Page 24 of Wicked Suspicion

With a start, she realized she’d been standing there too long. Sliding the drawer shut, she slipped the phone in her pocket and returned to the table. Nyx didn’t manage to sit before the patrol went past the window, but he didn’t glance her way. With a soft sigh, she sank into her chair and tried to think things through.

The hacienda was far enough away from San Isidro that it was unlikely there was reliable cell service. As if this mobile was even on a plan any longer. Vargas and his minions probably used satellite phones to ensure connectivity.

A phone conveniently in the room? That bothered her, but all the drawers were filled with junk. It had probably been forgotten years ago.

Nyx covered her pocket with her hand. This was the best chance she had to get a message out if she could get the mobile to charge. And if it connected to something long enough for her to send a text. A voice call was out of the question with her guard standing just outside the library.

She scanned the room again. This time she looked for an electrical outlet. The only one she saw was below the window directly opposite the door.

Maybe she should smuggle it to the suite and charge it there? Except what if they searched her before returning her to the room? They very well might, and if she got caught with it, things would go bad fast.

The phone was small and the space was crowded. She’d take her chances that her jailor wouldn’t notice it when he turned to check on her. Her heart beat faster as she waited for the patrol to pass. It seemed to take forever for him to appear and even longer to clear the window. She forced herself to count to thirty before she scurried for the outlet.

This was scarier than when she’d checked out the drawers. At least then she could claim to be looking for a pad of paper and a pen. Now? She’d be caught cold with a phone in her possession.

Nyx plugged it in and tried to position it in the most discreet location possible. The dark floor helped, but the outlet was in the white wall. It left the cord starkly exposed. If the guard noticed it and questioned her, she’d play dumb. He wouldn’t believe her, but she wasn’t giving up an opportunity to get an SOS out.

No matter how terrified she was.

She tried to focus on the papers. How long would it take before the phone had enough charge to light up? Would it work? Could she get a message out? What would she say to Archer?

Her hands shook and Nyx fisted them in her lap, out of view of anyone who glanced at her. She needed to get control of her fear. Emotion got people killed. Her dad had told her that many times. She had to stay calm.

Focusing on the words was impossible. The writing was swirly and faded, the paper fragile, and she was too aware of the phone. Nyx wanted to check it, to see if she could use it, but it was less than ten minutes since she’d plugged it in. If she went back and forth, it would increase her chances of getting caught. The risk was too great.

Her dad would tell her to be patient.

The door opened abruptly. “Señor Vargas wants to know if you’ve found anything yet,” the guard demanded.

Nyx had to take a breath before she could speak. “Not yet. It’s difficult for me to read the old Spanish.” It wasn’t completely untrue. The state of the documents did make it hard.

The guard stood in the doorway, unmoving, and she hoped like hell that the phone didn’t beep or flash or do anything else to call attention to itself. She drew another deep breath. The precariousness of the situation left her on the verge of hyperventilating.

“Señor Vargas has guests coming tonight. You have half an hour. I suggest you apply yourself. You do not want to make excuses to el patron when he meets with you next.”

With another loud thunk, the door closed behind him and Nyx took a few minutes to calm herself. And to make sure he wasn’t returning. She waited for the patrol to pass, then slowly—carefully—made her way to the phone. It didn’t turn on.

Did it need to be charged longer or was it completely dead? Unrecoverable? She didn’t know enough about phones from this generation to have a guess.

Half an hour.

She glanced at the clock. She’d give the phone another fifteen minutes and check again.

The time crawled by. Nyx found it impossible to focus on the historical documents. This wasn’t something she was particularly interested in, not like Frankie. Still, the idea of an angry Vargas was enough to force her to read through a few pages, skimming slowly.

Fifteen minutes felt like a hundred and fifty years, but finally, it was time to check the phone. Drawing a deep, shaky breath, Nyx watched for the patrol to pass before heading to the outlet. She tried for a saunter, but her legs felt jerky.

Would the mobile turn on? If it did, would it make noise?

She better have a plan in case it did. Her heart was in her throat as she crouched to pick up the phone. With one finger on the volume, she pressed the power button. The instant she saw something light up, she pressed to take the sound to zero.

Nyx didn’t make it. There was a low tone before she had it muted.

She glanced over to the door, but the guard wasn’t paying attention. Maybe it had been soft enough, short enough, that he hadn’t heard it. Her breath came out serrated, but adrenaline was flowing through her body like water going over Niagara Falls.

The battery level was at one. As for cell connectivity, she didn’t have a single bar. She couldn’t afford to wait any longer, though. Rushing back to her chair, Nyx held the phone below the table and flipped it open. There was no keyboard.

How did she send a text without a keyboard?

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