Page 82 of Hidden Raphael
"Will you?" The question flew out of her mouth.
"Now, that all depends on the game we play."
Her stomach churned. Harry was tall, with gray hair and crooked teeth. She inhaled and went a few steps with him. She'd need her hand back if she intended to use that Taser and knock him out.
She bit on her lower lip and then told him, "I'm not a fan of games. What do I need to do so I live to see my mom again?"
Harry released her, but pointed for her to sit on some bench that must have come from the helicopter. With her shaky legs, she followed orders. Then he asked her, "Did the big, muscular guy here have a name?"
Her eyebrows arched. "Huh?"
Harry folded his hands. "When he raped you, did he ever want you to call him by a name?"
Raphael said nothing, but the frown on his face said plenty. She swallowed. Raphael glared at her, and she rubbed her neck. "Yeah. Ralph."
"Ralph?" Harry turned his back to her and stared at Raphael. It was as close to his name as she could think without giving him away. Raphael’s jaw clenched as his green eyes stared at her hard.
Now. Kimberly dropped the bag on the bench and wrapped her fingers around the Taser. She steadied her grip with both hands.
Harry turned back to her and yelled, "What the—"
She snapped the Taser like it was a gun, and two things flew out of the contraption. She swallowed and watched Harry as she held the Taser as steady as she could. His entire body shook from the electric shocks.
She grabbed the bag and rushed to Raphael.
"Get the gun."
Right. It had been her intention, but wildness had taken over her mind. She ran back to Harry and took the gun from his shaking grip, then opened the bag as she hurried to Raphael.
"I have scissors. One second."
He grunted at her more than spoke. "Give me the gun."
His bruises on his abdomen were purple and green. "Your hands are behind your back."
He smiled without dimples. "Just place the gun in the palms of my hands."
She tilted her head. "Why?"
The intensity in his stare would melt ice. "I don't trust you with it."
She nodded. Truthfully, she didn’t trust herself. "I thought you were going to shoot from behind your back like they do in the movies."
He rolled his eyes. "Impossible. Use the scissors and cut my legs free."
Her lips trembled still, but she followed orders. She handed him the gun, and then went to work on the wire with the scissors.
The outer casing was easy to fray, but the wires bent the fragile blades. She chopped, but the metal simply adjusted to what she did.
"You're doing great, my love."
My love? What? Her heart hammered a little differently, but she kept sawing. Every second felt like an hour. One small piece of metal cut, but there was more. Her upper arm ached from her effort. "How long do we have?"
Another small piece of the metal cut, but this was slow. Raphael grunted. Kimberly glanced over to check on Harry. She couldn’t spot Roger at all. "Are you okay?"
His dimples now appeared on his face, and she exhaled. "Yeah. Don't stop now, Kimberly."
She nodded and used the scissors more like a knife. Finally she broke more pieces free. Her small limbs worked without complaint but her body was almost numb. At last, Raphael fell to the ground and rolled on his knees. He then said, "Give me the scissors."
