"Well, what's it going to be, sweetheart?" Lewis raised his eyebrow. "Do you want me to rape her? Or do you want me to shoot her?"
Olivia's mouth gaped open. Her mind swirled in disbelief. Every cruel act she had endured flashed through her head. The touch of his hands against her body, the cold blade sliding against her skin…the crushing pain of Lewis forcing himself inside her. Olivia glanced down to Allison's rigid form and felt her chest tighten. She couldn't have another person hurt by Lewis. Not like she hurt.
"Make up your mind," Lewis ordered, digging the gun into Allison's head.
"No," Olivia choked out, the horror and disgust evident in her voice. As Detective Benson, she had told survivors to live, to do whatever they could to stay alive. But months of torture had changed her. Olivia had been torn apart and violently degraded in ways she didn't know existed. She had become someone new, someone she didn't even understand. And that new person balked at the decision before her.
"No?" Lewis repeated, the confusion evident in his voice. "I thought we talked about that word, sweetheart."
Olivia met his warning glare and knew she was playing with fire. But it didn't change her dilemma. She knew the pain Allison would endure if she lived. And Olivia couldn't be the cause of that pain. But the alternative, to end a life, was unthinkable. She shook her head. "I won't choose. I – I can't," she stammered.
Lewis narrowed his eyes. "Oh?"
Her lungs came to a grinding halt at the scathing look he gave her. Her mind screamed at her to do something, say something. Anything to appease him. Olivia swallowed hard. She couldn't do it.
Lewis frowned and turned his attention to Allison, intent on making his newest victim pay for Olivia's rebellion. He shifted closer to the bed and tilted as his boot land on something small and hard. Lewis sighed. This room desperately needed more light. He squatted down and felt around for the offending object. His fingertips ran along the cement floor and stopped as they brushed against cold metal. He picked up his prize, and his anger transformed into curiosity. "I forgot about that."
Olivia hesitantly watched her captor. His anger did not dissipate often. Given their current predicament, she didn't really want to know what had changed his temperament.
"This must have fallen off the bed our first night here." Lewis lifted the knife into view, the flickering flame from the lanterns giving it an orange glow. "That was a fun night."
Olivia raised her chin, a small tremor passing through her. She could almost feel the blade slicing into her, threatening to tear her apart. Her eyes passed to Allison, and she saw the hint of relief on Allison's face as Lewis removed the gun. Olivia licked her lips, sure that whatever Lewis now had planned would not end any better for Allison. "What are you going to do with it?"
Lewis pushed himself off the floor. "That is still up to you."
Olivia watched him warily as he ran the knife's tip across Allison's cheek.
"You see, guns have their place." Lewis started, grinning at the shudder rippling through Allison. "But they're a little too quick." He slid the knife down to Allison's neck. "What do you think? Should I slice her throat? Or just stab her through the heart?"
Olivia's heart skipped a beat as she registered Allison's sob. Lewis pressed the blade further into Allison's skin, creating a dent dangerously close to her jugular. Horror washed over Olivia. She knew that Lewis was waiting on her answer, waiting on her to choose the lesser of two evils. But her body had shut down. Her brain had stopped working. Olivia had no answer to give.
Lewis scowled at her silence. "Guess we'll go with slicing her throat then," he muttered. He lifted Allison's chin and slid the knife to the center of her neck.
Allison let out a muffled shriek and renewed her struggles against the rope binding her to the bed.
Olivia watched in horror as blood began to spill out of Allison's neck. Cries of pain and terror filled the room as dark red stained the mattress. "Stop!" Olivia cried. "Lewis, stop!"
Lewis ignored her protest, continuing to cut a line down Allison's throat.
"Don't," Olivia pleaded. Still, Lewis paid her no attention. The knife continued on its path. Olivia's eyes widened at the volume of blood coming from Allison. "Fine! I'll do it. I'll choose," her voice wavered. "Just stop," she implored.
Lewis paused his movement and met her pleading gaze. "Then choose." His tone was harsh. It left no room for argument, no room for excuses.
Olivia hesitated, grief filling her eyes. "Just do her. You know you want to. So just do her and get it over with." Her head lowered in shame, tears spilling down her cheeks.
