CHAPTER TWO
I spend the next few hours testing my restraints and examining every inch of my cell. The zip ties are tight but I don’t think they’re impossible to get out of. If I can find something sharp, I might be able to cut through them.
I look around my room for something sharp. The bucket is plastic. Useless, I think to myself. The cot has metal legs but they’re welded together—also useless.
I’m running out of options when I hear voices outside.
“—told you to feed her,” someone says.
“I was busy,” Dimitri replies.
“Well get in there and do it now. Boss’s orders.”
The door opens and Dimitri walks in carrying a tray with food and water.
“Hungry?” he asks.
“Not particularly,” I say.
“Suit yourself,” he says, setting the tray down. “But you should eat. Keep your strength up.”
“Why do you care?” I ask.
He shrugs. “I don’t. But if you die before we get the Bitcoin, I don’t get paid.”
“So this is just business to you?” I ask.
“Everything’s just business,” he says.
“Even kidnapping? Even murder?” I ask.
“Especially those,” he says.
I study him carefully. There’s something about the way he said that—detached, almost rehearsed. Like he’s trying to convince himself as much as he’s trying to convince me.
“You don’t have to do this,” I say quietly.
He laughs. “Save the speech. I’ve heard it all before.”
“I’m serious,” I say. “You could just let me go. We could say you weren’t paying attention, that I escaped.”
“And then John would kill me,” Dimitri says. “So thanks, but I’ll pass.”
“What if John doesn’t make it out of prison?” I ask. “The police arrested him. They have evidence.”
“John always makes it out,” Dimitri says. “He’s got connections.”
“Then you’re stuck working for a psychopath for the rest of your life,” I say. “Is that really what you want?”
Dimitri’s jaw clenches. “What I want doesn’t matter.”
“It should, though” I say.
We stare at each other for a long moment. Then he turns and walks out, slamming the door behind him.
But I notice something—he forgot to lock it.