She scooted until her back was against the roughened planks, then felt along with her bound hands until she found a particularly jagged piece of wood. Maneuvering herself, she felt the wood catch at the skin of her cheek, then, thankfully, at the gag. It took several painful tries but eventually she was able to pull the offending fabric out of her mouth.
Now the hard part. Sophie took several deep breaths and allowed her body to relax the way Mr. Wang had taught her. Then she bent forward at the waist. It was unfortunate that her remaining knife was strapped to the back side of her ankle for she’d never be able to reach it with her mouth. On the other hand, it had been immensely lucky that the kidnappers had tied her feet one on top the other. She could fold herself into a kind of cross-legged position that allowed her mouth to reach the insides of her ankles.
She lost all track of time pulling, gnawing, and tugging at the knots in the ropes. Her back and neck felt like they were on fire, but she didn’t stop. She still had to contend with Alex’s ropes. She’d like to be able to use her hands. It wouldn’t be too difficult to maneuver her back to his feet and hands, but her fingers had grown completely numb and she probably wouldn’t be able to manage anything more effective than a slap. She’d get their feet first. They needed their feet to run. Then she’d work on Alex’s hands if she still had the energy. Or maybe she should get Alex’s hands first and hope he woke up quickly. That way— “What in God’s name are you doing?”
Sophie’s head snapped up at the sound of Alex’s shocked whisper. “How did you ungag…How did you untie yourself?”
Alex reached over and finished untying her feet. “Sloppy knot at my wrists. Turn around.”
Sophie began to turn but stopped at the sound of Alex sharply indrawn breath. “You’re hurt.”
“Of course I’m hurt. We were hit over the head, remember? Or, at least I was.”
Alex reached up and touched her cheek. His finger came away bloody.
“Oh,” she whispered. She hadn’t realized the wood had cut her face that deeply.
Alex swore viciously, his face hardening into a savage mask. “Turn around,” he ordered again.
She didn’t take offense at his abrupt tone. He wasn’t angry at her. Not yet, anyway.
He made quick work of her binds, then pulled off his cravat and handed it to her. “Hold it against your cheek.”
He reached to the back of the wagon and prodded gently where the tarp met the wood. “Damn it, there’s rope every two inches. They weren’t taking any chances.”
“They took some.” Sophie handed him her knife. “They didn’t bother searching me.”
Alex looked as if he wanted to ask how she came to be carrying a knife but seemed to think better of it. He applied the knife to the fabric, cutting away a small hole closest to the floorboards. A crisscrossing of rope appeared on the other side and Sophie couldn’t help feeling as if they’d been caged.
Alex motioned her closer. “I need you to hold the rope, Sophie. Drop the bandage and use both hands if you have to.”
Sophie nodded and set aside the bloodstained cravat, grateful that her fingers were no longer numb. If they cut the ropes completely loose they might unravel, causing the tarp to shift or billow. It would give them away. Alex cut the first rope, then carefully tied the two loose ends to another strand two feet over. He repeated the process four times, making sure each time to connect the ends to a piece of rope that was still intact and taut. It seemed to take forever. But finally, they had an opening wide enough for a person to slip through. Sophie looked down at the road passing beneath the wheels and gulped.
“Not here,” Alex whispered. “There’s no cover. We need to wait.”
Sophie forced herself to nod. She knew he was right. They were passing open fields where there was no place to hide. Knowing he was right, however, did nothing to stem the tide of panic that threatened to overwhelm her.
She wanted to leave now.
If she had to throw herself from a moving wagon to escape violent kidnappers, she wanted to bloody well get it over with. She didn’t want to sit and wait, giving her fear an opportunity to grow to unmanageable proportions, and the kidnappers a chance to discover what they were about.
An eternity later, at least in Sophie’s mind, the landscape began to change. The fields gave way to trees and rocky out-croppings.
“We’d better take our chances now.” Alex held the tarp back for her. “The next time the wagon slows to take a turn, I want you to jump. Aim for the embankment. When you get to your feet, run to the trees. If anything happens just keep running. Head east.”
“Why east?”
“Because it’s not the direction the wagon is going.”
“Oh.”
“I’ll be right behind you.”
She nodded. She couldn’t think of anything else to say. She felt the carriage begin to slow and her heartbeat speed up. She slipped her legs over the back of the wagon.
Alex gave her a quick but heartfelt kiss. “Bend your knees, keep your arms tucked about your head, and try to let yourself roll.”
Sophie glanced down at the road flying past her feet. “Is not rolling even an option?”