Chapter 9
Holly Grace tried to cough,but discovered she was gagged. When she tried to reach up and remove the gag, she discovered her hands were tied behind her back. Then that her ankles were also tied together. Just like a prize calf, she thought to herself.
The room where she was being held had one small window high on the wall, a cold concrete floor and smelled strongly of urine. And, in that moment, she knew exactly where she was and why.
Temper flaring, she determined that she would get out of this room and make very sure that the Summerall Kennel was closed down for good.
The Summerall clan had miscalculated when they grabbed her. And, also, when they tied her up. In addition to running daily, she also practiced yoga regularly. And was very flexible.
Concentrating carefully, she managed to maneuver her bound hands in front of her by pulling her bent legs close to her chest and sliding her hands beneath her feet.
Good.She told herself. Step one accomplished.
Even though her hands were still bound, she could pull the gag from her mouth. Having that nasty rag away from her tongue felt wonderful. And, with the gag gone, she could use her teeth to work at the binding on her wrists. The rope was rough, scratchy and not easily loosened. Frustration brought tears to her eyes. She considered screaming for help but knew that doing that would only make her situation worse because most likely the only one who would hear her was a member of the family holding her captive.
Best to keep quiet and extend her chance of getting herself out of this mess despite her current frustration. Taking a few moments to meditate and focus brought her determination back. She could do this.
At last, and without chipping a tooth, she managed to loosen the rope enough to slide her hands out of the binding. It was the work of a moment to get the rope off her ankles. She stood, stretched and contemplated her next step.
The only window didn’t have a latch to open it. Firmly cemented on all four sides and webbed with wire, she knew it would be a waste of time to try and knock it out. There was one door to the cinderblock room, and she knew before she tried the knob that it would be locked.
She twisted it anyway. Because what else did she have to do right this minute? Yep. Locked tight.
With a sigh, she contemplated the situation. She had nothing but the clothes on her back. No handy lock pick or cellphone. Her smart watch had been removed. No doubt to keep her from using it to summon help. But she also had no way of determining the time and now long she’d been gone. Surely Mollie and Alice would sound an alarm if she’d been gone an unusually long time.
Defeated for the moment, she slid down the wall opposite the door until her butt sat firmly on the cold floor. There had to be something she could do to get out of here. No telling when one of the Summerall’s might show up and discover her untied.
