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“What mistake?” I asked, my voice raspy from being silent for so long.
“Thought for sure we’d have money comin’ in from both sides to get you back, but that’s not happening. You’re not worth much to anyone.”
I ignored the sadness threatening to overwhelm me. I wanted to believe someone cared what this man did to me, but that wasn’t real. No one was looking for me or willing to pay the ransom. That was my truth, so I ignored that sadness and instead focused on trying to get any information I could.
“How long have I been here?”
He put a small amount of distance between us. “About three days.”
“Maybe they just need more time to get the money together.”
He snorted. “Your daddy don’t need three days to get five hundred K. He’ll just go to the bank. But your boyfriend might need more time.” He put his face closer, and I held my breath. “That’s why you’re still here, but you better hope he plays this the right way.”
He must not have done much digging into me, or else he would’ve known I could give him about a hundred thousand dollars. I could withdraw a hundred thousand a year from my trust fund. That wasn’t the amount he asked for, but it was something, and I was just about to offer it when his phone rang. He stood and dug it out of his pocket, turned his back on me, and spoke quietly. I only heard the end of his call when he said, “Call me back.”
He turned toward me, but his eyes were scary so I attempted to distract him. “Can I use the bathroom?”
He seemed irritated, but he walked behind me and untied the ropes. “Go.”
I moved slowly toward the bucket that sat only a few feet from me yet I hadn’t needed to use very often. Now that I knew I’d been here for three days, I realized I was likely dehydrated, which meant I needed to get the hell out of here and soon.
I used the bucket, but the pain in my left wrist slowed me down, although he didn’t seem to notice. Instead, he stood across the room texting on his phone. This was the first time he turned his back on me while I was untied and I wondered what that call was about. His frustration told me he wasn’t getting what he wanted.
Finishing up, I pulled up my pants, disgusted by myself and all the men in my life, including this one. No one was saving me. No one seemed to care that I was going to die here. I wasn’t a priority to anyone and that realization made me both sad and angry.
I should matter to someone.
His phone rang just as I returned to where I’d been sitting. I took the opportunity to stretch and realized my left wrist was, at the very least, sprained. It was painful to move, but it didn’t feel broken. Although, I didn’t know how that felt, considering I’d never had a broken bone. With all the pain I had on my left side, I could only assume the left side of my car would have the most damage. I still had no idea how I was hit or if I hit something. I wonder if I blacked out during all of it.
“Sit down.” I did as he ordered and waited while he tied me again, but he was in a hurry this time. I had a feeling that the phone call didn’t give him the information he wanted. He opened the cap on the bottle and held it to my lips. “Drink.”
While I took a small drink, he dug into his pocket and pulled out a pill. “Open.”
He put the pill on my tongue when I opened my mouth before lifting the bottle to my lips. “Drink.”
Almost immediately, his phone made another noise. He cursed and stood, but he didn’t say another word to me before he moved quickly up the stairs. I heard a door close and turned my head to spit the pill and water from my mouth. I could taste some of it on my tongue and knew it had begun to dissolve, but I was hoping I’d spit it out fast enough.
Excitement filled me when I heard what sounded like a vehicle starting. I waited until I heard gravel crunching below tires and watched lights hit the window across from me. The only window in this whole place. This was my only chance. I would never leave if I didn’t get out of here now.
At least not alive.
He’d been distracted so the ropes holding my wrists together weren’t as tight as usual. Working my wrists, I moved them, trying to loosen them enough that I could pull free. It took longer than I’d hoped, but I finally felt the rope give and pulled my hands free, ignoring the burning along my skin where the ropes rubbed. Pushing to my feet, I gave my legs a second to gain strength before heading for the stairs. I didn’t realize I was crying until I had to blink to clear my vision. It was the first time I cried since this happened, and I didn’t stand around to ponder why.
With any luck at all, I could leave through the door, but my stomach dropped when I reached the top, turned the knob, and realized it was locked. Jiggling the knob, I let go in frustration and ran back down the stairs toward the only light source. I reached up and pulled at the covering, crying harder when I saw the small window. Thankfully, it wasn’t high, considering I was in a basement, but I’d still need to stand on something. I looked around until I saw my bucket, then ran across the room. I no longer felt any pain in my body when I grabbed it, dumped it onto the floor, and went back to the window. I flipped it over and stepped up, breathing a sigh of relief when I could reach the glass. Pulling my sweater sleeve over my fist, I punched as hard as I could. But then I noticed a small chunk of glass missing in the top corner of the window, so I aimed my fist and hit that corner as hard as I could. I didn’t know how often I punched that glass before it broke, but I didn’t care. I didn’t look at my hand, although it was throbbing. Using my good arm, I reached out and grabbed the windowsill to pull myself and jumped at the same time. I was surprised when I could lift myself enough that my feet were dangling. Using the toes of my shoes, I climbed the concrete wall, tearing at the dirt and grass outside with my left hand while still holding the jagged edge of the windowsill with my right. The rough bricks and glass ripped the skin on my stomach while I crawled through that tiny window.
But I made it.
Crying, I stood and looked around. It was nighttime. I couldn’t see anything but the forest in front of me. Shaking off the feeling of defeat, I ran toward the trees, hoping that I’d see some civilization when I cleared them. I thought I was still crying when I felt moisture on my face, but then I realized it was starting to rain. The drizzle turned into a downpour within seconds, and while I ran, I tilted my head back, and let the rain wash over me. Dropping my head, I ran toward the trees, knowing I couldn’t stop. I needed to get as far from this place as I could so I had a good head start.
Because he would be back.
And I had no doubt if he found me before I could escape, he’d kill me.
Running as fast as I could with the rain coming down hard and my ribs on fire, I made my way through the woods and breathed a sigh of relief when I saw the road ahead. Stopping at a tree, I leaned my hand against it and tried to catch my breath while taking in my surroundings. Nothing was familiar, but it was dark and obviously very rural.
I peeked out around the tree when I heard a vehicle, but I didn’t flag it down. I wasn’t convinced it wasn’t him or someone working for him. Once the vehicle passed, I pushed off the tree and jogged across the road, only to find myself in another tree-filled area, but this one was smaller. After walking quickly through those trees, I came out and saw a street that had a few houses. Staying in the shadows, I avoided the streetlights and headed toward the first house with a light inside. I knew it was late just by how dark it was outside, but it looked like I’d found a house where someone was at least awake.
I jogged up the front steps and immediately dropped to my knees when I heard a truck coming down the road. I wondered if he’d already been back and realized I was missing. Laying down on the porch, I watched the truck pass by slowly and waited another minute before placing my palms on the ground and pushing up, whimpering when pain seared through my hands.
