Page 92 of Fighting Conviction
Ellie sighed before yet another wrap of duct tape stuck to her skin. She glanced at Virginia. The investigator had carried her in first and dumped her in the corner of the small kitchen, much like he dumped everything else in his house. She was sickly pale and sweating and her labored breathing hurt just to hear. Ellie couldn’t imagine how it felt. She looked so broken the investigator hadn’t even bothered to bind her.
His mistake.
If Ellie was going to get them out of there, the less she had barring their escape the better.
She glanced around the house for the umpteenth time for exits, hiding spots, and potential weapons. There were drawers in the kitchen she could grab a knife from. A half-full jar of moonshine.
“Your kick ass heels, obvi.”
Ellie tucked her chin to hide her smile. Sasha had always had the knack of making even the worst moments seem manageable. Looking back, its absence was probably why Ellie was paralyzed with fear in the hotel when they were kidnapped.
“It was also a real fucked situation and you were drugged. Don’t beat yourself up, babe.”
Ellie nodded to herself. You’re right. I’ve been working on that… I just think the situation is starting to get to me—
“Don’t let it. Focus. Breathe. You’ve learned a lot of shit from that man of yours. Don’t let it go to waste.”
“There, that should do it. That’ll keep her still until we figure out what to do with her.” The investigator’s knees creaked as he stood up. He tossed the duct tape on the counter in front of him and took a heavy swig from the mason jar of moonshine before taking out a medicine bottle from one of his uniform pockets. His thumb stroked the paper on the outside and he opened it, only to close it again.
“Where are they, Cici? I don’t want all this shit to be for fuckin’ nothin’. What do I do with them if the Russians don’t show?” He pulled out his phone and started typing on it. “I don’t know if I can do this. Can I leave them somewhere? What do I do?”
The line of questioning was like a lifeline, and Ellie grabbed on and held tight. Dev’s words from her countless hours of training filtered through her mind and came out in Sasha’s voice.
“Remember: negotiate. Humanize. Make the captor feel bad for takin’ you.”
“Who’s Cici?”
The investigator stopped typing and laid his phone on the counter to turn to her. “None of your fuckin’ business, girlie.” He tilted his head to the side, like he was craning to hear something. “I don’t care if it wasn’t fuckin’ nice.”
Ellie looked around to the dusty pictures hanging on the wall. There were a few where she could barely make out the pretty woman in the frame with the investigator’s arm wrapped around her.
“Is Cici your wife?”
The investigator grunted and swiped down his face, smearing the sweat accumulating there. He pulled out a lighter and started to flick it, on and off, on and off. A habit. He seemed to get lost in the flame.
Doesn’t that hurt his thumb?
She needed to get his attention. If she got through to him, maybe she could negotiate their way out. “Is that her? The happy woman in that picture?”
He grunted again and looked up at the picture Ellie had nodded to since her hands were still handcuffed behind her back. A problem she’d been trying to work out a solution for since he’d slapped them on. Dev had only taught her the one front handcuff and then she’d gotten him a little… sidetracked.
The investigator walked up to the picture and used his fingers to clear the grime from her face. “Cicilia.”
“Um… sorry? I didn’t hear—”
“Cicilia. She’s my wife.” The investigator staggered back and took another swig from the moonshine. He’d already depleted over half the thirty-two-ounce jar in their short time together.
“Cicilia is your wife?”
“Was. Gone now.” He pulled his phone from his pocket.
“Don’t let him make that call, girl. Whoever he kidnapped you for could be waiting on the other line.”
“H-how long were you married?”
He huffed and lingered his gaze over the picture again. “Thirty years.” He took another sip and sucked in a breath through his teeth before exhaling.
Despite everything, Ellie’s heart ached for him. “H-how long has she been gone?”
