“What do you mean?”
“I don’t know. He just seemed a little too relaxed. He didn’t have either his gun or his flashlight out. And trust me, its dark back there.
“I couldn’t help myself. I stuck around for a moment out of curiosity. Just when I was about to leave, I saw you try to run out the door and get yanked back in. That’s when I knew something was really wrong and started recording. I had no idea it was going to be this bad, or that Josh would be involved.” Alex winced. “I can’t believe he kicked me like that.”
As Alex talked, Liz was casting around for anything she could find that might be useful in getting out of the cuffs. Now she scoffed, “What? Like you didn’t know he was a dick?”
Alex winced. “Actually, when I was talking to him last night, he struck me as different, like he’d grown up a bit. Especially since he’d become a cop. I knew he could be an asshole, but I never would have guessed he’d do something like this.”
Liz decided it wouldn’t do any good trying to convince him that Josh had always had it in him to do this. In fact, if her instincts were right, he was capable of doing much, much worse. She grimaced. Not exactly a good scenario for either one of them at this point.
“Why didn’t you say anything about all of this last night at the dinner party?”
Alex shrugged, but didn’t look up. Her eyes rounded. “You suspected I might be involved somehow, didn’t you?”
She stopped to regard him more closely. Well, at least he had the grace to look embarrassed. A small object on the floor behind him caught her eye, “Hey, can you lean to your left a little bit? I need to try and grab something.”
“What are you doing?”
“Shh. Just keep an eye out and let me know if anyone heads over here.”
Liz fell to her side and wiggled her way slightly behind him. She grabbed the pen cap from the floor then levered herself back into a seated position. Alex was so close, she could smell the subtle scent of his cologne and the shampoo he used. It was tempting to take a moment and lean against him.
“He’s coming back.”
They could just catch the tail end of Josh’s conversation as he made his way over to them. “Hey, I know. It’s all of our heads if we lose this shipment. I’ll give you a call in the morning.” His voice turned frosty as he pinned them under his stare. “No, I got this.”
Liz didn’t know who was on the phone with Josh, but it was obvious he wasn’t the one in charge, and that Josh didn’t like having to answer to somebody else. He listened to whatever instructions he was being given then promptly hung up.
Josh gave Alex a smug look. “Welcome back, sleeping beauty.”
“Asshole.”
Josh grinned, grabbed Liz roughly under the arm, and hauled her to her feet. Her hands were trapped behind her and for a brief moment he held her tight against his body.
Liz dug the pen cap into her palm, reminding herself not to struggle. She knew it would be giving him exactly what he wanted. Instead, she kept her gaze steady on his, refusing to flinch in embarrassment.
“Not quite the plank you used to be, are you?” he leered. “I don’t usually go for grease monkeys, but for you I might have to make an exception.”
He reached down and grabbed her ass, grinding his pelvis against hers in a lewd gesture. Liz narrowed her eyes and tasted blood from biting her lip so hard. She would be damned before letting him see the fear that sat quivering in her stomach.
“Come on, man!” Alex protested from the floor. “Don’t do this.”
“Shut. UP!” The force of his anger left Liz trembling, but she was thankful he had been distracted. There had been something dark and lascivious in the way he’d looked at her that made her want to take a shower and scrub her skin. With mock regret, he said, “Too bad I don’t have time to go slumming.”
Josh spared a glance at his former buddy. “We knew Liz was a workaholic and there was some chance we’d have to dispose of her, but your presence is unexpected. What are you doing here? Cynthia not putting out for you anymore?”
Alex gave him a look of disgust. “What happened to you, man?”
“What happened to you, man?” Josh parroted back at him in falsetto. He sneered. “I’m not the one with my hands bound, sitting on a filthy floor, am I?” He gripped Liz tighter in his anger. “Damn sanctimonious piece of shit. You always did have to be the best at everything, didn’t you? First in your class. Most popular. Dating the head cheerleader. Well, you know what? Screw you, you fucking asshole. You leaving town was the best thing that ever happened to me.”