"Do what to her, detective?" Lewis pulled the knife away from Allison's neck, blood staining the metal blade. "After all, I do a lot of things."
Olivia cringed. He wanted her to say it. Deep down, she knew there wasn't a way out of this. Lewis wasn't going to let her win. Even still, her mouth seemed glued shut.
"I need to hear it from you, sweetheart." Lewis circled around the bed and came to her chair. "I'm pretty good at figuring you out, but I'm not a mind reader."
Olivia wanted to crawl in a hole and never come out. She could die in that hole for all she cared. Anything to escape this nightmare. But that was not an option. It was never an option.
Lewis grabbed her chin and captured her gaze, his cold eyes vanquishing any hopes she had of escaping this appalling decision. "The cut on her neck is shallow, but I can make it deeper."
She cast a look over his shoulder and found the stain of crimson growing at a steady rate. There wasn't enough blood to be life threatening, but that condition could change rapidly in Lewis' presence. Allison would die if she said nothing. And the cop in her wouldn't let that happen.
Olivia glanced back at Lewis and felt something crumble inside of her. "Rape her."
A slow smile tugged at his lips as a sob sounded from the bed. "There it is. That wasn't so hard now, was it?"
"You don't have to do this. She doesn't know how you like it. When you like the struggle and when you want cooperation. I do. I know where you want to be kissed…and touched. I know how to make it fun for you. " Olivia bit her lip, swallowing the bile in her throat. The things this horrible monster made her say. If only that's where it ended.
Lewis's eyes darkened. "Everyone has to start somewhere. After all, I taught you most of those tricks."
Olivia licked her lips, trying to keep herself present. "You should reap the benefits of all that hard work, then."
Lewis fought the smile tugging at his lips. "Some other time, sweetheart."
"Come on, Billy. I'll do anything you want," she tried to reason softly.
"Oh, Olivia." Lewis ran his thumb across her lips. "You already do everything I want."
Olivia's entire body cringed at the reminder. "Isn't that what you want, though? Why start all over with someone else now that you have me right where you want me?"
Lewis chuckled and ran his fingers through her tangled hair. "Getting someone new is a thrill. Their fear is different. You know that."
She was failing. Olivia's eyes darted to the newcomer who had stark terror in her eyes. Olivia was only stalling. All three of them knew it. Her eyes landed back on Lewis as he stood. Her mouth opened to argue one more time, but Lewis shook his head. She had indeed failed. One simple task, and she had failed. Lewis had killed so many people during her time with him. But this, hurting Allison, it felt different. More raw. She should feel hatred for Lewis. After all, he was the one who had put them in this position. But Olivia instead felt self-loathing wash over her like a tidal wave, leaving no room to hate anyone other than herself. She knew what was about to happen to Allison. And she knew it was all on her.
"As much as I enjoy our time together, it's time for me and Allison to have some bonding time." Lewis stood and reached for the roll of duct tape. "You be a good girl now." He slapped a strip of tape on her mouth and kissed her forehead.
Olivia recoiled from his lips and winced at the sharp pain her movement caused. Lewis stepped out of sight, placing his hands on each side of the chair. Olivia felt herself lunge forward, the chair's legs scraping against the cement. She grunted in surprise as Lewis pushed her until her knees tapped against the wooden bedframe. Bile rose in her throat.
"Front row seat for my favorite girl." Lewis circled back around her and sat on the bed, resting between his two victims. He laid his hand on Olivia's knee and tightened his grip. "Eyes up, sweetheart."
Olivia's eyes closed. She knew the rules. It was naive to think Lewis would forget them. Olivia waited a beat before reluctantly opening her eyes.
Lewis tilted his head. "One thing before we get started." He lifted the knife to Olivia's chest and pressed the blade into her breast, sinking it into her skin. A muffled scream clawed out of her throat as she registered the pain.
"That was for telling me no." Lewis rebuked harshly, twisting the blade sideways.
Olivia howled behind the duct tape, twisting to get away from him. She looked down at the knife and the dime size hole it had created. Tears fell down her cheeks as she pulled harder against her restraints. This wasn't fair. She was only trying to save a life. Why did everything always end with pain?
Lewis maintained his pressure on the knife until Olivia's struggles waned. He slid the knife out and dug his finger into her new wound. "You don't tell me no," he said firmly. "You know better."
