Page 45 of Casey's Hero

Casey tried to sit up, but her arms were secured behind her, bound at the wrist by what felt like thick tape. When she moved her legs, they moved simultaneously, bound at the ankle much like her wrists.

A moan sounded behind her.

Casey rocked her body back and forth and then rolled hard to her right, over her arms, and onto her other side.

Kalea lay beside her, her eyes wide. She tried to say something, but her words only came out as a garbled hum behind the tape sealing her mouth like Casey’s.

Casey rolled back to her other side, scooted, inched and slid across the cool ceramic tile until her fingers were close to Kalea’s face. With her hands bound, she couldn’t maneuver easily, so it took her a while to pull the tape from Kalea’s face.

Once it was off, Kalea gasped. “Oh, thank God. I was so worried about you after that asshole knocked you out.” She spoke in a whisper.

Casey started to roll back to face Kalea.

“Wait,” Kalea said. “Don’t roll over. Let me see if I can tear the tape away from your wrists with my teeth.”

Casey could feel Kasey moving around behind her, and then her friend’s nose pressed against the inside of her arm, and her teeth scraped her wrist.

It took Kalea several minutes of gnawing at the tape before Casey heard the sound of something ripping.

“There,” Kalea grunted. “I got it started. Hold on. Let me rip it some more.” She worked at the tape, tearing it away a tiny bit at a time. As she worked the tape loose, Casey could move her wrists more and more.

Finally, she pulled them apart as hard as she could, and the rest of the tape ripped open. Then she twisted and turned her hands until she worked one of them free. Bringing them around to the front of her body, she peeled the remainder loose andthrew it to the side. Then she eased the tape off her face. “Kalea. Are you hurt?”

“Just bruised where they dumped me on the boat deck. I think I have a knot on my head, but nothing like you. Are you okay? You were out for a long time.”

“How long?” Casey asked as she fought to tear the tape away from her ankles.

“Long enough for them to get us off Oahu and to another island.”

Casey froze with her fingers on the end of the tape. “Do you think they brought us to Kauai?”

Kalea nodded. “The bad news is that we’re hostages. The good news is that I think they brought us to where they’re holding Hawk. If we can get free, we might be able to get him out as well.”

“Jacob and Hank are supposed to be on their way to extract Hawk,” Casey unwound the tape from her ankles. “The cavalry is on the way, as long as they know we need rescuing, too.” When she was completely free, she slid across the tile to Kalea and tore at the tape on her wrists. When she couldn’t find the free end, she gave up and tore at the tape with her teeth like Kalea had done. Once she had a tear started, she was able to rip through the rest and free her friend’s hands.

She moved on to Kalea’s ankles. Together, they found the end and could unwrap the three layers of tape, one loop at a time.

As soon as they were free, Casey pushed to her feet, ignoring the aches and pains of having been tossed and thrown several times over the past hour or more. The pain was a welcome reminder that she was still alive and able to think and come up with a plan to get out of this mess.

She crossed to the only door leading into the room. Light shone through the cracks and beneath the door. Voices sounded beyond, all speaking Spanish.

“Do you understand what they’re saying?” Kalea asked.

“It’s too muffled. I can’t make out their words.” Casey pressed her ear to the panel and listened. “I hear several men and one woman.”

Kalea snorted. “Probably that witch, Camila. I’d like to get my hands on her and rip her apart.”

“You and me both.” Casey left the door. “Stand here and listen. Let me know if you hear anyone coming to the door. We’ll have to pretend we’re still bound and unconscious long enough for them to get close.”

Kalea nodded. “What are you going to do?”

“There has to be another way out of this room.” Casey felt along the wall, using the little bit of light coming from beneath the door. She stubbed her toe and banged her knee on something in her way and muttered a soft curse. When she bent to feel what it was, she discovered a small wooden table pushed up against the wall. It wasn’t very sturdy, with only narrow, spindly legs. Moving around it, she continued her fumbling perusal of the room and its contents. It didn’t take long. She didn’t find another door or window, but she did find a pile of rags and an old blanket. She rejoined Kalea at the door. “This is the only exit. The room must be a really small bedroom or a storage closet.”

“So, to get out, we have to go through here,” Kalea said, testing the knob. It didn’t turn. “It’s locked.”

“I don’t suppose you have a credit card or hairpin on you?” Casey asked.

“Nothing. My purse is back in your apartment,” Kalea said.

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