Alex gaped at him, taken aback by the ferocity of his words. Liz felt the anger and tension in Josh’s body as he caught his breath from the outburst. “You know, if you’d stayed where you were supposed to, you would’ve had a much more pleasant role in all of this. As it is, you’re going to the trash heap with your little friend here.”
Trash heap. There was an unpleasant image, Liz thought. Wait a minute. What did he mean by Alex having a better role? Was he in on this? Was she being played? She considered him, his battered and bruised body prone on the floor.
Alex being knocked unconscious was a mark in his favor, but she hated the fact that she still couldn’t fully trust him. She gripped the item she’d obtained and prayed she could make it work.
With a rough shove meant to keep her off balance, Josh pushed her towards the back door. Fear locked her knees and threatened to paralyze her.
Holy shit, was he going to kill her right now? Here? She couldn’t let him do it, not without a fight. With one swift jerk, Liz managed to catch Josh off guard and twist out of his grasp.
She whirled and ran towards the door. Before she could take more than two steps, Josh shoved her hard in the back, using her momentum against her. She tripped over her toes and fell face first towards the floor. Liz barely managed to twist in the air and land on her shoulder instead of her chin, but it was enough to have her crying out in pain before she could stop herself.
The sound had both of the junkies whipping their heads around to see what the commotion was about. The timid one was biting his lip and had a look of regret on his face. Peter. Memories surfaced with his name before the reality of her situation came crashing back.
She could hear Alex yelling from his spot on the floor as she desperately scrabbled for the pen cap she’d dropped in the fall. She felt its reassuring presence in the palm of her hand before Josh hauled her back to her feet. “Bet you feel stupid now.”
“Where are you taking me?” She’d meant for it to sound more challenging, but the tremor in her voice gave her away.
“We’re going to take a little ride. You may not want to be rushing to the next step after that.”
As he was talking, he led her to his cruiser and shoved her into the backseat. Minutes later, he was back with Alex, who had a newly fattened lip and fresh blood on his chin.
Josh leaned in and smirked. “You two sit tight while we finish this. It won’t be too long before I get to you.”
With that ominous statement, he slammed the door on them.
Chapter Nine
Spasms ran through her muscles as a giant charley horse grew in the crick of her neck. Liz had lost the feeling in her fingertips a while ago. It was making her task even more difficult. Josh could walk out the door at any moment and this last small opportunity for escape would be gone.
She tried to drum all thoughts of doom out of her mind so she could concentrate on this one action. Liz grunted as the piece of plastic slipped from her grasp, marking another failed attempt.
“Shit!” Frustration and anxiety welled in her chest, threatening to overwhelm her with panic and despair. It was surprising how hard it was to detach the metal from the cap. She took a deep breath and forced herself to count to three before starting over again.
“What are you doing over there?”
“Trying to get us out of these handcuffs, what are you doing?” Liz replied grumpily. It was the third ti
me she’d fumbled the pen cap and had to go fishing for it in the crack of the seat. If she could just get the angle right…
“What do you mean trying to get out of the cuffs? These are standard police issue.”
Liz blew out a breath in exasperation. “Look, not to be rude, but could you be quiet for a minute? I’ve almost got it…”
Once again, she bent herself into an awkward shape, her hands behind her towards the door. If her survival wasn’t at stake, she might have been more self-conscious, with her shoulders wrenched back and her chest thrust towards Alex. As it was, all she could think about was their present situation and the consequences of failing.
“Ah! Finally!” Liz blew out a big breath and rested for a minute.
“What’d you do?” His voice held a note of hope and curiosity.
She turned so her hands were facing Alex and showed him the little metal slide. “It’s from the pen cap I managed to grab off the ground.”
