in there, baby. I’m coming for you.
42
Fiona
Now I really had to pee.
I’d been staring at the ceiling for what felt like forever. Struggling against my bonds was pointless. That got me nothing but a few amused glances from my guard. I hated feeling so helpless, but what more could I do?
Just wait. And hope.
A whisper of fresh air cut through the gravelly smell. It looked like we were in a wide passageway, although it was hard to be sure. One direction disappeared into darkness. There could have been another wall there, but the lantern light didn’t reach that far. The other direction turned a corner not far from where they’d dumped me on the ground. Felix had gone that way. The occasional whiffs of outside air made me wonder if we weren’t far from the entrance.
Where was Evan right now? Did he even know something was wrong? I’d stormed out and left. He probably assumed I was still mad.
I pictured him working on the Pontiac. Leaning over the engine or sanding the body, his back muscles rippling, his big hands making magic. Was he so focused on the car that he wasn’t even thinking about me? Or was he out looking because he had realized I’d been gone too long?
My sense of time was skewed. It was hard to tell how long I’d been here. My guard—I was calling him Stoneface in my head because I didn’t know his name—hadn’t left once for a break. It seemed like eventually he’d have to eat or pee or something. But he just sat there, messing around on his phone, like this was the most boring job he’d ever had in his life.
I was trying not to take that personally. But couldn’t he at least put in a little effort? Sure, I was lying on the ground with my wrists and ankles tied, but he didn’t have to act like I was completely helpless.
“Do you get a signal out here?” I asked. My voice sounded odd in the hollow space.
His eyes flicked to mine, but he didn’t answer.
I sat up. I’d been changing positions once in a while and as long as I didn’t try to stand—which I wasn’t sure I could manage anyway, given the tie around my ankles—Stoneface didn’t say anything. Sitting wasn’t comfortable either, but nothing was comfortable right now.
If I’d ever considered a little bondage with Evan, that was probably off the table at this point.
Assuming I ever got out of here.
I was going to assume that. I was getting out of here. Somehow.
“You must be playing a game. Maybe one of those puzzle games or that quest one. That one is so addictive.”
He looked at me again. Still silent and expressionless.
“I’m just saying, you don’t strike me as a social media guy. I doubt you’re sitting there scrolling through Instagram. Although you never know, people are often surprising. Or maybe you’re reading the news. You’d need a signal for that, but you might need a signal for a game, too.”
“Shut up.”
Rude.
Although what did I expect? The guy was armed, guarding a helpless tied-up girl in a cave. That didn’t exactly scream manners.
A noise echoed further down the passage. Then silence again. Felix hadn’t been back since he’d taken my picture. He’d obviously sent it to my dad. Apparently I was either collateral or bait. Maybe both. But I assumed he was still here somewhere. I hadn’t seen any other people, but I’d heard footsteps a few times.
But that sound had been different. Stoneface seemed to think so too. He looked up from his phone, pausing like he was listening.
There it was again.
Did I smell something? I inhaled through my nose, trying to place it. It was different from the dusty gravel scent. Almost like smoke.
A second later, it was gone. I’d probably imagined it.
But I hadn’t imagined the sound. Stoneface had heard it too.
Footsteps echoed from around the bend in the passage and Stoneface stood.
It was another guy with a gun. He wore a plain t-shirt and jeans and had a beanie on his head. I decided his name was Hatterson, because hat.
Stoneface and Hatterson. Not my most creative names, but I was in a crisis here.
Okay, this meant Felix had at least two henchmen.
I almost laughed at myself. What was I doing, taking inventory? One guard or ten, it didn’t really matter.
That scent tickled my nose again. It did smell like smoke.
That wasn’t good.
Stoneface walked a few feet further away and lowered his voice, but I could