Page 11 of Wicked Shadows
She moved to the door and quietly turned the knob, opening it slowly to peek into the hallway. When she found it was empty, she tiptoed out of the bedroom and ran barefoot toward the front of the house. The long hall was just one indication of how large the house was. The number of doors that lined the hallway was the other. Her anxiety ratcheted up another notch as she tried to formulate an escape plan in her jumbled thoughts. From whom she had to escape and why they’d taken her to start with were beyond her capacity to analyze at the time. All she could think about was finding the door that led outside, then when she was far enough away, she’d focus on who and why.
The end of the hall opened into an expansive family room, taking away the relative cover the smaller space had offered. A quick perusal around the room revealed much of what she already knew—she was held in a multimillion-dollar house. That fact frightened her more than if she’d awakened in a derelict house. With more resources came more security, more privacy, and less chance of anyone hearing her cries for help.
The large, wooden door to freedom came into view and propelled her body forward. Her feet smacked against the marble floor of the foyer, and her heart hammered against the inside of her chest. It was so close now—all she had to do was reach out and grab the door handle, then she’d be outside, one step closer to freedom.
She flung the door open, letting it slam against the wall when she released it. Across the spacious front porch, down the steps, into the thick, manicured grass of the sprawling front lawn, and toward the brick wall that encased the estate, she ran as hard as she could. The adrenaline coursing through her veins blocked the burning in her thighs and the pain from the lack of oxygen in her lungs.
Her sole focus was how she’d scale the brick wall that stood between her and the open road. A few more feet to go. A few more feet and she’d find help, learn what had happened to her, and stop long enough to cry her eyes out. But first things first—the wall.
Her legs carried her so fast, her body bent in half from the forward momentum when a strong, muscled arm grasped her around the waist. All the air was knocked out of her from the sudden stop, leaving her gasping for breath and nearly incapable of fighting back. The muscular arm easily lifted her off the ground and turned to face the house, carrying her away from freedom with every step.
From the outside, it was a gorgeous mansion she ordinarily would’ve admired. Palm trees lined the circular cobblestone driveway. Tall, white columns framed the archways along the entire front of the house and the matching detached garage. Ornate statues were evenly spaced along the drive. The stark white elegant marble figures were accentuated by the deep green privacy hedge.
The heavy thud of boots and clink of metal pulled her eye from the house and onto an approaching man. Dressed all in black and wearing a leather vest, he smirked as he strode toward her. His lewd smile made her skin crawl, and her breath hitched in her chest.
“Look who we have here, running around the yard like she owns the place,” he said as his fingers slid down her cheek. “You woke up sooner than I thought you would. So, where were you going?”
Fear seized her from the inside out, stealing her ability to speak or think rationally. She shook her head from side to side, though she didn’t know what it was she tried to convey. She only wanted to get away from both men. Seized by fear, all she could think was how she wanted to wake up from the nightmare that had become her life,
“You were trying to run from us. Don’t lie to me now,” he snarled. “You were trying to get out of here and call the police on us.”
He waited for her to reply, but her vocal cords were paralyzed with fright.
“I’ll tell you a secret, sweetheart. You would’ve been better off calling them from inside the house instead of trying to get over that high fence. But, we won’t make the mistake of underestimating you again.”
He raised his other hand to her face and gave a small spray bottle two swift pumps, sending the droplets directly into her nose and mouth. Within seconds, she was knocked out, her muscles as limp as a rag doll, and theirs to do with as they pleased.
