Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 70417 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 352(@200wpm)___ 282(@250wpm)___ 235(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 70417 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 352(@200wpm)___ 282(@250wpm)___ 235(@300wpm)
“I drove with my dad a long time ago,” I confessed. “It was the clutch thing.”
He pursed his lips. “Good thing. You need to settle down. Trust we are not going to hurt you. Listen to what Cian has told you.”
Everything Cian had said made sense. Somehow I knew I was safe. I wasn’t alone, hungry and scared. They did look after me. But how I felt about Cian was wrong on every level. How he made me feel was unexpected. I couldn’t fall for a criminal.
They fixed the door handle, making sure to flip the upper lock every time they left the room. Neither of them made much of an effort to chat or come see me. In fact, I barely saw Cian all day. I heard him, his voice talking low in another part of the house. Speaking with Sean. On the phone with someone else. The front door opened and shut a few times. I heard the car leave and come back. I stayed in my room. Ate the food they brought me and kept quiet. I felt sad. Unsure.
As the sun sank, I shivered as I sat reading in the chair. It might be more private, but this corner of the room was certainly chilly. I glanced up and noticed the curtain moving a little. Frowning, I stood and held my hand in front of the window. There was a definite breeze I hadn’t noticed before. Glancing around nervously, I pulled the chair closer and stood on the top to study the air conditioner. My eyes widened when I realized there was a small gap between the wood holding it in place and the unit itself. I glanced behind me again, expecting Cian to burst into the room, but nothing happened. Tentatively, I slipped my fingers into the small gap and pulled. The wood gave way easily in my hand. I stifled my gasp and sat back down, yanking the curtains closed, my mind already forming a plan. I slipped my fingers between the cushions and pulled out the broken piece of mug I had grabbed before Cian had yanked me off the floor last night.
I glanced back at the window, this time with the determination I had been lacking all day. I would only have the one chance, but this one would work. I knew it.
Cian
“Hey.” Something nudged my foot, and groggily, I opened my eyes. The light in the room was dim, so I knew it was early morning. Sean was standing at the foot of my bed, holding my coat.
“What?”
“A storm’s coming. I couldn’t sleep, so I got up to listen to the radio. I made a list of supplies.”
I frowned up at him. “Okay?”
He thrust my coat at me. “I decided to check on Skylar before I left.” He grinned. “MacGyver’s at it again.”
With a curse, I threw back the comforter and stood. “Where is she?”
He snickered. “Between a rock and a hard place right now.”
Shoving my feet into my sneakers, I followed him down the hall. He held a finger to his lips and silently slid the key into the door, opening it soundlessly. I followed him into the room, my first thought that the room was freezing cold. I stopped, gaping at the sight in front of me. On the floor sat the air conditioning unit. Small pieces of wood were strewn around beside it. In the window, where the unit used to be, hung Skylar—or, at least, part of Skylar. Her lower back and legs hung inside the room, her little ass jutting out. She was caught—wedged tight in the window. From the movements and small sounds I could hear, I could tell she was desperately trying to get free. She also had no idea she was being watched.
Her legs kicked and moved, trying to find purchase somewhere. I bit my lip to stop the laughter from exploding. I could clearly see the problem. She had somehow thought everything through, figured out how to get the unit out of the window while we slept so she could make her big escape, but she’d made one huge error.
She’d put on her backpack. It was jammed tight in the opening—whatever she had stuffed in it trapping her.
I looked at Sean, knowing he saw the same thing. “Books,” he said quietly. “I saw what she was doing, and I watched her. She added the books you brought her.”
“You watched her try to get through the window?”
He smirked. “Even if she got out, I would have met her at the front of the house, Cian. I wanted to see what she’d do.” He smiled widely. “She’s fucking ingenious.”
I rolled my eyes. “She’s a pain in the ass.”
“She’s gonna have a pain in there. We need to get her out.”
“What’s the plan? Pull her back in?”