Chapter 29
T he tent was small and cramped, and smelt like mould. Brigid had no idea how long she’d been sitting in there. She had completely lost all sense of time.
The men had tied her wrists and ankles before they left her. It was very uncomfortable, with the rope rubbing against her skin and forcing her to remain in an awkward position.
Surely hours had passed by now, but nothing had happened. No one had come for her. Not Edmondson, and not Finn.
Finn’s face swam in her mind, forcing her to swallow back tears. She still couldn’t believe that Finn would betray her like that. Worse - that he’d never seen her as anything more than a pawn in this game. Part of her still hoped that it was all some complex double-cross, but she’d seen the truth in his eyes. Nothing between them was ever real. She just couldn’t believe how much it hurt. Her eyes were raw from tears and her face was damp. With her hands tied, she couldn’t do anything to dry it, and her skin was becoming tight and itchy. She must look a terrible mess. She certainly felt it. All that crying had drained her energy as well, leaving her weak and tired.
How could Finn have done this to her?
It was more and more clear that she’d never really been good enough for him. Had she really been stupid enough to think that a man like Finn, so handsome and sophisticated, could love a woman like her? A woman who always said the wrong thing, who could never make anyone proud. What a gullible idiot she was. So desperate to be loved that she made an easy target for any con artist.
So much for all her efforts to save Finn. He’d never needed rescuing at all. Every one of her risks and sacrifices had been in vain. What was left for her to fight for? She might as well just give in. When the Professor finally came to see her, she wouldn’t fight against him any more. She could just do whatever he wanted, just let it all happen. Why bother arguing any more? She hardly had any kind of a life left without Finn. Just two parents who barely noticed her, and three brothers who couldn’t even be bothered to welcome her boyfriend to the house.
She tried to move her wrists. Even that small movement was unpleasant. The rope was cutting in painfully, and her wrists were starting to go numb. Brigid wondered if Sandy was in a similar position - except with the added pain from his injured leg. Her heart ached. Poor Sandy. He had fought so hard to help her - and all for nothing.
But wait.
Here she was, thinking that she had nothing left to fight for. But what about Sandy? She couldn’t just leave him to hang, not after everything he’d done for her. What was she thinking, giving up now? If Edmondson wouldn’t bargain, Brigid would have to take matters into her own hands, and act by herself.
A slow smile spread across her face, despite the pain. The more she thought about it, the more she realised something important. The truth had put her in a more powerful position than ever before. Edmondson could no longer threaten Finn to manipulate her. There was no way left for him to control her. She could defy him at will - what could he do about it? He could hurt her, yes, but she would not break. Not as long as the people she cared about were safe.
It was time for Brigid to take action. She was going to break free of Edmondson’s domineering control once and for all. He had no more leverage over her. The time had come to do something dramatic - and save Sandy.