Page 75 of The Sweet Spot
“That’s my good girl,” he says after I drain the cup. “You really are thirsty. Do you want more?”
“Yes, please.” I do my best to sound grateful. One thing I remember about David is he loves being the hero.
I wonder if he’ll untie me if I say I have to pee. If I remember correctly, there’s no indoor toilet here, but there is an outhouse out back. He’d have to untie me to let me go outside to use the toilet. And if I can get outside, I might be able to make a run for it.
He returns to the table to fill the cup with more water and brings it back to the bed. As he holds it for me to drink, he says, “See how good we are together, baby? It’s just like old times. Surely you haven’t forgotten.”
I remember nothing but torment for an entire year. My stomach churns as I force myself to smile up at him. “We were good together, weren’t we?”
His entire face lights up after hearing those words. “Yes! We were.” He reaches down to cup my face and brush his thumb over my lips. “God, you’re so pretty. I’ve missed you, baby. I—”
“Actually, I am pretty hungry.” I blurt out the words, hoping to derail his thoughts. “I haven’t had anything to eat all day.” That’s not true, but he doesn’t know that.
He frowns at the interruption. “Sure, I’ll get you something.”
He goes to the kitchen and searches through a box of supplies until he locates a bar of something. On his way back, he tears open the wrapper and holds it for me as I take a bite. It’s a peanut butter granola bar.
“I can feed myself, you know, if you untie me.”
He shakes his head. “Sorry, but no, baby. Not until I’m sure I can trust you.”
“But you’re going to have to let me get up eventually. After drinking all that water, I’ll need to pee soon.”
“I already thought of that.” He nods to a back corner of the cabin, out of my line of sight. “I have a bucket you can use.”
And just like that, my hopes for a quick escape are dashed.
Chapter 29 – Chris
The McIntyre Search and Rescue team shows up within twenty minutes of my call. That’s pretty impressive considering they were scattered around town doing their day jobs—Hannah and Killian running the lodge, Micah at the auto repair shop, Owen most likely at home taking care of his baby daughter, John Burke tending the horses in the stable, Maya and Travis likely in the process of getting a group of visitors ready to go hiking or rock climbing. Even Ruth and Jack, who aren’t officially part of the SAR team, come to join the search.
I’ve got two deputies scouring Bryce and the surrounding countryside looking for Braggart, in case he’s not here and we’re barking up the wrong tree. They’re looking for Jennie, too.
But my gut feeling tells me they’re both here on this property. This is where Braggart feels safest. He knows these acres like the back of his hand. This was his childhood playground. And that gives me an idea.
I call Ricky over—he was in the same grade as us in school. “Do you remember Braggart from school?”
“Yes.”
“Do you remember who his friends were?”
“Honestly, the guy was an ass even back then. I don’t think he had many friends.”
“Was there anyone in particular he hung out with?”
Ricky racks his brain. “There was one kid, maybe. Someone as douchebaggy as Dave was. Clint Tolliver.”
“I remember him. Doesn’t he work in the hardware store here in town?”
Ricky nods. “That’s the one. You want me to go talk to him?”
I nod. “Try to find out if he knows where Braggart would go to ground if he was in trouble. Is there a place on this property, or even elsewhere, he’d go?”
“Will do.” Ricky gives me a salute as he turns and heads toward his cruiser.
* * *
We create a makeshift command center in the red barn. Hannah spreads a regional map out on an old wooden desk and weights the corners down with small stones. She pulls out her handy black marker.
