver charm bracelet. Snow assumed it was the same wrist she wore a watch on too.
No wonder Hunter’s attempts to contact his daughter had failed. A lump filled her throat. She worked to keep herself calm, though panic was starting to settle in. Hunter couldn’t find his daughter now—and what would he do once he discovered Snow had gone missing as well? If only there was a way to contact him. To let him know they were both together and safe—for the moment.
“Kassie,” Snow began. “Do you think you could help me?”
The girl lowered the control. “Sure. With what?”
“Can you find something to use to free my hands? A knife or something?”
Kassie paused her game and stood, staring around the room. She hmmed. Snow was amazed at how relaxed the little girl acted. Did she not understand the danger of their situation?
She didn’t want to alarm the girl, but she wanted to press some urgency into her as well. The people who’d taken them were leaving them to themselves for now. Sneaking away now could be their best chance—and she desperately wanted to get out of here before whoever they were came back.
Kassie went behind Snow’s back. “They’re zip ties.”
“Do you see a pair of scissors anywhere?” Snow asked. “Check the drawers. Search everywhere you can.”
Kassie bounded around the room. In an attempt to ward off the rising panic clogging her lungs, she took in the room’s details. An old exercise machine was stored in here, along with what looked like a miniature organ. Various boxes containing books and other random items were also piled at random. Then there was the couch Kassie had been sitting on across from the old TV set—a fat television rather than the sleeker flatscreens of the day—and the gaming console connected to it.
A table to her left had stacks of laundry baskets and a box of tools. These all looked like household items—even the organ was a smaller size. It looked like they were in someone’s basement.
“Hello?” she called again, kicking her feet against the door. “Let us out!”
Again, no response came. Snow shuffled over to sit on the edge of the fold-down bed, which had been left unmade with rumpled sheets.