Olivia let out another cry of pain, her face twisting with discomfort.
Lewis dropped his hand and wiped her blood off on his shirt. "Now then," he glanced down to a petrified Allison. "Are you ready for some fun, Allie?"
Allison's wide eyes darted between Lewis and Olivia, so frozen by fear she didn't even make a sound.
"You don't mind if I call you Allie, do you?" Lewis asked softly, reaching for the duct tape.
Allison winced as he ripped the tape off. "Please don't hurt me," she said hoarsely.
Lewis raised his eyebrow and looked back to Olivia. "Didn't we just have this conversation?"
"Just let me go, I won't say anything. I promise. I don't even know who you are!" Allison pleaded.
Lewis rolled his eyes with a chuckle. "You're not going anywhere, honey." He slid his hand inside her sweater, caressing her bare stomach.
Allison groaned and tried to pull away from him. "Get your hands off me, you pervert!"
Olivia winced at the masked fury igniting in Lewis' eyes. This wasn't going to end well for Allison.
Lewis raised the knife to Allison's chin, blood still staining the tip. "I can always finish slicing your neck."
Allison's breath hitched. "Please -" her voice broke.
"If you ask me to let you go again," Lewis interjected firmly. "I will shove this knife down your throat."
Allison squeaked and closed her mouth. She looked to her left, casting a pleading look to Olivia.
They were mere inches apart, but Olivia knew nothing could be done. Restraints held each of them in place. The time to help Allison had passed. She gave a slight shake of her head. There was nothing she could do.
"I know you're scared, Allie." Lewis said softly. He lightly caressed her cheek with the knife. "And that's okay. Everyone gets scared."
Indignation and disgust filled Olivia as she watched Allison cringe away from the knife. Just once, Olivia wished Lewis could be tied down, and she could have the knife. Or the gun. Or the blowtorch. Maybe even all three. She would gladly teach him what fear felt like.
Lewis slid the knife down Allison's chin and onto her neck. He dug the blade into the thin cut he had made there, drawing a pained whimper from Allison. "But if you're a good girl, if you behave," Lewis moved the knife down her torso. "It might not be so bad. You might even live for a few days."
"A few days?" Allison whimpered. Her body trembled, evidence of the fear coursing through her veins.
Lewis laughed and stabbed the knife through her sweater.
A startled cry passed through Allison's lips at the knife scraping her skin. Her eyes followed the knife moving back up her stomach, tearing her sweater in half.
"With what I do, my girls don't last more than that. Well, most of them don't." Lewis sliced the rest of her sweater in half and spread apart the green material. Lust shined in his eyes, his gaze lingering at the blue bra covering her breasts.
Allison turned away from him, tears running down the side of her face. "Why? Why are you doing this?"
Olivia's stomach turned. The heartache in Allison's voice made her rethink her decision. Lewis loved the fear, the struggle. And Allison was giving him both.
"You were just at the wrong place at the wrong time." Lewis watched her conflicted emotions with a curious smile. He moved his hands down to her pants and undid her buckle.
"No, no…come on." Alison groaned. Her belt slid out from under her and fell to the floor. She felt Lewis's hands at her stomach, loosening the button on her jeans. A rip echoed through the room as Lewis sliced through her pants. Allison gasped and started to kick against the rope holding her down.
Lewis growled and climbed on the bed, one knee on either side of her stomach. "Stop, Allie," he commanded fiercely. "Now." He closed his hand around her throat, watching her struggle against his hold.
Olivia cringed at the struggle in front of her. Lewis held his grip for a few seconds before removing his bloodied hand. He cut off the rest of Allison's pants, smiling at his subdued victim. Olivia tried to block it out, to go somewhere else in her head. But Allison's cries and Lewis' laughter kept her present in this prison cell that had become her home. She watched Lewis cut off Allison's underclothes and toss them aside.
Lewis leaned back on his heels and peeled off his t-shirt, adding it to the tattered pile of clothes on the floor. He unbuckled his belt and unzipped his pants. "Are you ready for some fun, baby?"
Allison shrieked as Lewis lowered himself on top of her.
Lewis cast a victorious smile at Olivia. "Good call. She's going to be fun."
