and blunt cheekbones had all the softness of chiseled marble.
I dug my damp fingers into the wooden arm and tried to hop back to the table. That’s when I felt it—a slight give in the chair’s right arm. I tossed my head, flipping it defiantly and surreptitiously looked down. Yes! A sliver of pale wood winked back from where it had worked free of the joint. But my rocking made it too slow.
If I tipped myself over, maybe the chair would break and I could slip off my light manacles. And maybe knock myself out in the process. Sweat pooled under my arms. I dug the toes of my sneakers into the grout line and pushed back. My thighs trembled as I balanced my weight.
Tobias’s eyes narrowed and he straightened. “American culture is rife with opportunities for fatal accidents.”
I shook my head. Wood creaked in protest. I took a deep breath. Just a little more and I’d be falling. I could fall, falling was easy. Landing was the hard part. If I passed out again…
“How quickly do you want the body found?”
Body. No. No. I didn’t want to die. I could do this. If I didn’t escape, I was as good as dead. My toe slipped out of the grout line and I landed hard.
“No, ma’am I don’t think it matters.” He glanced down at the silver key fob in his hand. His thumb worried the opal. “Konstantin already knows we found the body. They set up their rendezvous at the drop site.”
Calmness cloaked me. Gone were the fever and chills, the joint aches and throbbing bones. Taking a deep breath, I braced myself against the grout line and leaned back. The chair slid back without tipping. Dang it.
“Yes, ma’am, I’ll hold.” His eyes narrowed and he covered the mouthpiece with his hand. “If you don’t stop struggling, you will hurt yourself.”
I’d rather be hurt than dead. I flipped him a double bird and pushed against the floor with my toes. The chair balanced on its hind legs. I pressed my torso against the curved back and fell.
Success! My body tensed for impact.
“Son of a bitch!” Footsteps whispered against the tile as the G-douche rushed forward.
My stomach floated into my mouth then the chair back clattered to the floor. Round spindles dug into my back and air whooshed from my lungs. My head snapped back. Despite hitting the carpet, stars danced in front of my eyes.
“Are you trying to kill yourself?” He loomed over me and the shadows swallowed his features.
What? Was he afraid I was poaching on his territory? I jerked on my restraints. An eighth of an inch of unstained wood appeared in the arm joint. Excellent. A couple more falls and I should have one arm free.
Pinching his phone against his ear with his shoulder, he swept his fingers down the back of my skull. “You don’t even have the sense of an obecht .”
I winced when he touched the knot on the back. Maybe not, but I had the self-preservation of a Rottweiler. And if I didn’t succeed in escaping, all the bruises on my body would raise some questions that couldn’t be explained away as an accident.
Shaking his head, he clasped the back of my chair and hauled me, chair and all, upright.
I clamped down a surge of victory. Ha, he didn’t know it but he’d just helped me big time.
He swept a hand down his face before wagging an index finger at me. “Behave.”
Yeah like that was going to happen. I’d behaved all my life and look where that had gotten me.
“I’m serious.” He plucked the silver key fob off the tile and aimed it at me. “I can restrain you in other, less pleasant ways.”
What did he think this was—a walk in the sunshine? I glared at him and worked the chair’s right arm back and forth in its joint. As soon as I broke free, I would beat him with it.
“I will not warn you again.”
Still keeping eye contact with him, I found the grout line and pushed with my toes. The chair balanced on the back legs. Ha! Victory was mine!
Leaping forward, he clamped a hand on the back and pulled me forward until the
I dug my damp fingers into the wooden arm and tried to hop back to the table. That’s when I felt it—a slight give in the chair’s right arm. I tossed my head, flipping it defiantly and surreptitiously looked down. Yes! A sliver of pale wood winked back from where it had worked free of the joint. But my rocking made it too slow.
If I tipped myself over, maybe the chair would break and I could slip off my light manacles. And maybe knock myself out in the process. Sweat pooled under my arms. I dug the toes of my sneakers into the grout line and pushed back. My thighs trembled as I balanced my weight.
Tobias’s eyes narrowed and he straightened. “American culture is rife with opportunities for fatal accidents.”
I shook my head. Wood creaked in protest. I took a deep breath. Just a little more and I’d be falling. I could fall, falling was easy. Landing was the hard part. If I passed out again…
“How quickly do you want the body found?”
Body. No. No. I didn’t want to die. I could do this. If I didn’t escape, I was as good as dead. My toe slipped out of the grout line and I landed hard.
“No, ma’am I don’t think it matters.” He glanced down at the silver key fob in his hand. His thumb worried the opal. “Konstantin already knows we found the body. They set up their rendezvous at the drop site.”
Calmness cloaked me. Gone were the fever and chills, the joint aches and throbbing bones. Taking a deep breath, I braced myself against the grout line and leaned back. The chair slid back without tipping. Dang it.
“Yes, ma’am, I’ll hold.” His eyes narrowed and he covered the mouthpiece with his hand. “If you don’t stop struggling, you will hurt yourself.”
I’d rather be hurt than dead. I flipped him a double bird and pushed against the floor with my toes. The chair balanced on its hind legs. I pressed my torso against the curved back and fell.
Success! My body tensed for impact.
“Son of a bitch!” Footsteps whispered against the tile as the G-douche rushed forward.
My stomach floated into my mouth then the chair back clattered to the floor. Round spindles dug into my back and air whooshed from my lungs. My head snapped back. Despite hitting the carpet, stars danced in front of my eyes.
“Are you trying to kill yourself?” He loomed over me and the shadows swallowed his features.
What? Was he afraid I was poaching on his territory? I jerked on my restraints. An eighth of an inch of unstained wood appeared in the arm joint. Excellent. A couple more falls and I should have one arm free.
Pinching his phone against his ear with his shoulder, he swept his fingers down the back of my skull. “You don’t even have the sense of an obecht .”
I winced when he touched the knot on the back. Maybe not, but I had the self-preservation of a Rottweiler. And if I didn’t succeed in escaping, all the bruises on my body would raise some questions that couldn’t be explained away as an accident.
Shaking his head, he clasped the back of my chair and hauled me, chair and all, upright.
I clamped down a surge of victory. Ha, he didn’t know it but he’d just helped me big time.
He swept a hand down his face before wagging an index finger at me. “Behave.”
Yeah like that was going to happen. I’d behaved all my life and look where that had gotten me.
“I’m serious.” He plucked the silver key fob off the tile and aimed it at me. “I can restrain you in other, less pleasant ways.”
What did he think this was—a walk in the sunshine? I glared at him and worked the chair’s right arm back and forth in its joint. As soon as I broke free, I would beat him with it.
“I will not warn you again.”
Still keeping eye contact with him, I found the grout line and pushed with my toes. The chair balanced on the back legs. Ha! Victory was mine!
Leaping forward, he clamped a hand on the back and pulled me forward until the
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