you a cloth so you can bathe.”
“You know,” Sarah said. “Your parents should have called you Waldo.”
“Why’s that?” he asked, wondering if he should smile or not.
“Because when you go missing it will be hilarious.”
“You sure have a big mouth. We’ll use that mouth later for a big job. Watch yourself, Sarah. Act accordingly or pay heavy consequences. You and I will either get along, or you’ll hate the last year of your life stuck down here waiting for me.”
Rod stood at Drake’s cell door.
“Pull up your pant legs around the ankles,” Elmore ordered.
Rod bent and did as he was told. Nothing there but socks that rose just above the ankle and then flesh.
“Good. I will assume that’s all of your weapons,” Elmore said, pointing at the floor. “If that isn’t, I don’t have to tell you how bad things will get.”
Rod nodded. “That’s it.”
“All your friends are dead, but you probably already know that. Now, you are all my prisoners. Tomorrow, after I find out whether anyone else is coming or not, I will execute Drake first, unless, of course, he does me the favor and dies through the night.”
He turned on his heels, grabbed all of Rod’s weapons, strode up the stairs, and locked the basement door, the whole time laughing maniacally.
Chapter 29
Rod had done everything to comfort Drake that he could. Drake now lay back on the mattress with Rod’s jacket as a pillow. The belt had been loosened and then tied up again to allow circulation to Drake’s lower leg, even though the blood loss had slowed some. Rod explained that the leg wound wasn’t enough to kill him. But he would need medical attention within a few days to avoid infection and to get the bullet out.
They had talked for hours. It was difficult to know what time it was in the dark. Sarah felt it had to be evening based on how tired she had gotten.
Her wound was so small it wouldn’t need stitches. She knew how lucky she had been, and as the day turned to what they thought was evening, she told them she’d rest while they stayed awake and then she would take her turn, staying up through the night while they slept.
Before she nodded off, Rod had apologized profusely at his failure in getting them out. He’d asked if Vivian had been in contact, and Sarah told him the truth. Vivian had been strangely quiet lately, but it might have been on account that Sarah hadn’t had anything to write with.
When Sarah woke, she listened but couldn’t hear anything from the other cell.
They must’ve fallen asleep.
That made sense. Why sleep in shifts when they’d all wake fast enough if Elmore came down.
She lay in the dark trying her best to work on a plan of escape. She couldn’t believe what lay before her. How could she have gotten caught so easily again? And what about Drake? She’d finally found a man she could spend time with and now he’d been shot because of her.
After she saved his life at the ball game, she didn’t have to stay on the run with him.
What’s that all about?
Why did she? Was he rubbing off on her, or was she rubbing off on him?
She chastised herself. How could she be thinking about Drake at a time like that? She had to figure out a way to get them all out of the cages. She could ruminate all she wanted on relationships when she was safe outside Elmore’s prison.
The door upstairs opened slowly at that moment. Even though it was dark and her eyes wide, she saw nothing.
The single bulb dangling in front of her cell flicked on.
She closed her eyes and the plan hit her.
Perfect. It has to work.
She monitored Elmore’s movements by the noises he made. He moved with stealth so as to not wake anyone, which made it difficult for her to determine exactly where he was at any given time. For her plan to work, she had to be ready and that meant she had to know where he was.
A subtle scrape of his foot on the floor. A soft crinkle of his shirt. Then nothing.
She lay as still as she could, making sure he would be convinced she was still asleep.
He cleared his throat. He stood close, but not inside her cell yet. Her cell door hadn’t unlocked.
It’ll come at any moment. Just wait. It’ll come.
A match scraped across the striker.
Perfect. Here we go.
It landed on her leg and fizzled out. She ignored the pain and didn’t flinch or move. She couldn’t afford to. This situation was too important. She’d only get one crack at it.
He struck more matches. It sounded like more than one. She braced for the burn.
It almost made her cry out, but she cringed on the inside and counted to five in her head. She made it without showing him any sign that she was awake.
Her heart beat fast, but she forced her breathing to look long and deep.
“Sarah?” Elmore whispered. “Wake up or I’ll keep doing this.”
That’s what I’m hoping for, idiot.
There was a certain agitation in his voice. Probably not many captives before her defied him like she did. He wouldn’t like it. He only wanted compliance.
Well, fuck him.
Another match struck, then a flare-up.
This is it. He’s lit a whole book of matches.
He tossed it and she snapped awake, slid off the mattress and let the burning book of matches fall to the bed. Then she grabbed the small fire and brought it down to the edge of the mattress.
“What are you doing?” Elmore screamed.
“Burning your house down. It’s over. Everything you own will be gone.”
“Noooo,” he screamed.
“Too late. We’re all going to die here — so I’ll burn your house to the ground with a huff and a puff because I’m your big bad wolf.”
Sarah blew out softly on the small flames. The mattress was catching, flames licking up the side.
“Stop that! Stop it now or I will shoot you in the face.”
“Go ahead. Better than you touching me.” Sarah crossed her arms and smiled. She knew the smug attitude and the I don’t care if I die facade would drive him crazy.
“Sarah, no. Stop it. We can talk about this.”
The side of the mattress, about a foot in height, was aflame and growing. Sarah grabbed the edge of the mattress and lifted, leaned it against the wall so the rising flames would have the whole length to consume. That’s when the lock to her cell door clicked.
Perfect. Here we go.
Elmore headed for the burning bed to stamp out the flames. He didn’t get four feet into the cell before Sarah dove at him like tackling a quarterback. She flailed at him, arms pinwheeling, feet kicking.
They rolled, a tangle of limbs. Drake and Rod screamed at her.
She tried for his throat but he smacked her hand away. With all her weight leaning forward, she attempted to push her elbow down onto his neck.
The burning mattress had become so hot, she had to pull her face back. Elmore caught her shift in weight and pushed in that direction, knocking her off. She rolled onto the floor and smacked the cement wall.
He pulled a syringe out of his side pocket. He lunged at her and shoved the needle toward her thigh, but she pushed off the wall, rolled toward his feet, and missed the tip of the needle by millimeters.
