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Darcy’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Are you sure?”
“Yep. When you’re done, I need you to scrape a patch off of that small corner of the window and by the time you’re done, I should be done. We are going to put our faces in the window one at a time and Storm’s too. Look entreating. Frightened. Your message and our faces in the window and especially Storm’s will help get us noticed. I’ll put Storm’s dad’s phone number on there, too.”
Finley didn’t really think anyone would call because of the scams and spoofs everywhere these days, but stranger things had happened, and Darcy needed something to occupy her mind while Finley came up with a real, executable plan.
“But what if they find out?” whispered Darcy fearfully. “The guys.”
“Well, if they do, then they do, and we do the best we can to escape. There’s a shovel here. Even some hand gardening tools. We should be able to do some damage if we have to. I’m trained in hand to hand. I’m trained in martial arts, so we have more at our disposal than they do.”
“They have guns,” Darcy said.
“Understood. You ready?”
Darcy took a deep breath. “I’m going to have to trust you because you’re the best chance I have of getting away from them.”
Finley nodded and handed Storm another bite of the sandwich she had intended to feed him earlier while overseeing Darcy’s work. She was using a hand trowel to make the lines thick enough to be seen. As Finley watched Darcy etch out their plea, she ran through possible scenarios to get out of the van. As she fed Storm, who was beginning to enjoy the freedom of riding in a vehicle without a car seat to subdue his toddler tendencies, she wondered if there was a rest area on the road they were on. A woman needed to pee after so many hours locked away.
“Darcy, what do you do when you need to pee?”
“What?” After she thought a moment, she nodded. “I tell the guys I need a gas station. They know why.”
“Okay. When I tell you to, I want you to get their attention and ask for a gas station. Then I’ll pretend to still be out when they get back here to let you out. You will have to take Storm with you. Say you can change him at the same time. Grab the bag. Then when you get inside, lock the door and don’t come out.”
“But what if they break down the door?”
“Those doors can be pretty sturdy. If it isn’t, don’t risk yours or Storm’s life. But no matter what happens, when you get inside that bathroom, you must press this button.” Finley showed where the homing device was at the base of the backpack. “It willsend a boosted SOS signal to Sharlee, Storm’s mom. Leave this dirty diaper in the garbage for evidence Storm was there. If you have to return, bring the pack back. It will help Sharlee locate us quicker. Stationary is better but any signal helps. I don’t know how strong my phone signal is in a moving vehicle.”
“Got it.”
When they had done all they could to attract attention to the cars behind them and done all the prep they could from the inside, Finley said it was time to put things into play.
“It’s showtime, Darcy. No matter what, if you stay in the bathroom, you will be discovered by Jac’s team. They are big and scary and can do some impressive damage, but they won’t hurt a fly if they know you are with me and protecting Storm. Tell themWater LilyandFinley needs her own bed. They will know I approve of you with Storm because I am always complaining about sleeping in different beds when it’s vacation time. It’s a joke they will all know.”
“And Water Lily?”
“Safeword.”
“Got it. Are you sure? They could kill you,” asked Darcy, her voice still little more than a whisper.
“They can try but I’ve got mad skills they have no idea about.”
“Right, you were a Marine.”
“Yep, and I’m a Krav Maga practician and a great kickboxer.” Finley noticed Darcy’s lost expression. “Martial Arts.”
“Oh, right.”
After another fifteen minutes, it was time to try to get their captors’ attention. Darcy banged on the van divider.
“What?” came the gruff, muffled response.
“Pee!”
“What?”
“Gas...sta-tion!”
There was no response. Darcy lifted her hand to bang again, but Finley stayed her hand. “They heard you.”
