They switched off the lights before they stepped out into the night. After they left, I fought the nausea and dizziness to work at my sleeve to remove the razor. One mistake and it could fall to the floor where it would be out of my reach. As thin as the razor was, I would be hard pressed to find it in the darkness, especially since my vision was blurry. At one point I was close but had to stop as I retched. The symptoms of a possible concussion were all there, but I couldn’t give in.
Time was important but impossible to count in my state. I focused on the razor and getting it out. When I had it in my left hand, the next troubling task began. I needed to saw through my binds without cutting my wrist. The razor was sharp and could easily cut a fatal wound if I made a mistake.
Moisture dripped down my eye. I didn’t know if it was sweat, blood, or both. I could have an open cut above my eye where I’d been nailed by a skilled fighter.
Just as I was about to make the first attempt to cut, there was a rattle at the door. I had no choice but to palm the blade and fist my hand, hoping like hell I didn’t slice anything in the process.
It was a minute longer before the door opened as if the person struggled with the lock. Then, the room burst with light. Without a free hand to shield my eyes, I had to close them against the brightness, leaving me blind to my attacker.
“Oh my God.” The voice was soft, and it took me a minute to process.
“Natalie,” I croaked.
“Liam, what have they done to you.”
I blinked several times to clear my vision and saw her pretty face. It wasn’t the time, but I blame the concussion for leaning forward and pressing my lips to hers.
When she kissed me back, I knew I wasn’t dreaming or at least I hoped I wasn’t.
“My hand,” I said.
“What?”
“My hand,” I said again.
When she shifted, I opened it slowly feeling the wetness there. I cut myself, I had no idea how deep. My head throbbed too hard for me to figure it out without seeing.
“Jesus.”
“Take the razor. Be. Careful. Use it to get me free.”
“I’m so sorry,” she said.
“Don’t be. But hurry.” I had no idea when they would be back.
If someone noticed she was gone, coming for me would be the first thing they did.
I closed my eyes again, fighting the urge to vomit. A soft hand lightly cupped my right cheek, which had survived the assault unscathed, waking me from the nightmare I was in.
“Liam. You passed out. You’re free.”
My arms tingled as blood rushed through my veins. I stumbled to my feet and Natalie was there with a shoulder for me to lean on.
“Let’s get out of here.”
She didn’t reply, just guided me to the door.
“Turn off the light and lock the door again.” I shifted to lean on the wall as she did it. My eyes were closed again when she urged me forward.
My feet didn’t quite work well as my ankles had been tightly zip-tied to the feet of the chair. Every step sent a shock of pain as much needed blood flow returned. I had no idea how long I’d been there and didn’t bother to ask her. It was long enough for me to suffer the effects.
As we walked down the path from which I’d been driven, I asked, “Should we go this way?” I knew we would be seen if guards were monitoring the outside.
“We don’t really have a choice,” she said. The house to the left had a large stone wall divider. There was no way I could climb it. “Let’s walk close to the wall.”
Luckily, I was dressed in dark clothing and Natalie appeared to be as well. It would give us some cover but far short of what we needed.
More cars were parked in front. I stopped her short. As I caught my breath, I watched for signs of muscle standing guard outside. When no movement came, I began to lope forward as my feet no longer felt like I’d been stung by a thousand bees with each step.
We crossed the street and continued a half jog toward my truck. I opened the door and sighed in relief when I found my phone and wallet under my seat where I left them. That didn’t last when I let out an audible groan.
“What?” Natalie asked from behind me. She hadn’t gone to the passenger side of the car.
“They took my keys.” I’d left them in the ignition, counting on the neighborhood to be safe from car jackings. Not that a thief would target my truck. It wasn’t worth enough for someone in that line of business.