Rowan (The Irish Wolves Book 3)

Chapter 26

Rowan existed in daydreams and dread. She and Katy did their best to distract one another. They each drank their water and ate the protein bar. Slowly.

It felt like hours had passed since the men left. She used the pole to lean against. Her body was sore from lying flat on the concrete. She told Katy about her sisters and Nan and even Jo and Thomas. The Honey Bunny stories made them both laugh. She told her about Triskelion, about Dublin, and about her parents.

She explained that her sisters were married to Bran and Patrick O’Faolain and how they bought a four-story building next to their shop.

Katy snorted, a smile in her voice when she said, “And you’re dating Hugh. Wow, you six must get some looks when you all go out together,” she laughed. “Those boys were precious towheads with the sweetest smiles when they were little. I would see Hugh and the boys at the Club on occasion. He was a very proud father.”

“He still is. My sisters and I are very lucky to have them in our lives.”

Katy told Rowan about her children. What an amazing blessing being a mother was. That being a grandma was even better. “My granddaughter, Samantha, is a wonder. My son and his wife were only sophomores in college when they found out they were going to be parents.

“Good thing Ben takes after his father. He wrote out a life plan, from buying a ring to investigating the best high yield savings accounts for the baby. My daughter works for her dad too, but she’s a gamer at heart,” Katy chuckled. “World of Warcraft. WoW. Evelyn’s team did well during the finals, and they’ll be competing at the Arena World Championship. It’s televised,” Katy added proudly.

“Oh my God, Patrick will die when I tell him. He games once in a while with friends. I imagine when River has the baby, his gaming will diminish.” Rowan shifted her back against the pole. Silence descended. Sharing fun stories and talking about their families had helped to lift some of the terrifying shroud.

Unfortunately, panic was a dirty film covering her body.

They couldn’t pretend anymore. This situation was so much worse than just being held for ransom or whatever they wanted from William in exchange for giving them back. The possibility of not being given back, even if Will did do what they ask, was something she tried not to dwell on. The possibility of being physically hurt...raped...she couldn’t set those thoughts aside. My fears are valid, but I control them. Her new mantra.

“I feel like it’s been hours and hours. Surely even a strip club isn’t open all night.”

“The passage of time is damn hard to grasp when it’s always dark. It does seem like they should have been back a long time ago.”

“I was thinking that maybe they aren’t coming back. Maybe the people looking for us figured out who they were. Maybe they knew they were about to be caught and ran,” Rowan felt foolish for how hopeful she sounded, knowing it was likely not true.

Katy remained silent, perhaps thinking over her own wild speculations. “This Thomas MacGregor you told me about. You mentioned his security firm is the best. They even work closely with the FBI. Surely Hugh would have called him as soon as he found out you’d been taken. And since he was with your family for so many months because of that stalker, he’d be familiar with your family.

“He would take the case if Hugh asked. Right?” Katy asked. Hope creeping in her voice.

“No question.” There was no way her family and the Stanton family, especially Diana Gaines, wouldn’t throw every one of their resources into finding them.

“Our situation is dire, Katy, but never hopeless. Not with our families.”

“Agreed.”

She heard Katy’s cuff clink. She must be trying for a more comfortable position. The cuff was digging into her wrist. It felt raw. The zip ties around her ankles were worse. Her skin felt swollen around the plastic strips. She’d worked her ankles more than once trying to ease the discomfort, the ties only bit into her skin worse.

“Once we’re rescued, I bet William will be so thankful you’re okay that he actually pulls his head out of his ass and listens to you.”

Katy chuckled. “I won’t hold my breath.”

She’d told Rowan about her plan to make William jealous. How William only cared about his work. How she felt like a dummy when he spoke tech with his colleagues. She’d never felt like she was enough. After this, she knew Katy was one of the strongest and best of women. Perhaps William wasn’t good enough for her if he didn’t relook at their marriage after this.

“I have to pee,” Katy whispered.

“Me too, damn it. Let’s lay down and try to sleep. If they haven’t come back by then, we’ll have to…I don’t know...figure out how to pee where we aren’t sitting in it.”

The kidnappers never came back.Days had to have passed. It felt like years. Rowan would cry, but her body was too dehydrated to waste any fluid on self-pity. She’d peed only once since the beginning of this nightmare. She and Katy slept, no guess as to how long, waking with bursting bladders and few choices of disposal at hand.

“I think we should scoot as far as the handcuff will let us toward the door where they came in. We only have underwear to pull down, thanks to those perverted bastards. We pee and scoot back to the pole as quick as we can.”

At least they’d been too busy with the logistics of not peeing on themselves to be embarrassed.

Rowan was laying half around the pole, giving her cuff the most slack. Her wrist was painful and crusty. She’d felt liquid oozing around the metal bracelet a few times. It could be blood from broken scabs, or it could be puss from an infection. There was a three-inch swath of skin around her wrist that was hot and painful to touch. Most likely infection.

There were also the zip ties. Her lower calves were a never-ending cycle of discomfort. Okay, she knew she was lying to herself. It was way more than discomfort. Throbbing excruciating pain was a way more accurate description.