And then it was all over. His grunt echoed off the walls, followed by Allison's sob of horror. Olivia's shoulders began to shake. Heartache filled the room as Lewis started to destroy his latest victim. Olivia cringed as Lewis shifted. She should have tried harder, offered him something to lose interest in Allison. But as in so many battles she had fought these past few months, Lewis had won. And Olivia had lost. The only thing left to do was watch. She had caused Allison enough pain already. The least she could do was spare Allison further punishment. So Olivia steeled herself and determined to endure. Because there was nothing else to do.
"Just once, I'd like to have a lead that doesn't involve a hardware store," Nick muttered as he fell into the car, slamming the door shut behind him.
"Take it easy. At least we have a lead." Amanda started the ignition and glanced at the receipt in her hand. "Maybe we can figure out what he has planned. It evidently requires electrical tape, tarps, wood sealant, and nails."
Nick shook his head with a wince. He didn't want to know what Lewis planned on doing with the nails. His phone started ringing and he pulled it out, grateful for the distraction. "Detective Amaro."
Amanda folded the receipt in half and took a sip of her coffee. Circles lined her eyes, evidence of her exhaustion. Their team had been running non-stop since Liv's disappearance, but the last few days had developed into a heightened sense of urgency. She took another sip of her coffee and watched ESU swarm the blue convertible a few yards away. They hadn't found anything yet. Lewis didn't usually leave anything helpful in the car, but maybe they would get lucky this time.
"We'll be right there, thanks Captain." Nick ended his call and turned to her with a hopeful smile. "Another sighting. He was spotted at a grocery store about fifteen minutes away."
Amanda let out a breath of relief and buckled her seatbelt. "When?"
Nick looked away, frustration seeping into his voice. "Yesterday. But at least it's not a hardware store." He pulled the store's address up in his phone as Amanda shifted the car into drive. "The general manager called it in. He and the cashier who checked Lewis out are waiting for us. Apparently he paid in cash. Guess he's running out of stolen credit cards." Nick gestured to the right, and Amanda turned onto the highway.
They settled into a comfortable position and passed the time in relative silence, both detectives anxious about any new information they could get. It should have been a short drive. Maybe it was. But time crawled by these days. They were doing all they could to find Olivia, but Lewis was good. He kept her hidden. He stayed two steps ahead of them and never seemed to make a mistake. At least not a helpful one. And that made each minute feel like an eternity.
Amanda finally pulled up to the grocery store and parked at the front entrance. The hurried into the store, intent on following this lead before it grew cold.
The manager met them at the door, a tall man with salt and pepper hair. "Hello, detectives. Nice to meet you. My name's Chuck." He extended his hand.
Nick shook his hand firmly. "Thank you for calling."
"Of course. This is Sharon, the cashier I mentioned." Chuck gestured to the brunette standing back a few feet. "She recognized his photo from the news this morning. We pulled the video footage to be sure before we called you. He was here."
Amanda walked over to Sharon and held out a photo of Lewis. "This was the man you saw yesterday?"
"Yeah, I remember talking to him." Sharon crossed her arms, her eyes darting between the two detectives.
"Can you tell us what happened?" Amanda questioned, trying to mask the impatience coursing through her.
Sharon paused and looked to her manager who gave an encouraging nod. She put her arms down with a sigh. "He seemed nice. He bought about $150 worth of food and household items."
"Like what? You have a receipt?" Nick interjected.
"We fished through her sales from yesterday. She's pretty sure this one was his." Chuck handed them a long receipt.
Nick glanced through the list. The items were just as random as the hardware supplies Lewis had picked up. Bread, gasoline, peanut butter, bananas, towels, the list went on. "What is he doing?" he muttered under his breath.
"He said his wife was pregnant. He joked about her nesting, him having a honey-to-do list," the shy cashier offered.
Amanda set her jaw. She was so tired of that cover story. "Did you not think it was odd that he didn't have a wedding ring on?"
A pink blush settled on Sharon's cheeks. "I wasn't really looking at his hands."
Amanda rolled her eyes. "What else did he say?" she ground out.
Sharon shrugged. "Not much. I think his wife was sick, he mentioned something about bananas being her thing. You know, like when pregnant women want weird stuff?"
"She's not his wife! He's holding her hostage." Nick boiled with anger.
