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He thought for a long while. So long it made me nervous, even though it was probably not even a couple of minutes.
“What’s the plan?” he demanded.
“You promise to stay quiet?” I said.
He shrugged. “You might be a tasty piece of ass, but where there is life, there is hope. Maybe I’ll get to taste you yet.” He sniggered.
I didn’t trust him, but what choice did I have?
“Pass me that table,” I said.
He looked at it. It was within his arm’s reach.
“Come and get it.”
I shook my head. “You really want to live, then you’ll pass me that table.”
He scowled. Picked it up and brought it as near to me as his chain would allow. When he retreated, I grabbed it quickly, dragged it to the door.
With one last look at him, silently pleading for him to be quiet, I climbed up and peered through the grille. My heart leapt. Light was coming in at the top of the stairs. They had left the upper door open.
When I began pulling the grille away from the wall, Jonathan cursed. But to my utter relief, he did not shout for Jacob.
The grille did not bend as far as I had hoped, so I had to squeeze through the gap, tearing my dress, and cringing when I raised my legs to climb through it because I knew Jonathan was leering at me.
My arms and legs were thoroughly scratched and bleeding by the time I got through to the other side and dropped to the ground.
My heart was thundering now. I could hear the men above, moving around the house. If one of them saw me, it would be over.
I crept to the top of the stairs and listened. They were in the room down the hall, nearest the front door. And the volume of their voices told me their door was open. I wasn’t going to be able to get past without them seeing me.
I eased open the basement door, my heart jack hammering, and ran to the nearest door and slipped through it. I found myself in a garage. The light was on, and no one else was in here.
My heart thumped in relief. I could almost taste the freedom.
The problem was that the roller door leading outside was closed and I couldn’t see a push button to open it.
I ran to examine it and could have cried at how rusty the mechanism was. I would have to force it open and it would make a hell of a noise. And there was nowhere else to hide in here.
There was a jeep and a white van. The van’s door was ajar, like someone was expecting to come back to it at any moment. Which panicked me.
And then my eyes widened. I ran to it. Looked inside. Cursed when I saw no key was in the ignition.
But a jacket was draped on the front seat. And I saw a familiar lump in the pocket.
I pulled out the mobile phone. It was locked. I tried my fingerprint on it, but it wouldn’t unlock.
Then I heard voices approaching. Jacob and all his men were coming this way!
With nowhere else to go, I dove into the van, scrambled over the seat and into the back. Just in time. A man got into the driver’s seat and started the engine.
Chapter 39
BETH
I huddled in the back of the van right behind the front seat, so that the driver would not see me if he glanced in his rear-view mirror or over his shoulder.
I heard voices and movements in the garage as the other men moved around. I cringed when a noise sounded outside the van’s back doors. There was nowhere to hide in here. The rear of the van was empty. I squeezed my eyes shut, waiting for the doors to open. Waiting to be caught.
