Page 113 of Silver Linings

“You should have fucking led with that information.”

“I didn’t know if she had it on, or if it was charged. I didn’t want to get your hopes up. The important thing is, I have a lock on where they are.”

Thirty-Five

The cold was the first thing that hit her. She shivered uncontrollably; it felt like she was laying naked in the snow. But that couldn’t be right. She didn’t live in Connecticut anymore. Texas was her home now. Gunner, her…and Sage! Where the hell was her baby?

A moan ripped from her throat as her eyes flew open. Her body immediately rejected the idea of moving, the room spinning as she strained to get her bearings.

“Lily?” the whisper of her name hit her ears. She wasn’t alone. “Lily? Oh, thank you, God. I was so worried.”

“Sloane? What happened?”

“He drugged us.”

“He? Is Sage here? Have you been taking care of her?” Lily finally found the strength to sit up, but as soon as she did, she realized what a dire situation they were in. Her hands were zip tied together. Whoever had taken her had removed her clothes except for her bra and underwear, and there was nothing in the room with her and Sloane except for cold concrete walls and floors.

“No, Lil, I’m so sorry.” A sob tore from Lily’s throat. What had they done with her baby? “Shh, Lily. Please, you have to be quiet. I don’t want him to know you’re awake yet.” Lily watched Sloane move from her corner of the cell, stepping into the light from a small lamp on the floor. Lily gasped. She could see fresh bruises covering Sloane’s face and a split open bottom lip. Dried blood caked her nose and ear.

“W-what did he d-do with my b-baby?” her mind was spiraling, and for a second she just wanted the sweet relief of darkness to pull her away.

“Lil, I think he messed up the dose he gave me. It’s common for people with red hair to need more anesthetic to achieve the desired effects. While you passed out immediately, I stayed awake for a few more minutes, although I pretended to be out of it. It doesn’t matter…” she shook her head slightly. “The man who took us left Sage behind.”

“Oh, God.”

“Someone will have found her. He didn’t hide her. Just left her right there in her crib. I’m sure she’s fine. Gunner has to have found out what happened by now.”

“Do you know what time it is?”

“No, but it’s dark outside. I was just up in the house. He…” she shook her head. “It doesn’t matter. It’s dark outside. I don’t know how far we traveled or where we are, but I didn’t see any other houses from looking out the windows.”

“What if she’s not okay, Sloane? What if she’s just been in that little room all alone and no one gets to her in time?”

“I know it’s so tough, Lily, but I need you to just tell yourself that she’s safe. Tell yourself over and over that she’s okay, because we need to focus on getting ourselves out of here.”

“So, you saw him? The man who took us?”

“One of the brilliant perks of not being as affected by whatever they drugged us with is that yes, I’ve come face to face with the bastard. Lily, I’m so sorry. He’s the client I started seeing last week.” Something pinged in Lily’s memory. The client she’d seen last week. He’d come for his appointment. Why couldn’t she remember him?

“Why did he hurt you and not me?”

“He hurt me because I fought back for both of us. I scratched the asshole right in his face. Pretty sure I’ve got lots of his DNA on me, in case he gets away. I’m going to keep doing that until the guys come for us.”

“How will they find us?”

“I’ll tell you after we’re out of this hellhole. Right now, I just need you to focus on slowing your breathing down. I don’t think I can carry you if you pass out.”

“I think I can do that.”

“I know you can. Because once you do, I’m going to tell you how we survive this.”

It felt like a lifetime passed as Lily worked to get her breathing under control. She pushed all the worry for Gunner and Sage out of her mind and focused on what Sloane had said. She knew how to get them out, and Lily was going to follow her no matter what.

“Good, Lily.” Sloane smiled, but winced as her lip reopened. “That asshole. Okay, here’s the deal. We need to break out of our zip ties.”

Lily started pulling at her hands.

“No, no. Not like that. You’re just going to cut up your skin doing it that way. You need to watch what I do. That idiot gave us a gift by keeping our hands in front of us.”

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