"I didn't know," Sharon looked down. "I'm sorry."
Nick sighed and glanced back at the receipt in his hand. "What is this last thing he bought?" Nick asked, handing the receipt back to her.
She scanned through the receipt for a moment before her eyes lit up. "That must have been the onesie."
"What?" Amanda's voice rose. She couldn't have heard that right.
"He bought the baby an outfit, a gray onesie with black writing. It said, 'Daddy's Little Helper.' It had hardware tools on it. He said his wife would get a kick out of it."
Nick bristled and clenched his jaw. "Were any cars reported stolen out of your parking lot yesterday?" he asked the manager tartly.
The manager shook his head. "Not that I know of."
Amanda flipped out her business card. "If he comes around again, you call us. He is armed and dangerous. Don't try to stop him and don't engage him. Just call the second you see him."
The manager nodded and put the card in his pocket.
"He seemed like such a nice man," Sharon said wistfully.
"Well, he's not," Amanda retorted. "He is a serial killer who kidnapped an NYPD detective 131 days ago. And if you see him again," she met Sharon's eyes with a firm intent. "You need to give us a call."
The cashier gave a sheepish nod at the detectives as they turned for the door.
Nick swung the door open and headed for the car. "We're going to find them. And when we do," he shot Amanda a look. "Lewis is a dead man."
Olivia winced at the loud slap echoing through the room.
"Please," Allison sobbed, burying her head into her arm. "I'm sorry! Please stop."
"Waving the white flag already?" Lewis wiped the sweat off his forehead. "Thought you wanted to fight? I can keep doing this all night, baby."
Allison cried harder and recoiled from the hand reaching for her face.
Olivia blinked her eyes closed for half a second, trying to escape the torment in front of her for just a moment. Time passed so slowly when Lewis was present. Even more so when being hurt by Lewis. As Allison was finding out.
Lewis picked up the knife and slid it across Allison's stomach. "You know, there's a few things I can't do to Olivia anymore. Wouldn't want to hurt Junior." He grinned. "But with you, Allie, we don't have that problem."
The knife slid into Allison's stomach and drew a thin line across her skin. A pained cry sounded from Allison as the pain registered.
Olivia took in a deep breath, trying to quell her growing nausea. She wished looking away was an option. Her stomach wasn't helping the situation either. Blood didn't usually bother her, but the musky smell of the cement room along with the copper blood filling the room…the nausea came in spades. Unfortunately, getting sick wasn't an option. Not with the duct tape covering her mouth.
Lewis carved another line into Allison's stomach, wrenching another cry from her. "You know, we could do something fun with this. Dress your stomach up a bit."
A shaken Allison turned her fearful eyes back to Lewis.
"What do you think about Tic Tac Toe?" Lewis asked mischievously.
Olivia gagged.
He turned to her and frowned. "What's wrong with you?"
She gagged again as bile rose in her throat. It was coming too fast. She couldn't get it back down this time. Olivia's panicked eyes met his disapproving glare.
Lewis raised his eyebrow as she started coughing. He pushed himself up with a sigh and peeled the duct tape off her mouth.
Olivia turned her head to the side and emptied the contents of her mouth. She gasped for air, her lungs burning for oxygen.
He watched her dispassionately. "I thought we were done with this." He glanced down at the vomit in annoyance.
"I need to go to the bathroom," Olivia croaked.
Lewis shook his head, his eyes still on the newly decorated floor.
"You know it doesn't stop, not once I get sick." Olivia watched his hand twitch as he looked back at Allison.
"Fine," he replied tersely. "Guess you get a break, Allie." Lewis sat up and noted Olivia's pale complexion. "You're pretty high maintenance, detective."
Olivia set her jaw. She didn't ask for this – a fact he well knew. But her getting sick provided a golden opportunity to get Lewis away from Allison. So she meekly sat still as Lewis pulled her chair away from the bed and cut away the rope securing her legs.
Lewis pulled her to a standing position, sending a stabbing pain across her burnt shoulder. A groan passed through her teeth as he shuffled her through the door. Of all the places he could have burned, why did Lewis have to choose a place that hurt absolutely every time she moved?
Olivia gagged again as they passed into the bathroom. Lewis shoved her head into the cement bowl as another wave of vomit poured out. She stayed there for several minutes, emptying what little contents her stomach had. Olivia hated being pregnant.
