Page 81 of August

Sweat coated her skin and the burning sensation in her arms intensified until her forearms buzzed with lack of blood flow.

The tape pulled on her skin, but she only wiggled and twisted harder. In less than a minute the tape had more slack. Lifting her hands from the dresser, she yanked them apart again and the binding gave way.

Yes!

She snapped off the tape, this time not caring if the guys came in and found that her hands were free. She was getting the hell out. Her skin screamed as she ripped the tape off her mouth, and she stifled a yelp, though it wasn’t as if anyone would hear her over all the racket.

Micha must have sensed something was up because she hopped to her feet and wagged her tail. Gigi patted her head. “Sorry, girl. You have to stay here. But how about you don’t bark when I leave, okay?”

Micha licked her hand and Gigi gave her another scratch. Making friends with the cartel’s dog, possibly a killer, couldn’t be a bad thing. Hopefully the pit bull would have reservations about attacking her if she ran.

One could hope.

This sweet marshmallow of a dog could probably turn violent if necessary.

Gigi moved to the side of the dresser and gave it a little push. Damn thing was heavy. Chewing her bottom lip, she weighed the risks. If she pushed it across the wooden floor, it’d make noise. Probably not enough to be heard over the music, but that wasn’t a chance she wanted to take. An idea struck her. She quickly grabbed four pieces of strewn clothing then placed the items under the legs of the dresser. She then slid the piece of furniture soundlessly in front of the door.

Micha whined, and a pang hit Gigi. The dog would be locked in the room, but there was no help for it. She couldn’t risk carrying Micha outside. Marko seemed to care for the dog, so he’d find a way to get to her.

Gigi returned to the window. Grabbing the edge of the cardboard, she peeled off the tape. A gentle ripping sound split the air, but it was nowhere near loud enough to be heard over the music. In seconds she had the whole strip of cardboard tossed aside. Sure enough, there was no screen on the window. With the help of the mattress, the sill was at the height of her abdomen.

The temptation of freedom surrounded her. She was so close to escaping. Her heart raced in her chest.

Unlatching the window, she pushed it open. Cool night air touched her face, and she gasped with relief. The metal track rattled as she opened the window further, and every muscle in her body bunched. Squeezing her eyes together and inhaling, she waited.

Other than the annoying music, no sounds came from the living room.

If her captors couldn’t hear her pulse roaring through her veins, then they probably hadn’t heard the window. Swallowing, she braced her palms on the ledge and hefted herself up. After climbing onto the sill, she hung onto the frame and lowered herself.

The drop wasn’t far, maybe five feet or so. She landed between two starved bushes. The neglected branches scraped her arms and legs. She pushed them away. Urgency swirled around her stomach as she edged closer to the house.

The backyard was in front of her. Based on the layout she’d seen, she assumed the living-room window was to her left. Pressing her back to the chipped brown siding, she turned her gaze in that direction.

Sure enough, a big picture window swallowed up a chunk of the siding. Unlike the bedroom she’d been kept in, this window didn’t have any cardboard to hide its occupants. Alec stood adjacent to the window, a cigarette in hand as he bobbed his head to the ear-splitting music.

Her stomach surged to her throat. Fear sucked at her ankles, threatening to drag her to the ground. Part of her wanted to duck. To bolt. To do anything but just stand there, but she couldn’t for the life of her move.

She was frozen. Terrified that if she so much as blinked he’d turn his attention to her. The siding was cool against her bare palms, jolting her back to reality. If she didn’t do something soon, they’d notice she was missing and come after her anyway.

Shifting her gaze straight ahead to the alleyway, she calculated her escape. The yard wasn’t as deep as it was wide. It was maybe thirty feet to the gate next to the garage. Against the house, she was basked in darkness. But the back porch light was on and she’d need to run through the glow to reach the gate. If she ran now, she could surely make it to the alleyway before they caught her. But if they looked out the window, they’d spot her running, and there wouldn’t be anywhere to hide once she hit the alley.

It was a gamble.

Swinging her gaze back to the window, she watched as Alec accepted a beer from Marko. Now was her chance. Tearing away from the wall, she ran.

Her feet wisped over the grass, the long blades dusting her pant legs. Her chest heaved with every stride and her breath came in heavy gasps. Reaching the gate, she flipped up the latch.

Then she sprinted, running like she’d never run in her life.

A sense of freedom expanded in her chest. She’d done it. She’d escaped. Tears of relief mixed with the rush of adrenaline.

“Get her!”

Alarm whistled inside her head as the foul taste of fear touched her tongue. A scream bellowed from her throat. She kept running.

CHAPTER 25

“Up ahead.” August bounced in his seat, pointing in the direction of the small dirt road that twisted away from the highway and spread out to a wide clearing that overlooked the edge of the mountain.

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