I was so not cut out to be a thief. That much was proven instantly. Yet I slithered along, taking several breaks. There was no way of knowing when Navarro would return. If he did while I was attempting to escape, I could only imagine his method of punishment this go-around.
The amusing thought was short lived, excitement taking its place when I noticed light. Perhaps at the end of a long, dark tunnel.
After crawling forward another few inches, I realize the passageway was closing in on me. Oh, shit. The vent had narrowed until I barely had any room to move. Yet I kept going, struggling more although the light was only inches away.
With one last push forward and completely out of breath, I touched the vent.
You can do this. Keep going. Just keep going.
After taking another deep breath of stale air, I shoved my fist against the vent.
The metal didn’t budge.
“Shit,” I whispered and lowered my head onto my outstretched arms. A pool of sweat had formed under me and I was lightheaded from lack of oxygen. Scooting backwards wasn’t going to work very well. I had to press forward. I needed to find the strength.
My crazy mind continued shifting to Navarro, which was completely ridiculous. Yet his touch had awakened feelings I hadn’t experienced in years. I could still feel his stiff cock buried deep inside. It was sheer insanity to think of him in any other way than he was a monster.
Pulling together the last of my strength, I reared my arm back as far as possible and issued a solid punch to the metal. In my mind I imagined his face. When the vent popped off, toppling away and clanging to the floor beneath, I wanted nothing more than to give a high five.
A laugh bubbled to the surface, one that echoed in its maniacal sound. I’d come this far; nothing was going to stop me.
I pushed and groaned, every muscle in my body aching, but I managed to slide forward by a few inches. With a little more effort, I finally poked my head from the opening. Taking gasping breaths, I glanced around the darkened room, blinking until my eyes became accustomed to the shadows.
The light I’d seen was coming from outside the window, the blinds not drawn. It had been just enough to guide my way.
Still groaning, I pushed myself forward again until my shoulders were freed. Lowering my arms, I tried to estimate the distance to the floor. There was nothing to catch my fall but so be it. One more forceful hoist and I toppled to the floor.
I laid on my back staring up at the ceiling for a couple of minutes, doing nothing more than calming my anxiousness and catching my breath.
Finally rolling over, I did a little jig inside my head before willing myself to crawl to my knees on all fours.
A will to survive kicked in, maybe the old traditional fight or flight. I’d tried fighting, able to survive a pack of wolves. I should take pride in that, except I felt overwhelmed in a sea of sharks. I had no business being here, but chastising myself at this point wasn’t going to do me any good.
I had to find a way out and to my sister.
Should I place some crazy trust in a man like Navarro? Should I believe what he’d told me, that he’d keep me safe? That was nuttier than everything I’d done up to this point. Right? Or was I fooling myself that I had an inkling of what the hell I was doing.
My legs were shaky, the dress stuck to parts of me the material shouldn’t be stuck to.
And I’d forgotten to grab my thong on the way out the… vent. Oh, well. There was no turning back.
I headed for the closed door, opening it very slowly and praying the hinges didn’t creak. Or that I’d set off an alarm. Neither happened, a solid win and at this point, I’d take whatever I could get. As I quietly and carefully moved into the hallway, glancing at both sides and listening for any sounds, I felt more confident.
The stairs weren’t far away and once I reached the landing, I stood where I was. There were no sounds at all. Hopeful, I eased down a step at a time until I reached the bottom. What Navarro didn’t know was that I had a photographic memory. I’d paid close attention to every aspect of the drive, memorizing turns and buildings with signs.
Once inside the house, even though I’d seen little, I’d carefully laid out the floorplan in my head. That included the garage that was attached to the house. With five bays, the chances of finding a vehicle inside were excellent.
Keys were a different story. However, people were creatures of habit. That included where they stored their sets of keys.
My purse was exactly where I’d left it, although when I slipped my hand inside, another wave of fury flashed into my mind. The bastard had taken my phone. Of course he had. At least my wallet hadn’t been stolen.
I moved silently in the darkness, searching until I found the kitchen. Constantly looking over my shoulder, I searched the drawers finding nothing. A door caught my attention and I instinctively knew it led to the garage.
Just before heading out, I noticed a knife block. With a smile on my face, I snagged one. Then a second. A girl couldn’t be too careful or carry too many weapons.
Especially since Navarro had stolen the special blade I’d brought with me.
The moment I opened the door leading to the garage, I did another mental high five. I’d been right.
