Part 28 (1/2)

”I don't think I can.”

He thought, then nudged her foot with his. ”You got some slack between your wrists and ankles. You could stand if you stay hunched over. If you take baby steps you'll eventually get to the bathroom. Might be entertaining to watch.”

That was an awkward picture. ”Uh . . . and how do I use it when I get there? You'll still have to untie my hands.”

He grinned, a slow, challenging leer. ”I'll be glad to unfasten your pants for you and pull them down.”

Talk about revolting. ”Thanks, I think I'll hold it.”

He still smiled. ”Suit yourself.”

If Rocky didn't come soon, the bathroom trip would become more than hypothetical, and the gleam in Easy's eyes told her he was still stuck on that particular fantasy. She needed a new topic of conversation, but the choices were limited. ”Rocky doesn't have them, you know. The Pellinni Jewels.”

Easy shrugged. ”He'll get 'em if he wants you back.”

”What if he can't?”

He tilted his head, sizing her up. ”Then I guess you become disposable. A liability, like the last guy I talked to right in this very building. He didn't have the jewels, either. Guess you don't know about that, do you?”

But she did. Cold sliced through her, bringing the nausea back with a rush.

Rocky had acted like Easy was harmless, and she'd thought so, too, from the way he cringed or ran away when confronted. Apparently a gun made him bolder.

Her gaze darted to his pockets and she looked for a bulge under his s.h.i.+rt. She saw nothing, but that didn't mean he didn't have a gun somewhere. She licked her lips and didn't have to pretend to be scared. ”You killed someone?”

”s.h.i.+t happens.” A sliver of interest shone in his eyes. ”Worried your boyfriend won't come through?”

”No.”

They stared at each other for another minute. ”So, you done being sick now?”

Was there an advantage one way or the other? ”Maybe.”

”Let's hope so.” He reached into a backpack that had been in the shadows, pulled out a roll of duct tape, and ripped off a six-inch piece.

Oh, no. ”What are you-”

He pressed the tape over her mouth.

s.h.i.+t.

Chapter.

Sixteen.

Easy wanted to move her. For whatever reason, he prefered the darkness of the room across the hall. It was better for hiding, but Janet thought the uncomfortable looks he kept throwing at the pile of paper towels were part of it, too.

She didn't want him touching her but the shuffling gait he'd described proved impossible to perform. He grabbed her under the arms as she stood bent at a ninety-degree angle, and half carried, half dragged her into the room. Once there, she saw that it wasn't completely dark-a wedge of light slipped through from the hallway bulb, gradually allowing her eyes to adjust.

Skeletal metal shelves filled the room in rows. He'd dumped her unceremoniously against a wall at the far end of one shelf. Struggling into a sitting position, she spotted another door to the side, opening into a bathroom. White lines caught the light-the chalk outline of a body covered most of the bathroom floor. She looked away quickly.

Easy sat on the cement near her, playing with the gun he'd pulled out of his bag of tricks. Loading it. Polis.h.i.+ng it with his s.h.i.+rt. Pointing it at her while making a soft click with his tongue. Fun for everyone.

She sat quietly, hands dangling between her bent knees as she picked at the twisted length of tape connecting her wrists to her ankles. At this rate she'd be able to rip through it in about another two months.

Progress with the tape on her mouth was more encouraging. For the past hour she'd forced every bit of spit she could muster through her lips, gradually wetting the skin around her mouth and chin. The tape was starting to feel loose. At least if Rocky broke in she'd be able to brush it off with her arm and yell a warning.

That wouldn't be good enough, though. Even if he could break into this fortress of a store, she doubted he could do it without making a sound.

More than an hour pa.s.sed, and the cold from the cement floor was spreading through her, stiffening her muscles. Keeping her hands hidden behind her knees, she picked at the tape, irrationally encouraged by the miniscule bit she nicked off as she watched Easy fondle his gun. She was about to give up on being rescued when she heard a small sound from the front of the store.

She immediately shuffled her feet and cleared her throat, but Easy had heard it, too. ”Shut up,” he ordered. Just in case she didn't want to, he touched the gun barrel to her temple. She froze.

Seconds ticked by while her heart hammered in her chest. Her ears strained to hear. Finally, it came again-a clicking sound, like a door closing.

Her heart soared. She rubbed her face on her sleeve, trying to start the edge of the tape to peel away from her mouth. The only way she could help Rocky would be to call out, letting him know where they were.

”Don't move.” Easy's harsh whisper was next to her ear, his face touching the side of her head as he spoke. ”If you do, I'll shoot you. He'll want you even more if you're wounded, so it makes no difference to me. Understand?”

She nodded, frozen in place.

He stood and crept soundlessly toward the door, gun pointing forward and leading the way. He reached one hand around the corner, flicking a switch. The hall light went out, leaving the storage room in pitch darkness. She could no longer see him-which meant he couldn't see her. Ducking her head down to meet her hands, she found the edge of the tape and pulled. A few hairs above her lip pulled off with it, but the rest fell away easily. She wiped her mouth on her sleeve and paused to listen.

Nothing. Easy had to be creeping toward the front office. If Rocky was out there, she should warn him that Easy had a gun. But if he wasn't there, she might get herself shot for nothing.

From above her a shadow moved. She couldn't see anything, but heard something drop through a hole in the ceiling to the steel shelf unit beside her, and from there to the floor. The figure landed at her feet with barely a sound. She gasped and drew back, only Easy's previous warning keeping her from screaming.

A pencil-thin beam of light swept the room, landed on her, then flicked off. ”Shhh!” A hand covered her mouth while the warm body moved closer to her. A familiar scent encompa.s.sed her. Behind the hand, she breathed a barely-audible, ”Rocky!”

His cheek touched hers as he whispered in her ear, similar to what Easy had done but far nicer to experience. ”Don't talk. Stand up.”

”Can't. Duct tape.”

He didn't say anything, but one hand trailed down her arm to her hands and the light shone on the silvery tape for two seconds, then went out. Moments later she felt something cool and hard slip past her hands. With a soft ripping sound, the tape parted. She yanked at it as he slit the tape on her ankles, gritting her teeth as the tape performed as well as a wax, pulling hairs out by the roots.

Rocky tugged on her hands, helping her to her feet. ”Okay?” he whispered.

She took it to mean, Can you walk? She nodded and grasped his arm, eager to get out of there even if she had to limp and hobble.

An explosion of sound ripped from the doorway and something rang against a metal shelf above her head.

”Down!”