“No. That’s not true. I’m just trying to explain myself.”
“Poor Dr. Thornton finally failed. Poor Dr. Thornton wasn’t perfect anymore, boo-fucking-hoo.” He lifted the gun. “Just admit it, you screwed up. You made a mistake, and your pride wouldn’t let you acknowledge it.”
“I didn’t make a mistake. Your sister bled to death because of the tumor.”
“Nice try. You did something wrong, and Lucinda died.” He took a step toward me. “Admit it,Max,” he shouted. “Admit it, or I’ll shoot you right here. Right now.”
I stared at the gleaming barrel of the gun, feeling sick to my stomach. If he shot me point-blank, I’d die.There was probably no way help would arrive in time. Odds were, River wouldn’t even call for help. He wanted revenge. Retribution. He couldn’t bring Lucinda back, but he could get rid of me. My existence was a painful reminder of the sister he’d lost.
“I can’t,” I said hoarsely. “I’m sorry.”
“You stubborn son of a bitch,” he muttered, raising the gun.
Oh, God.
I braced myself, waiting for the bullet to tear through my flesh. I knew all too well the damage it could do at this range. The bullet could easily hit a vital organ or slice through an artery. I’d bleed out in minutes if it hit my heart. My thoughts went to Royce, and feeling brokenhearted, I resigned myself to what was coming.
When his cell phone suddenly rang in his pocket, we both jumped. I thought for one horrible second he’d pull the trigger simply because he was startled, but by some miracle, he didn’t. Instead, swearing under his breath, he put the hypodermic needle in his pocket and dug his phone out.
Scowling at the screen, he mumbled, “Lucas.”
I still had no idea whether or not Lucas was a part of this insane plan. I found it impossible to believe steady, rational Lucas would go along with anything this outlandish. Lucas was too practical for all this dramatic posturing. If Lucas wanted me gone, he’d give me a lethal dose of something and drop me down a mine shaft.
River gave me an impatient glance. “Don’t think that this is over.”
“Does Lucas know what you’re doing to me?”
Without answering my question, River moved toward the door. “I’ll be right back.” Lookingdistracted, he slipped out of the room, banging the door closed.
I slumped, heart slamming my ribs. While I was relieved he was gone, I knew my reprieve was only temporary. He’d return any second and finish the job, of that there was little doubt. Anxiety hummed through me as I glanced at the door. If he was truly hell-bent on killing me, he’d want to get that done before Lucas or anyone else interrupted him again. Trying to reason with him was not an option. He didn’t care about the truth. He just wanted revenge. I shivered, thinking about the hate in his eyes, and realized my only hope was to try and escape.
Immediately.
Glancing down at the cuff on my ankle, I sat on the edge of the bed. First thing I needed to do was get free of the restraint. My odds of survival would go way up if I wasn’t chained to the bed. Even if I couldn’t get out of the room, I might be able to jump River when he returned. He wouldn’t expect me to be loose, and that would give me the advantage.
I pulled my foot up onto the bed, and the chain jangled loudly, jarring my already frazzled nerves. I examined the restraint around my leg. The cuff itself was held closed by a small brass padlock, and the chain that held me to the bed was attached to the cuff by a D ring. The cuff was thick leather, and it was decorated with metal studs. I’d never been into bondage, but I’d seen catalogs before. The cuff resembled something you might see in a BDSM shop. It definitely didn’t look like anything a real thug would use.
I yanked on the chain, wincing as the leather dug into my skin. I felt my best chance of escape was to break the chain off. The D ring didn’t look very sturdy.Excitement shifted through me as I examined it more closely. Perhaps I could damage the ring enough to make it snap off. Would I have time? I glanced uneasily at the door, well aware River could be back any second.
I needed to at least try and break the metal ring. Feeling desperate, I tried to slam the cuff against the steel bed frame. It was awkward because the little metal ring kept swiveling, and my leg cramped after a few minutes. I knew I was running out of time, and the panic did nothing to help my coordination. Sweat beaded on my face as I continued to pound the cuff against the bed frame. I was afraid River might hear me and come back to shoot me, but I had no choice other than to keep going.
When the little metal ring suddenly split open and fell onto the ground, my mouth fell open in shock. I stared at it for a few seconds, afraid I was dreaming. I didn’t bother trying to get the cuff off. I didn’t want to waste any time. I scrambled to my feet and ran to the door. I tried the knob, and of course, it was locked.
Shit. Shit. Shit.
I hadn’t really expected the door to be unlocked, but I also hadn’t expected the metal ring to break so easily. I jerked on the door, trying to be as quiet as possible. I worried River might hear me jiggling the handle. Unfortunately, the door felt very solid. I decided to give up on the door so I could explore the room. Perhaps there was another way out. I carefully made my way across the space. The room was mostly empty, so at least there weren’t things to trip over in the poor light.
When I reached the far wall, I inched toward the sliver of light that had been visible across the room.Heart pounding, I touched the light and realized it was the edge of a window. Hope shot through me as I curled my fingers, slipping them under what felt like aluminum foil. The light coming through the crack appeared to be from the moon. That answered my question about whether it was day or night. I began ripping at the thin covering, trying to ignore the raw panic bubbling inside of me. The hairs on the back of my neck were stiff as I clawed at the foil, expecting the door to open any second.
Once I had all the foil off the window, I searched for the lock. When I found it, my hands were shaking so bad I could barely maneuver the mechanism. I eventually managed to slide the metal knob, unlocking the window.
Please don’t let River be waiting outside. Please don’t let River be waiting outside.
Giving a nervous glance back at the door, I slowly pushed open the window. A puff of cold, fresh, sage-infused air wafted into the room. I gulped in the fresh air, feeling immediately energized. Outside, illuminated by the moon, I could only see cacti and tumbleweeds. I saw no other houses and, with a sinking feeling, realized we were probably out in the middle of nowhere.
Thankfully, the room I was in was on the ground floor. I clambered up onto the windowsill and practically threw myself out of the window. I landed with a thud on the dirt and gravel. I rolled, trying to lessen the impact, but the sharp stones still cut into my flesh. I ignored the pain. I could live with some scrapes and bruises because I was out of that little prison.
With a grunt, I scrambled to my feet and bolted into the night.