Katy moaned occasionally. Rowan heard them even though the other woman tried to muffle the sound.

“Shared pain lessens the burden. At least, that’s what Nan used to say. Though right now, I call bullshit. If I thought sharing would make me feel…less, I’d scream at the top of my lungs.” Katy snorted in tired amusement. They’d tried the screaming bit, hoping someone might hear.

It managed to make their throats dryer and dishearten them further. It felt like they were in the belly of a soundproofed beast. The concrete floor would eventually soak up every last drop of their humanity until someday, someone would find nothing but bones and her frayed thong.

Rowan would have laughed at her morbid grossness if she had the energy. “I don’t think it’s been as long as we think, Kat.” They’d picked the nickname for Katy after Rowan explained that she and her sisters shortened their names.

“I’m sure you’re right. I know you’re right,” she amended. “I keep telling myself that no matter how long it’s been, Will and Hugh will find us. I know they will.”

Another round of silence. Rowan found silence held the perfect ingredient for negative thoughts to grow. She’d already daydreamed that Daniel was grown up and looking at pictures of his Auntie Row. Who he never knew. Not a road to stroll for long.

“I haven’t seen much of it, but your hair is stunning. I’ve always thought redheads won the beauty lottery.”

Katy chuckled, appreciating the distraction. “My father had red hair, which is funny because I was adopted.”

“I bet you your parents saw your red fuzzy head and fell in love.”

“Parent. It’s always been just Dad. He never wanted a wife. That would have cut down on his traveling and affairs,” she fondly mused. “My father is from old money, excuse the snobbery but since we’re currently handcuffed in a basement, and I’m almost positive I have urine dried on my feet, I’m not retracting the Society reference.”

“Instead of people talking dirty, we’re dirty people talking,” Rowan quipped.

“Exactly. So, my father was wonderful, well, technically, he’s still wonderful, and I visit him often. He has advanced dementia and lives in a great assisted living community with the best care. He remembers me sometimes. Those are the best days.

“He doesn’t know William and I are divorced. Will still visits Dad every week,” Katy added with a slight catch in her voice. “Anyway, his hair is silver with hints of strawberry these days. I hope I haven’t missed one of his good days. I think that would devastate me more than peeing on myself.”

“You know, when we get out of here, I’m going to insist that you come to Dublin for a visit. My sister, River, is due with her first child on October 25th. Maybe you would consider bringing your family and celebrating Thanksgiving with the O’Faolains and the Byrnes. You’d be able to meet River’s new baby and Raven’s son, Daniel.”

When Katy didn’t answer right away, Rowan figured she was mulling over the offer, but when she heard the soft hiccupping cries, she dragged herself up into a sitting position—not that elevation helped her see the other woman.

“Tell me what’s wrong.”

“Forgive me. I’m a middle-aged emotional wreck. It’s only your invitation to visit. To spend Thanksgiving…oh my…I mean, I would love it. The last couple of years since we divorced, well, the holidays have been really, really hard. I’m always invited to family things, but going from a wife to a guest is?—”

“—worse than pissing down your leg,” Rowan finished.

“Oh yes. Much worse. Last Thanksgiving, I forgot myself and started to cut the pies. William told me the chef would take care of it. If a person could get third-degree burns from blushing and humiliation, I would have spent the afternoon in the emergency room.”

“I understand why you didn’t force William to hear your truth…then, but now, after this…Surely, you’re strong enough to demand your due. I believe that once he hears you, he’ll be begging for your forgiveness.” Because if he wasn’t begging, Rowan thought, if that man didn’t grovel at this woman’s feet after this, Rowan would be paying that blockheaded imbecile a visit.

Silence cocooned the basement...lost in dreary thoughts again. Damn. “Let’s take a nap. If we wake up to the same shit show, I’m going to work on getting my wrist free. If I can get free, I won’t need my feet to scoot.”

“You can’t. If your cuff is as tight as mine, it’s impossible.”

“Not impossible. Freedom is the perfect motivation. Sleep for now. I’ll keep my wrist flush to the floor to help numb it a bit.” Katy didn’t answer. Clearly not in agreement but accepting she had no better ideas.

Rowan was only able to sleep fitfully. Her feet were throbbing. She no longer ran her free hand over the ties. The bloated skin and…wet…stirred panic. It was time to try and get her hand free. She had to try while she still had the energy.

The kidnappers were MIA—a blessing and a curse. She had to try. She didn’t need her feet, only her hands.

She began by twisting her wrist over and over again, trying to muffle her moans so she didn’t wake Katy. She assumed it was blood and puss wetting the cold metal and her hot skin. She spun on her back and braced her feet against the post for leverage.

She didn’t give herself time to second guess. She grabbed the cuff with her free hand, aligning her bound hand and then she pushed herself backward with her feet. An involuntary scream rent the dark.

She felt her skin tearing. The pain would be worth it if she got free. Katy’s voice screaming at her to stop registered between her own screams. When her back dropped to the floor in a spine-bruising collapse, Rowan cried. Bawled. Wailed. It wasn’t from the pain. It was from the failure.

“It didn’t work. Oh, God,” Rowan cried. “It didn’t work.”