Page 62 of Indecent Secrets

Okay, Leigh, think. Think! I couldn’t lift my upper body up, and I couldn’t bring my legs down because of the rope. There had to be another way out.

Although, the rope was tied rather crudely. David hadn’t been on the sailing team at Harvard, that was for sure. If my hands were in front of me rather than behind my back, I could possibly lift myself up like doing a crunch and untie the rope. But how could I manage that when my hands were behind my back?

If I was some kind of super-flexible acrobat I could get my arms down and hook them under my legs… But I couldn’t, my arms just weren’t…

Unless…I remembered watching a high school boyfriend showing off how to get his hands out of being tied behind his back, in a very unique way. At the time, I’d been horrified by his performance. Now, I was grateful for the knowledge.

I swallowed, feeling once again the soreness in my neck where David had choked me into unconsciousness. What I was about to do was going to fucking hurt. But it was hurt, or die. And I wasn’t fucking dying because of a Harvard legacy prick.

With a muffled scream, I yanked my arms down and arched my back. Pain ripped through me as I popped both shoulders out of their sockets. Tears blurred my vision. I’d never been in so much agony before, fuck, fuck, fuck.

But now my arms were looser.

I pulled my feet back as far as I could, screaming again with the effort. I had to hope that David couldn’t hear me, or that if he did he thought they were screams of fear.

The towel bar came loose from the wall. Just a little.

The water was a couple inches deep now. It covered my throat and lapped at my chin. Another few moments and I would be underwater.

I kept yanking, sobbing with pain and effort, until one of the screws popped free, and the rope came closer, pulling my knees in a bit. Just enough.

I worked my arms down my body, over my feet so that they were now in front, and undid the rope with shaky fingers. The moment it fell away, I was able to drop my feet down into the tub and scoot up to sitting.

First, I undid my feet with fumbling fingers, then ripped the duct tape off my mouth. It hurt, but I bit my tongue and stayed quiet. David would be able to tell when my screams were no longer muffled by the tape.

Now, my arms.

Whimpering, I stood on shaky legs and faced the wall of the tub. One… two…

With a bitten-off scream of pain, I slammed my shoulder against the wall, shoving it back into its socket. I did the same with the other arm as fast as I could, before the pain could overwhelm the shock.

My hands were still bound by duct tape, but at least I could walk around and talk now. I turned off the water and looked around for a weapon.

There—the toilet lid.

I removed the top piece and took up position behind the door, sure that David would be up to check on me soon to make sure I’d died.

Within a few minutes, I heard footsteps. They were softer than I’d expected, like David was trying not to disturb anyone. Was there perhaps someone else in the house he didn’t want knowing about this? His father, maybe? I didn’t know where I was, after all. This could be a hotel for all I knew.

The door opened, and I swung with all my might.

It was the mirror that saved him.

The man ducked so that my weapon went sailing over his head, having seen me move in the mirror’s reflection. His reflexes were far faster than average, and I realized with a lurch that it couldn’t be David. There was no way—

Two strong hands wrapped around me from behind as the momentum of my swing knocked me off-balance. They grabbed onto the toilet lid. “Shh, shh, stop, shh, it’s okay, we have to be quiet, shh.”

A sob wracked my body as I recognized the voice, and all the fight went out of me.

It was Bryce.

He took the toilet lid from my numb fingers and set it down, then caught me as my knees gave out. I sobbed uncontrollably, shaking, unable to even speak in relief. Bryce held me tightly, and after a moment I realized he was shaking too.

“It’s okay, baby,” he murmured into my ear. “I’ve got you, you’re safe now. You’re safe. I’ve got you.”

I clung to him as he rocked me, his hand stroking through my soaked hair, until eventually my sobs and hiccups calmed down. Bryce kissed my forehead. “That’s it. You’re safe. I’ve got you.”

“David…” I whispered.

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