“You seriously think I wouldn’t have considered it? Shit! You’re dead-fucking-weight, man. Always have been, always will be. It’s that fucking conscience. Holds you back.”
“I can’t believe I’m hearing this right now,” Marcus said in disbelief.
Elise almost felt sorry for him. She was more relieved that her plan was actually working, though. Now if she could just find a way to get out unnoticed…
“Then you went and got the feels for some pussy,” Driver continued. “Weak, man. Fucking weak. I shoulda known then that I couldn’t trust you any farther than I could throw you. I shoulda cut out right then, but naw. I let your lies get in my head, and now I find out you’re nothin’ but a backstabbing lil’ bitch!”
Elise screamed, startled when the two men collided and began body slamming each other around the room. The bed screeched across the floor as they fell into it, and one of the lamps shattered soon thereafter. Blindly, she ran in the direction she thought the door was located, only slamming her shoulder into the jamb once. She ricocheted into the walls as she careened down the hallway in what she assumed was the direction of the front door, as she scraped the side of her face across her shoulder repeatedly in an attempt to remove the blindfold.
It was working, thank God! A sliver of light appeared at the base of her vision, just enough to see the aged, wood plank floors and avoid tripping over furniture. The fight was still going hot behind her. Elise was certain she could escape. She just needed enough time…
The door was exactly where she’d envisioned it. Frantically, Elise rubbed her face against her shoulder until the blindfold reached past her temple, then she shook her head until it fell to the floor. She blinked rapidly to clear her vision. The light was almost too bright after having been in the dark for so long, but it was welcome.
The door—a heavy, solid wood—stood in front of her, a beacon of freedom…that was just beyond her grasp.
Literally.
Elise cried out, struggling against her bonds. The rope was thick and strong, knotted tightly and with expert precision. She hadn’t made any headway at all in that bedroom, and she couldn’t open that door without use of her hands.
Turning around, Elise pushed her back up against the door and lifted to her tiptoes and, despite her limited movement, grabbed at the knob. With only her fingertips, she twisted and turned it, jiggling the piece of metal and begging it to release her.
“She’s getting away!”
Elise’s head snapped up, her gaze jerking toward the narrow hallway. “No,” she mumbled, and worked faster at the knob. She needed more time!
“Elise!”
Marcus’s bellow sent Elise into a tizzy, and doubling her effort, she latched onto the handle for all she was worth. As if it understood her plight, the latch suddenly released, and Elise cried out again.
She didn’t waste time looking back. Elise spun around and, using her foot to catch the edge of it, flung the door open wide and bolted outside.
Chapter Ten
Blue, white, and red lights flashed across the landscape. At first, Elise wasn’t sure what she was seeing. Then, as the panic began to recede, it slowly filtered in.
“Stop where you are and put your hands in the air!”
Elise couldn’t stop. Her legs carried her faster than ever before. Rescued. She was rescued! “Help me!” she yelled. “I’ve been kidnapped!” A single police cruiser sat parked in a gravel drive beside the van that’d been used to abduct her from the grocery store parking lot…how many days ago? She’d lost track.
“Stop where you are!” the middle-aged male officer called out, gun drawn and trained on her.
Still, Elise ran. She’d see too many horror movies end where she was standing now. More than anything, she was terrified that Marcus and his partner would appear in the doorway and shoot the man dead before he could get her to safety.
“I’ve been kidnapped!” she repeated, and as she ran, twisted her torso so he could see her hands still bound behind her back.
His eyes widening, the officer lowered the weapon and waved her to his side. He was on his radio the next second, but Elise was too frantic to understand much of what he was saying. She just wanted to get the hell out of there.
“Ma’am, backup is on the way. Are you in need of medical attention?”
“No, no, just get me out of here!”
He didn’t seem to be listening. “Is there anyone else inside?”
“Yes! The men on the news. They kidnapped me and they have guns.” Couldn’t they save the interrogation for back at the precinct? Elise’s gaze flashed to the open door. “Look, we have to get out of here.”
“Ma’am, we have to wait for backup.”
“You don’t understand—”