The normalcy of it spurred me on.
I wanted it back.
I wanted my life back.
It let me suck in a deep breath I regretted which was when it hit me—they hadn’t taped my mouth or blindfolded me.
Confusion struck, but I didn’t let it stop me. Instead, I half fell on Aidan when the netting shifted beneath me.
With my face, I nuzzled into him, whispering, "Aidan, baby? Please wake up."
I pressed my forehead to his mouth, nearly sobbing when I felt duct tape there and not his lips. But air from his nose brushed over my skin, making me close my eyes with joy.
Inhaling his scent again, I put my mouth to his ear. "Aidan, I need you to wake up. We need to get out of here. Please. Please. Please."
It didn’t work.
It didn’t fucking work.
What had they done to him?
Those bastards.
I’d make it out of here just so I could skewer them. I’d seen enough autopsy reports from Aidan and his da’s kills to know exactly where to make people hurt.
Then, a worst-case scenario hit me.
What if they had jacked him up on heroin?
As night followed day, I knew that’d be the easiest way to incapacitate Aidan. To bring him to his fucking knees.
I planted my head against his chest to see if I could sense his heart rate. With the migraine still clouding my judgment, I tried to think about the physiological responses to a dose of heroin, but it took a few minutes to remember what they’d be.
Slowed heart rate and slowed breathing—thank God, but Aidan was showing neither of those signs. His heart wasn’t racing or didn’t seem too slow. If I held my breath, I could feel the faintest vibration and that felt normal too.
I couldn’t check his pupils—
Okay, I needed to think practically.
Bindings—I needed my liberty so I could properly check his pulse.
Empowered just by his presence, I twisted onto my back and raised my arms to my mouth. With my lips, I found the binding and let loose a sob of thanks as I uncovered the edge of the tape with my teeth and started to drag it off, but every time I did, it made a noise. A loud one. Too loud.
In increments, I managed to work it off, wondering if a fucking zip tie would have been easier to escape from.
Shoulders beginning to ache, I forced myself to continue. It took what felt like a lifetime, but with that done, I got to work on my ankles. That was easier, faster too because I wasn’t in an awkward position.
Once I’d freed myself, I moved over to Aidan and I took his pulse—normal. His temperature felt normal too. Still unsure, but knowing my limits, I started working on releasing him, which was when I realized he’d been zip tied. Only his mouth had been duct-taped.
"The motherfucking audacity," I rasped under my breath, determined now to crush some skulls. "How dare they underestimate me!"
Aidan was a threat but I wasn’t?
The goddamn nerve.
"So fucking sexist," I sniped as I patted my inside jacket pockets to see if they’d been dumbfuck enough to leave me with my phone.
They hadn’t.