Page 52 of Save Me
Her attention turned to the front of the trunk where a beam of light shown through the split back seats. She scooted closer and peeked through the slats.
She could see him singing along to the song, tapping the steering wheel as if he was having the time of his life. She laid her hand on the back of the seat and was surprised when it fell forward, leaving half of the trunk now exposed to the front of the car. Since the music was so loud, he hadn’t even heard a thing.
Scooting her upper body forward, she searched the floorboard of the back seat. Here, she found a heavy tire iron and a thick rope.
She thought about hitting him over the head with the tire iron, but could she muster up enough strength to knock him out? What would happen to her if she didn’t? He could snatch it from her and use it on her?
Then she thought about the rope and realized that was the only way to ensure she stayed in control.
Slowly and as quietly as she could, she pulled her legs out of the trunk, squatted, and positioned herself directly behind the driver seat. She made sure to stay out of the range of the rearview mirror. Wrapping the ropes around her hands, she waited until she felt the car slow down before she made her move.
With thoughts of seeing her daughter and Brock again, she used all her strength to shove the rope over his head and around his neck and the headrest. She leaned back as far as she could against the ropes, cutting off his air.
The car jerked forward as his foot jammed on the brakes while his hands left the steering wheel, letting the car jerk off the road towards the ditch.
She wanted to scream and grab the wheel, but she held fast and braced herself as best as she could for the crash. Only, it didn’t come. Instead, the car continued into the tall grass and even sped up when his foot jammed on the gas pedal while he desperately tried to reach around and free himself.
She braced her knees against the back of the seat, leaning far back out of his reach while the rope tightened around his neck. She wasn’t going to allow him to touch her. Not again.
She didn’t know how long the car continued to drive through the dark field of grass or how long she fought to hold the rope around his neck.
When the car started to slow and he began to stop fighting, she still held fast, putting all of her weight on the rope, even as it bit into the skin on her palms. Blood oozed out of her skin and the joints and bones in her fingers ached and cried to be released from the pressure.
Only after the car came to a complete stop and the man stopped fighting did she let up on the rope a little. She hovered there for a few moments, scared that he’d jerk awake and she’d lose once more.
The music on the radio was still blaring so loudly that she couldn’t hear if he was breathing. Deciding not to chance it, she let the rope slip to his chest. She wrapped it a couple times around his chest and tied it tightly in a knot.
Leaning forward, she reached up and shut off the music. The silence caused her head to spin. Her ears rang, as if missing the noise. She waited several heartbeats, never once taking her eyes off of the man, before searching the car for a cell phone.
She found one along with a gun in the glove box.
When she dialed 911, she felt some sense of relief upon hearing the operator’s voice. But then everything burst out of her, and she was barely able to get a legible word out.
After spewing what had happened to her, her name, both of them, Crissy Talbot and Amber Oswald, she explained that she didn’t know where she was. Didn’t know how far he’d driven her.
Seeing the clock on the dash, she realized it had been roughly an hour since she and the Millers had been seated at Oscar’s.
She held onto the phone tightly as she continued to talk back and forth with the dispatcher, clinging desperately to the hope that they would find her soon.
Almost fifteen minutes later, she could hear the sirens of a police cruiser that had been sent out looking for her.
The operator had explained that, since she hadn’t been gone that long, she was probably still in the Lower Keys somewhere. They were having the local PD drive around some of the most remote parts of the Keys with their sirens on. When she heard it, she cried and told the operator, who told all the cruisers to stop where they were.
Taking the phone with her, she climbed out of the car, not even glancing back at the man still tied to the seat, and began following the tire tracks through the tall grass in the field until she reached the road.
When she saw the lights, she screamed out and rushed towards them, waving her hands. A female officer ran towards her, and she didn’t stop until she had her arms wrapped around the woman. Then her knees buckled out from under her as they both fell to the ground.
“You’re okay, sweetie,” the officer said calmly. “I’ve got you. You did good.”
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Brock woke with pins and needles rushing through his entire body.
“Easy son,” his father said calmly.
Brock saw his face hovering over him.
“We’re at the hospital. They’ve pumped your stomach,” his father said. “They just finished up with you and are about to get to me.” He groaned and turned a little paler.