“I don’t get it, how is that going to help?” She shot him an irritated look and he added, “I’m not saying I don’t appreciate you trying to get out of these, but I just don’t see how that piece of metal is going to help us.”
“It’s a shim. There’s a gap where the arm of the cuff slides in, and if I can get this in that little hole, I might be able to jimmy them open.” She closed her eyes, picturing what the cuff looked like in her mind and struggled to disregard the cramp in her neck. She could feel the weight of Alex’s gaze on her, but did her best to ignore it.
Her shoulders were screaming in protest and she was beginning to wonder if the whole thing was stupid. Even if she was prone to it, which she was not, Liz didn’t have the luxury of giving up. Finally, after a slight grunt, there was a metallic snick before she sighed in relief. Liz pulled her arms in front of her and groaned as she felt her tendons release their tension. The metal cuff dangled from her left wrist, but her right hand was blessedly free.
“Whoa! How’d you do that?!”
She immediately started working on her second cuff. Alex watched as she slipped the metal between the ring and the mechanism. The second one went a lot faster, now that she could see what she was working on. Alex eagerly turned his back to her. “Great, now do me.”
Liz got started on his cuffs. “Keep an eye on the door and let me know if he’s coming. We need to make sure he doesn’t realize we’re free from these things.”
Alex spared a glance over his shoulder before turning forward to watch the door. He winced as she twisted his arm to a better angle. “Sorry,” she muttered. “We’re going to have to figure out how to get out of this cruiser once our hands are free. They’re built to keep people in, remember?”
“One problem at a time.” The determination in his voice fanned the small spark of hope in her.
*
Alex tried to hold still as she worked on his wrist. He could feel her warm breath on the back of his neck as she leaned forward to get a better look. He’d always known she was resourceful, but this was above and beyond.
“How do you know how to get out of handcuffs, anyway? This isn’t the product of a checkered past, is it?”
He sensed rather than saw her shrug. “No, nothing like that. I just like tinkering and knowing how things work. Mason has left his handcuffs on the breakfast counter enough times that I’ve taken a look out of curiosity. Once you know how something goes together, it’s not that hard. Basically, it’s just another puzzle that needs to be solved.”
As she finished her sentence, Alex felt the cuff on his right wrist release and heaved a sigh of relief. His fingertips felt like they were being stabbed with needles as sensation began to slowly return. “Let me turn around so you can get to this other one more easily.”
He stared at the back of her head as she bowed towards the task at hand. The click of his second cuff releasing snapped him out of his reverie. He berated himself for losing focus when the situation was so dire. “Thank you.”
Alex rubbed the soreness from his wrists and rolled his shoulders and neck a few times to ease the tension that had gathered there. A quick, cursory look at the car doors confirmed his fears. There was no way they were going to be able to get out of the backseat of the cruiser.
“Our best chance is probably going to come when he lets us out. If we’re lucky, he’ll come after me first. That way the element of surprise won’t be wasted.”
Liz nodded at him. “I guess the best thing we can do for now is keep our hands behind our backs and let him think he has us subdued.”
Just then the other two men, both carrying large boxes, came out the back door. The one who had knocked Alex out lead the way, while the timid one followed with his head down. When she saw the second man, Liz leaned across Alex’s lap and loudly cried, “Peter! Peter, it’s me!”
At the sound of his name, the poor man jumped and dropped his box. Wrapped bags about the size of a cinder block fell to the pavement. The other man whirled around. “What the hell, Peck? Do you know what will happen to us if Josh sees you dropping the product on the ground?!”
“S-s-sorry, Jonesy.” He quickly bent down to retrieve the box of drugs.
Jonesy said, “Ignore that bitch unless you want to share her fate. You’re already on thin ice for losing this shipment in the first place.”
Alex watched Liz as she focused on Peter, or what did that guy call him? Peck? Peck shook his head vehemently and stood up. She raised her voice even louder, daring him not to look at her in the window. “Peter! Don’t you remember me? We used to hide out on the back steps and eat lunch together. I stood up for you against Josh that one time. How can you be working for him now?”
