“I’m scared, Crystal. I don’t want him to hurt you.”
“I’m scared too,” she said. “But we’re going to be free soon. Now, quick, clean up the room. You have to try to tape your hands back together.”
I scraped the broken glass under the bed after putting some bigger pieces near Crystal’s end. If things got really rough, maybe she could use one to stab him in the eye or something. I also put one down by my side of the bed. There were a few marks in the hardwood from the bed moving, but I hoped he didn’t notice. There was also a damp spot on the bed from the beer. I moved the blankets around, trying to hide it. I had to turn off the light soon.
I ran over to Crystal, gave her a kiss on the cheek. “I love you,” I said.
“I love you too,” she said. “Remember, wait for the right moment.”
“Okay.”
I made it look like her hands were still taped, hiding the rough-cut edges underneath each other, but she could still get her hands free if she needed them. I slid the gag back up over her face, then mine, and turned the light off.
I stumbled back to the bed, feeling my way, and looped my rope around the bedpost and the railing. Then I wrapped my wrists back up, but I wasn’t sure if I’d hidden all the rough edges and prayed that he wouldn’t notice.
We sat in the dark again. I wished we could speak, but I felt a tiny spark of energy. We had a plan. We were almost free.
After what felt like another hour, our door flung open. I shielded my eyes against the light, peeked over my shoulder. Gavin was looming in the doorway. He stumbled in, obviously drunker than he had been earlier. He walked over to me, knelt down, and gave me a smile. He reeked of booze and cigarettes. He took one out of his pocket, lit it, and blew the smoke slowly into my face. It went right up my nose—I coughed, couldn’t get my breath for a minute.
“I saw your mommy tonight,” he said.
I looked into his eyes. Was he telling the truth? What happened?
“Scared the shit out of those bitches.” A mean laugh. My thoughts scattered in a million directions. Had he hurt my mom and Dallas? I wanted to rip my hands free and strangle him, but I couldn’t do anything—not yet.
He licked his lips, looked at my legs, traced his hand down to my foot and back up toward my thigh. I was filled with terror and rage, had to fight the urge to kick him in the face even though everything in my body wanted to run away.
He gave me a blurry-eyed leer. “Think I’m too drunk to enjoy you tonight, but your time’s coming.” He stood back up, let out a loud burp, and looked at Crystal. “Don’t worry, sweetie. You’re still my favorite.”
He stumbled over to the stereo, turned the music down. “This shit’s giving me a headache.” Then he flicked off the light and left the room. I could hear him locking the door, swearing like he was struggling with the key.
I waited until I heard his steps go all the way downstairs, then gave it awhile longer, hoping he’d pass out. Finally I decided it was time.
I pulled my wrists free, removed my gag, and untied my rope from the bedpost. I crept over to Crystal, feeling for her in the dark, and undid her gag and wrists.
“I put some glass under your corner,” I said, already climbing up on the bed to start cutting her rope.
“Cut at the end behind the post, not in the middle,” she whispered. “In case we have to tie it up again. We don’t want him seeing the cut marks.”
While we worked, we talked in the dark.
“How did he get you?” I said.
“I was stupid. He didn’t recognize me, so I picked him up at the pub, told him we should go down to the river—it’s where those assholes attacked us when we were kids. He was getting some pot out of the glove box. I had the gun in my hand.” She was quiet for a moment, then said, “I think he saw the reflection in his window, because he turned around, yanked the gun out of my hand, and hit me in the head. I woke up in here, and—” Her voice broke. “I’m so sorry, Skylar.”
“It was my choice to follow you. I was worried.”
“How did you know I was in Cash Creek?”
“I broke into your house. I saw what you were looking at on your computer.”
“I should’ve cleaned that out.” She sounded really upset.
“Mom said you’d never come here. She thought you’d just run off.”
“I wish you hadn’t come.”
“But now I can get us out.”
We lapsed into silence, the only noise the glass scraping over the rope.
“I’m worried about Mom and Dallas,” I said after a minute.
“It sounds like Dallas and your mom reported us missing,” Crystal said. “Brian and Gavin aren’t going to hurt them—not when the cops are involved.”
“But he said that they were scared.”
“He was just trying to get to us.”
I took a breath. “Okay,” I said. “And we’re going to get out of here soon too.”
“I’m going to make sure you get out,” Crystal said. “No matter what.”