Chapter 9 | Nick
Nick
Iscooted around the room, understanding that I only had limited time to figure out a solution.
I could sense warmth emanating behind me, and I slid my chair toward the source, assuming it was a fireplace.
Sure enough, the warmth grew as I slid closer, and eventually, I butted up against a hard surface.
I felt it with the tip of my finger, and it felt rough, so I assumed it was a brick hearth.
Gliding along the floor, I felt along the hearth, cursing my blindness since my head was still covered.
Suddenly, my hand brushed something metal, and I felt it with my fingertips.
Joy flooded my frame when I realized it was a fireplace poker.
It wasn’t sharp enough to cut the zip ties, but I knew that if zip ties were heated, they lost some of their rigidity and could be more malleable.
Leaning my chair back against the hearth, I pushed my wrists as close to the fire as possible. My skin warmed, and I gritted my teeth, willing to endure the pain if it would get us out of this situation.
After several minutes, I quickly scooted to the poker and lifted up on my feet to press the warm zip tie against the hook. I felt the tie loosen, if only a little, and then scooted back to warm it again near the fire.
I must’ve repeated this same excruciating chain of events over thirty times, but eventually, after poking and prodding the zip tie when it was warm, I was able to create enough slack to pull my hand through.
Inhaling a deep breath, I tugged my hand, feeling my skin rip as I dragged it from the zip tie.
Suddenly, my hand popped free, and I yanked the bag off my head, resting it in my lap.
I observed my bloody and battered hand, realizing I’d need to address that once I’d dealt with the bastards who’d kidnapped us.
I yanked my other hand free and inhaled a sharp breath when I heard movement upstairs.
Our captors were awake.
Thinking quickly, I scooted back in the direction of where they’d left me, hoping I was close to the original spot since I’d been blinded. I placed the bag back over my head and put my hands behind my back, hoping they wouldn’t realize I’d freed them.
One of the men’s footsteps sounded on the wooden stairs as he descended. I heard Alexis moan on the couch and prayed she wouldn’t get caught in the fray.
“Well, hello there,” the man said, walking over to Alexis. “Did you have sweet dreams?”
“Fuck you!” she spat, and I heard a loud slap.
“Shut your mouth, bitch, or I’ll do more than torture you.” I heard rustling and his low, cruel laugh. “Tight little pants on such a pretty ass...”
“Leave her alone!” I cried, my heartbeat accelerating as adrenaline rushed through my veins. The time to fight was now, and I did my best to draw his attention so he’d focus on me instead of Alexis.
“Looks like I need to bang you across the head again,” the man said, his footsteps approaching as I gauged the distance in my head. “Fucking asshole—”
I ripped the bag off my head and reached for his gun, which sat in the holster at his waist. I could tell he was taken by surprise, and before he could stop me, I tugged his gun from the holster and aimed.
I wasn’t a fan of killing, although I’d killed more than my share.
While I didn’t relish ending human lives, I also understood that some moments called for quick, decisive action; and sometimes, even death.
This moment was one of them. There was no other choice than to kill him quickly.
Leaving him alive while my ankles were still bound was just too dangerous.
I aimed at his chest and shot him directly in the heart. He gasped before falling to the floor in a heap of lax muscle.
His counterpart ran down the stairs, and I shot him in the temple. The shot was so clean, I only saw a trickle of blood escape before he crumpled on the stairs and fell the rest of the way down.
“Nick?” Alexis cried.
“They’re dead. I need to free my legs. Give me a minute.”
I heated the poker in the fire, warming it so I could use it to loosen my ankle ties. Eventually, I freed both legs and rushed toward Alexis.
“Are you okay?” I asked, fury raging through my veins at the handprint on her face from the bastard’s slap. Her wrists and ankles were bound behind her, and her face was streaked with tears. “Let me find something that can cut through your restraints.”
I headed into the small kitchen and searched the drawers. Finding a Swiss Army knife, I returned to her and cut her ties.
She sat up on the couch and rubbed her wrists as I collapsed beside her. Adrenaline was coursing through my veins, but once that subsided, I knew I was going to be in a world of pain.
“Oh, Nick...” she said, reaching for my hand. “Your skin...” Her eyes lifted to mine, filled with tears. “We need to clean this.”
“And my bullet graze too,” I said, pointing to my arm. “Think this dump has a first aid kit?”
“I’ll look.” She stood and ran her hands over her thighs. “I really have to pee...”
Smiling, I took in her gorgeous face, thrilled she was relatively unharmed. “Pee and then find the first aid kit.”