Jonesy shoved his face directly in front of her, effectively blocking her view of the other man. Liz flinched and dug her knee in Alex’s thigh, causing him to wince. He nudged her with his shoulder as the man outside the window railed at her.
“Bitch, you better shut the fuck up right now. I don’t know who you think this is, or was, but Peck’s been my boy for the past five years. This Peter guy you’re talking about? He’s fucking dead. Just like you’re going to be.” He slammed his hand against the window for emphasis, causing Liz to startle and pull back further. Alex admired the way she had the wherewithal to keep her hands behind her back as if they were restrained.
The harsh reality of his words sounded like an inevitable death knell. Alex looked at the lovely woman leaning over him, her green eyes filled with a mixture of fear, anger, and determination. She wasn’t going to die any time soon, not if he could help it.
He watched as she craned her neck and looked back towards Peter, who was once again standing with the box in his hands. There was nothing but mute fear and apology in his eyes before he scurried after Jonesy. Alex thought he saw him mouth the word “sorry” to her before turning away.
An expression of deep sorrow crossed her face. Alex regretted the way she pulled herself back to her side of the seat and resisted the urge to wrap his arms around her. “He recognized me. I know he did.” She huddled by the door for a moment, lost.
“Did you know him well?” Alex had been quiet during the whole exchange, but was curious about Liz’s reaction towards the other man.
“Maybe, one time I thought I did. We were never bosom buddies or anything. He was shy and didn’t come out of his shell very often. But I used to share my sandwiches with him during lunch. I had no idea what became of him after school. We sort of drifted our separate ways after my parents died. For a moment, I actually thought he’d help us get out of the car…” Liz trailed off as she thought about that time of her life. Suddenly, she focused on Alex and shot him an enigmatic look. “Don’t you remember him?”
The look of surprise on his face sparked indignation in Liz. “What? I’ve never met that man in my life.”
“Yeah. You have. You and your buddies used to pick on him constantly during high school. He used to take the long way around to his second-floor classes so he wouldn’t have to pass Josh’s
locker.”
Realization dawned in Alex’s eyes, followed by a look of remorse and regret. “That’s Pecker?” He winced at Liz’s furious expression. “Whoa, whoa. That’s not what I meant. I swear, I’m not that guy anymore. It’s just, I’m surprised to see how, um, Peter turned out. That’s all.”
Liz turned to look out the back window at the other car. The crack in her voice had his heart breaking as she said, “Me too.” Neither of the men were visible from where they sat in the backseat, but it didn’t seem to matter. Liz was focused on something from her past.
Josh exited the back door and jolted Liz from her reverie. She faced forward and readjusted her hands behind her back as he barked last minute orders to the hapless pair. Alex saw her shake the memories from her mind and then carefully wipe her face clear of any expression.
Josh climbed into the driver’s seat and gave them a smirk in the rearview mirror before pulling out of the alley. At the first traffic light, he turned away from the police station.
Liz asked, “Where are you taking us?”
Other than another quick glance in the rearview mirror, Josh didn’t respond. Alex and Liz shot each other worried looks. They’d both been secretly hoping this was all a mix-up – or some kind of undercover sting operation. Given Josh’s zealous use of violence, it had been a long shot at best, but even that remote possibility was squashed with the direction they were headed.
It only took a few turns and a few miles before they were surrounded by nothing more than trees. Alex watched with concern as the view outside became more and more remote, but soon realized that he recognized the area. One of his father’s warehouses was located a few miles away.
Not that it would help if they couldn’t get out of the car and away from the man driving it.
They turned down an unpaved road – hardly more than a dirt path –leading out into a field. The car stopped along the back perimeter, its headlights barely cutting through the deep shadows of the woods surrounding them.
Secret Need (The Harper Sisters Book 2) Page 6