Page 135 of The Widower
“Needles. Get them.”
Marcos barked the order to one of his men. The guy went to a small bag they’d brought, rummaged through it, then handed him a pouch.
“You know… some people can handle pain you can’t even imagine. Tough as nails.”
I said nothing. I couldn’t even look at him; my eyes were nearly swollen shut from the beating.
“Let’s see if a spoiled man like you fits that profile.”
His lackey lifted the chair upright again.
“This is your last chance to tell me where they are.”
“Go to hell.”
“Perfect.”
Then I understood what the needles were for. When they slid under my fingernails, the pain was indescribable.
“Boss, I found where they are! I broke into one of the bedrooms, but there’s another door inside that needs a code.”
Through the haze of my half-blurred vision, I saw Marcos glance at me—different this time.He was clearly planning something.
CHAPTER 31
“There’s light even in the darkness…”
ISABELLE CAMPBELL
I could hear Colin’s screams and knew he was being tortured.
It’s my fault.
We’d been in the room off his bedroom for a few minutes, and through the other door inside that room I realized we might be able to get out.
Colin had probably spent a lot of time here—the photos of his children filled the space. I’d assumed he only used this room for work, but I was wrong. This was his private corner.
Something else I hadn’t noticed the first time was the size of the room—it felt like more than two thousand square feet.
I moved toward the second door, hoping to get out of the mansion, but another code was required.
“I don’t know that code, Isabelle,” Joshua said.I had no idea what to do.
“Think!”
There wasn’t time for thinking. We needed to get out and call the police, but I had no clue how to do either. The worst part was Colin’s screams—getting louder—and I was terrified he wouldn’t hold on.
“I’ll try the same code.”
I typed 1012, but nothing happened. I tried it backward, too, with no luck.
I searched every corner of the room for some clue, but found nothing.Desperate and frantic, I didn’t know what to try first.
I closed my eyes and thought fast.
How do you get out of a room when you don’t have the code? It’s impossible...Then a spark popped into my head.
No—that only happens in movies...
