Step two: distraction. This escape plan required a distraction, one that happened while she was restraint-free in the bathroom.
“Jesse? Are you there? Jesse!”
Oh my god, not this again. Katarina had no clue who Jesse was or why the woman wanted him or her so bad, but she wished someone would find the asshole already. “Would you please shut up? I can’t think straight!”
She banged her fist twice on the bedrail for good measure, but stopped before the third strike when an idea materialized.
Oh, this could work. This could definitely work.
Without pausing to assess her idea further, Katarina slapped the nurse call button. So what if she’d skipped Kingsley’s memorizing-all-the-pieces-of-the-plan step? The asshole wasn’t here to lecture, and patience had never been her strong suit.
The nurse took seven minutes to respond, and Katarina used every last one to plan. By the time Jasper hurried in, her body buzzed with anticipation.
“You rang?” He smiled down at her, and her excitement grew. Forget a small female nurse. The flirty, young CNA could definitely work in her favor.
“Yeah. Sorry to bother you, but I need to use the bathroom.”
He gasped and slapped a hand on his chest. “How dare you interrupt my busy schedule with such a frivolous request.” Jasper grinned as he began loosening the restraints. “Trust me, there’s no need to apologize. You should hear some of the reasons patients give for calling us into their rooms.”
The left strap fell free. Katarina shook out her wrist as he moved around the bed to the right. “Like what?”
His fingers worked at the material. “Like, ‘oh, can you help me find my glasses? I’ve looked all over, and they aren’t anywhere!’ Narrator’s voice: ‘The patient did not look all over.’” Jasper laughed. “Half the time, they’re sitting on top of the patient’s head.”
The right restraint loosened enough for Katarina to slip her hand free. She caught a hint of body odor when she lifted her arm and slammed that sucker back down. Her goal was to attract this man, not run him off from her foul smell. “Oh wow, bet that’s frustrating as hell, especially when you’re so busy.”
Metal creaked as he pulled the bedrail down so she could stand. She was glad that she’d been working her muscles as much as she could from her prone position, or she might not have had the strength to get onto her feet.
“Nah, it’s honestly okay. Part of my job. Just don’t feel bad about calling for anything, especially when the restraints make it impossible for you to do stuff on your own.”
“Thank you, you’re so sweet.”
As he escorted Katarina to the tiny bathroom opposite the bed, the pink tinge to his cheeks told her the flattery was disarming him. Good. She flashed him a bright smile before shuffling inside the cramped space. The second the door shut, she jumped to work. No locks, but that shouldn’t be a problem as long as she was quiet.
Katarina slipped off her underwear and shoved them in the toilet first. An army of paper towels from the metal holder followed. Once a small mountain formed inside the bowl, she crossed her fingers and flushed.
The contents swirled, and her heart picked up tempo. Come on, come on. Show me the water.
The water level surged and overflowed an instant later, spilling down the white porcelain into puddles on the linoleum floor. Katarina purposely soaked her socks before opening the door. “Help! The toilet is backed up!”
The toilet kept gurgling and running as Jasper hurried over to investigate. His shoes splashed in the growing stream that spilled over into the main room. “Dammit!”
He raked his hands through his hair before turning back to her. “Come with me. Let’s get you somewhere dry until we can fix this.” He led her out to the hall and pointed to the room next door. “You okay to wait here with Mrs. Thomas? She likes to chat when she’s not looking for her son. Hang on a sec.”
Jasper grabbed a passing nurse. “Hey, can someone get a janitor on the line? We’ve got a busted toilet next door that’s leaking all over.”
The woman, who looked to be nearly a hundred years old, nodded. “I’m headed back to the nurses’ station now. I’ll call.”
“Thanks, I’ll be there in a minute.”
He ushered Katarina into the room. “Good morning, Mrs. Thomas. I brought you some company.”
A frail, birdlike old woman with a thin neck and sagging skin speckled with age spots peered at Katarina with round eyes. “Well, hello, dearie. Goodness, are you here for a luncheon? We’re not set up for that quite yet, and I still need my hat. Where is my hat, anyway?”
She patted her straggly gray hair with a frown while glancing around the room.
Jasper cast an anxious glance at the bed. “Sorry, she gets a little confused sometimes.”
Katarina shrugged. “Don’t we all? Hey, do you think I could get some new socks? Mine are soaking wet.” She bent down and stripped off the squishy socks, tossing them into the laundry bin before leaning closer to Jasper and lowering her voice. “As long as you think it’s safe in here. You never know, maybe she only pretends to be a confused old woman to lure in unsuspecting patients.”
“Well, it’s either her or the guy who has a fondness for stabbing people with pens. Don’t ask me where he keeps finding them.”
“In that case, sounds like I’m chilling with Jesse’s mom.” Her gut cramped as she forced a smile. Hurry up. Leave.
Jasper’s shoulders relaxed. “Wise choice. I need to pop out for a few minutes. Hang tight and hit her call light if you need anything.”
“Will do.”
As soon as he disappeared out the door, Katarina scooted closer to the bed. Usually, she’d take her time with this part, finesse the old woman a little, but that wasn’t an option today. She had minutes
