Page 133 of Last Chance
Wait. What? No, that was a terrible idea. She needed to stay here in this compound until Sawyer and his friends arrived. If Lorenzo moved her to yet another location, Janie’s chance of being found before it was too late dropped to zero.
Speculation lit Lorenzo’s gaze as he thought over Matias’s suggestion. “We both get what we want that way,” he murmured. “It might work. We’ll see what mood he’s in when we return to his office. I would enjoy training this one.”
Janie quelled her rising panic. She’d find a way to stay in this compound or, better yet, escape and contact Sawyer. Whatever she had to do to stay alive and get back to the man she adored was her next course of action.
When they arrived at the front door of a building on the edge of the compound, Matias unlocked the door and the two men ushered Janie inside. They escorted her upstairs to the last room on the right.
Lorenzo shoved her inside. He gave her a hard look. “Turn around.”
Her stomach knotted. “Why?” Before she could draw in a breath, the man slapped her. Tears stung her eyes.
“Do as you’re told. Turn around.”
Afraid he would continue to hit her and cause her eyes to swell shut, Janie turned around.
Rough hands yanked her arms behind her back. Seconds later, she felt a thin plastic strip circle her wrists.
“Climb on the bed and lie down,” Lorenzo ordered. “Now.” After she complied, he folded his arms across his chest. “If you remain quiet, I won’t gag you. If I hear anything from you at all, I will not be happy. Do you understand?”
Janie swallowed hard. His threat was hard to miss. She nodded.
“The door will be locked. You’re on the second floor. There’s nowhere to go. Get some rest.” He smirked. “If things go like I want, you’ll need it. Neither one of us will sleep much.” After a long look, Lorenzo glanced at his cousin and inclined his head toward the corridor.
They left the room and locked the door behind them, leaving her trussed up like a turkey awaiting slaughter.
Janie shivered. Bad analogy. She waited a few minutes to be sure Lorenzo and Matias were gone. When she heard nothing, Janie rolled onto her side and worked her way into a sitting position.
She wiggled her wrists. The plastic flexed but didn’t loosen. Too bad the Reyes men were skilled at using zip ties.
Janie felt sure Sawyer could free his hands with no problem. Unfortunately, she didn’t have the same knowledge or skill.
She did, however, have the knife she’d taken from Sawyer’s pocket. If she was careful, she could cut the plastic and free herself, hopefully without slicing her wrists.
Since she didn’t know if she was in the building alone, Janie would have to exercise caution in getting the knife. If the weapon fell on the hardwood floor, anyone in the building would hear and investigate.
Thinking through her options, Janie scooted to the center of the bed and twisted to the side so she could grasp the edge of her zippered hoodie. She tugged and shook the fabric until Sawyer’s knife dropped to the bed.
She studied the weapon for a moment. The knife required pressure on a side button before the blade would release. If she was lucky, the knife wouldn’t spring back and cut her fingers or palm.
No other choice. She could either figure out a way to use Sawyer’s knife or lay back down and wait for the Reyes cousins to tell Janie about her fate.
She scowled. That wasn’t happening. She needed to get out of here before Diego decided what to do with her.
Janie wiggled and scooted until she grasped the knife in her right hand. Her thumb found the button to release the blade. Holding her breath, she pushed the button.
Nothing happened.
Dismayed, she tried again. Still nothing. She knew the knife must open somehow. Sawyer wouldn’t carry a defective weapon.
She considered the problem for a minute. What if this wasn’t a button to push but one to slide? After gripping the knife handle gingerly and positioning the weapon as far from her body as possible, Janie slid the button to the side.
The blade released, slicing through the hem of her hoodie. She breathed a sigh of relief. At least she hadn’t sliced her skin.
Adjusting her grip on the knife, Janie eased the tip of the blade under the zip tie and went to work. After long minutes and a few slips ending with nicked skin, the plastic fell away from her wrists. Yes!
Relieved that she’d accomplished the first step of her goal, Janie took a moment to catch her breath. She eased her hands to the front, wincing at the pain from shifting her arms to a normal position.
That’s when she saw her forearms. Multiple scratches marred the smooth surface. At least she hadn’t sliced a vein in her bid for freedom. These scratches would heal in time.