“I’ll be fast,” she said, leaning down to kiss my cheek before rushing to the bathroom. When she was finished, I heard rustling as she searched the bathroom cabinets. She returned with a white box with a red cross on front. “Bingo.”
I headed to the bathroom to relieve myself too, and then returned to sit on the couch beside her.
She opened the kit which was surprisingly well-stocked. It held a stash of antibacterial wipes, bandages, ointments and other medical supplies.
“Okay,” she said, opening one of the antibacterial wipes. “Let me clean your arm and hand with this, and then I’ll apply some ointment and bandages.”
She worked methodically, grimacing as I hissed when she touched the wipe to my bloody wrist.
“Sorry. It’s really bad.” Lifting her eyes to mine, she asked, “Did you rip your skin when you broke free of the binds?”
I nodded.
Deep emotion entered her gaze, and she cupped my jaw. “Thank you,” she whispered. “You saved me.”
“I told you,” I replied softly, mesmerized by the sentiment in her eyes. “I’ll always protect you, Alexis.”
She smiled and returned to work, cleaning my hand, wrist and the graze on my arm. Once everything was clean, she applied antibacterial ointment and placed bandages over the cuts.
“Okay, I think that’s the best I’m going to do. Florence Nightingale, I am not.”
“You did a good job,” I said, observing the bandages. Expelling a deep breath, I rested my head back on the couch. “I’m wondering if I should leave the bodies here or burn them so they don’t decompose.”
“Let them rot,” she said, her nostrils flaring. “Fucking assholes.” Her tone softened as she gazed at the bodies. “Shit. John’s really not going to like that we killed more of his men.”
“I killed them. You’re just a victim in this shitty situation. Let’s find their phones and see if we can call Michael.”
“I’ll do it,” she said, rising. “You rest.”
I wanted to argue with her, but exhaustion was quickly setting in so I nodded.
She felt inside both their pockets and retrieved their phones. Returning to the couch, she held both up high, searching for a signal, and cursed.
“There’s no signal on either.”
“We’re somewhere in Upstate New York, and the service is spotty here. Lots of rural hunting areas that don’t have cell towers.”
“Let’s find the car keys and get the fuck out of here,” she said, standing again. “I don’t want to be in this place one second longer.
Guilt gnawed at me for not burning the men’s bodies. Even though they were despicable, I thought it honorable to dispose of the bodies so they wouldn’t decompose. But time was of the essence, and they’d mentioned a blizzard was coming, so I understood the need to get on the road.
Alexis searched through their pockets, finding the keys and holding them high. “Found them,” she said, jiggling them. “Let’s go.”
I rose slowly, holding my head as the room spun, and she rushed over to steady me.
“You okay? Slow down, big guy. We don’t need to run.”
“I don’t have any shoes...”
She gnawed her lip as she eyed the body of the taller man. “You’re going to have to wear his shoes, pants and jacket. Sorry, but that’s the best we can do.”
She walked over and tugged off the man’s pants and shoes before grabbing his jacket from the hook by the door.
I pulled on the pants and then sat and slipped on the shoes, thankful they were big enough.
After shrugging on the jacket, I inhaled a deep breath and stood.
“You’re going to have to drive. I think I have a concussion. ”
“No prob,” she said, gliding her arm around my waist. “Come on.”
We walked toward the front door and pulled it open as I leaned on her for support.
“Jesus, it’s fucking freezing,” she said as we stepped onto the porch. “And that wind is insane.” Her hair whipped in her face as we began to descend the stairs.
Suddenly, our heads snapped up as we heard a loud creak. The huge tree beside the SUV parked in the driveway seemed to sway in a strange direction as we both observed it. Time felt like it was moving in slow motion as the tree snapped and fell in one huge swoop directly on top of the SUV.
The vehicle was crushed immediately, and the damage was clearly beyond repair.
Alexis’s gaze met mine as a tiny fleck of snow landed on her nose. Her chin trembled as realization dawned on us both.
“We’re fucking stranded here,” she said, fear lacing her features. “Without service, in freezing weather, with a blizzard coming.”
Gliding my arm over her shoulders, I offered comfort as I accepted the inevitable.
“We’re stuck, princess,” I said, kissing her soft hair to soothe her.
“I monitored the drive on the gravel, and it would take hours for us to walk to the main road. I can’t chance it with a concussion, knowing how cold it is and that a storm is coming.
If we get stranded in the woods in a blizzard, that’s much worse than being stranded here. ”
Her throat bobbed. “What the fuck are we going to do?”
Sighing, I gently turned her to lead her back inside.
“We’re going to stay here and survive a fucking blizzard.”
Clinging to me, she pressed her cheek against my chest as we headed back inside, resigned to our fate.