Page 91 of Sam's Salvation
He stumbled back and covered his face. Blood poured from between his fingers. “Oh!” Angry blue eyes glared at her above his hand. “Bitch! Unpleasant it is.”
She raised an eyebrow. “Good luck screwing me before you bleed out.” Her aim had been true, and she’d crunched the bones of his nose.
Giving a short growl, he turned for the door. “This isn’t over.”
Maybe not, but she’d bought herself some time.
The door slammed behind him. She listened for the lock, then grinned when she realized he’d forgotten. Audra pushed to her feet and walked over to the door, bent in half, and listened. His footsteps had faded.
Drip-drip.
She looked at the bathroom. The bright white trim around the door beckoned. Did she dare try to break the chair now?
Do you really have a choice?
Audra huffed. Her subconscious mind was right. When he came back, he’d have a weapon.
Waddling over, she gauged the best angle to come at the doorframe. She couldn’t ram it backward; she’d break her arms. But if she swung at it from the side, it might not break the back. She needed to hit it right where the seat met the side rails to make it work.
This was going to suck.
No way around it, Aud.
Taking a deep breath, she lined up her shot and swung her hips with all her might.
“Ah!” The chair bounced off the doorframe, still intact, sending a wave of pain through her arms. She’d missed, hitting the side of the seat.
Wiggling her shoulders, she moved her feet a bit and tried again. This time, she hit where she wanted and the rail cracked. Buoyed by her success, she pushed the pain away and swung a third time.
The rail splintered and the bottom of the chair broke free, dangling by the other side. She turned around and swung again. The bottom dropped off, leaving the fractured back trapped between her arms.
It had shifted when it broke, and the split rail poked her in the arm. She walked over to the chest of drawers and maneuvered the back over one of the knobs, then bent her knees. The broken wood scraped her arm, and she hissed.
But it worked. The back slid free of her arms and hung on the knob for a moment before it clattered to the floor.
Audra dropped down to the floor and laid back. Her wrists protested being smashed between her back, the floor, and the cuffs. Wincing, she brought her knees up to her head, forming a ball, and shimmied her arms around her hips.
With her hands now in front of her, she got to her feet. Cautiously, she opened the door. A trail of blood on the tile floor led away from the bedroom. She stepped out, following it toward the living room. It continued past the bright white sofas to the other side of the house.
Audra made a beeline for the kitchen. She pulled a knife from the block, then headed for the garage and hopefully a car with the keys in it. Hand on the knob, her gaze stopped on the white rectangle near the top.
“Of course it has an alarm,” she whispered. It would emit a loud chime when opened, just like the front door had when Donny’s driver dropped them off.
She let go and backed away. Time to find a different way out. One of the windows, perhaps.
Retreating down the hall, she ducked into the first bedroom and checked the window. It, too, had an alarm.
“Bloody criminals and their bloody security.” Huffing, she turned away. Okay. If she couldn’t escape without him knowing, she’d have to make sure he couldn’t come after her.
Audra returned to the kitchen, hoping he had a chef who used kitchen twine.
With one eye on the hallway beyond, she searched the drawers.
A flicker of light from the front entryway made her pause. She squinted. Those were headlights.
Her heart leapt, hoping it was Sam, but her rational side quickly reminded her he had no idea where Donny had taken her. Whoever was coming up the drive was here because Donny wanted them here.
She plucked another knife from the block and slid it through a belt loop. She’d find a place to hide for now and fight her way out when the time was right.