Lewis released his hold on her neck and stepped back. "How long is this vomiting thing supposed to last?"
She spat into the toilet. "I don't know."
"Guess," he said flatly.
"Usually the first three months." Olivia retched again, dry heaving into the toilet.
"Then why are you still getting sick?" Lewis asked in irritation.
"How should I know?" Olivia bit out. "It's your kid."
He watched a string of drool fall from her lip. "Yours too, sweetheart."
Olivia scowled and tried to catch her breath. She leaned her head against the wall and focused on slow breaths.
"Are you done?" Lewis asked impatiently. "I'm kind of in the middle of something."
She closed her eyes, ignoring his question. She wished she could crawl into this wall and disappear. Never have to deal with Lewis again. She could just vanish and be done with everything.
"Hey!" Lewis leaned over and grabbed her hair. "I asked if you were done!"
Hatred filled her core. She was so tired of being his toy, tired of playing his games. Before she could process anything else, her head swung up and connected with Lewis' nose.
He grunted in surprise as his head snapped backwards. The back of his head cracked against the sink, his eyes closing as his body slumped to the ground.
Olivia froze, astonishment coursing through her. She stared at his unmoving body for a few seconds before she saw his chest rise. The beast was still alive, just out cold. Olivia's eyes darted around the room, looking for a weapon. But the bathroom was bare. There was no plunger in the corner, no toilet paper rod to hit him with, no soap she could pour in his eyes.
What had she done? Panic threatened to overwhelm her. She hadn't thought this through. Her instincts had just taken over. What was she supposed to do now? Her hands were still cuffed behind her, and she had no idea where Lewis had the key. Hopefully, they were in his pocket, but his clothes were in her room. The gun had disappeared hours ago, and she wasn't strong enough to win a knife fight. A sinking feeling settled in Olivia's stomach. She would have to leave the bathroom. Olivia eyed Lewis warily. His legs draped across the doorway. Even if she could find the leverage to shove all of him into the bathroom and close the door, she couldn't risk waking him up. She had to leave him like this.
Olivia took a deep breath and stepped over him, half expecting a hand to snake around her ankle. Her feet landed in the hallway, and she let out a breath of relief. Her feet carried her through the kitchen and into the cement room she despised so much.
Allison flinched at her entrance. She shivered on the blood covered mattress. Red circles from the cigarettes lined her breasts and stomach. Bite marks were starting to bruise against her neck. All of it was evidence of the torture she had lived through.
Olivia slid to a halt. "Are you okay?" It seemed like a silly question given their circumstances. But Allison didn't look too good, and Olivia needed to know if any of her injuries was life threatening.
"Where is he?" Allison whimpered.
"He's in the bathroom." Olivia looked around the room, her eyes scanning through the various articles of clothes on the floor. "Where are his pants?" she muttered.
"What are you doing? Why is he still in the bathroom?" Allison asked in confusion. "What's going on?"
"It was an accident." Olivia knelt down on the floor with a groan and felt around for his jeans.
"What was an accident?" Allison's voice rose as she lifted her head. "What happened?"
"He hit his head on the sink. He's out, but he won't be for long." Olivia's fingers brushed against a belt. "Can you tell if these are his jeans?"
Allison looked over the bed and tilted her head. "I – I can't see."
Olivia threw her head back in frustration. "We don't have time for this."
"Untie me," Allison suggested hoarsely. "I can help you find them."
Olivia's eyes darted to the door. She didn't know if she had the time to untie Allison. She had to find the hand cuff keys and the gun. She was already on borrowed time.
"Why do you need his jeans anyway?"
"The handcuff key," Olivia replied, her anxiety quickly growing. "I need the key."
"Do you even know if they're in his pants?" Allison fell back against the mattress. "It would go faster if you untie me. It will take forever to find anything with your hands cuffed behind you."
Olivia kept her eyes on the door. Allison had a point. This was getting her nowhere. "Fine." Olivia pushed herself off the floor, lips closed tight against the groan clawing at her throat. She hurried to the bed and turned around, feeling for the rope around Allison's wrist. "It might take me a minute."
Allison glanced back to the door. The past few hours had showed her what Lewis was capable of, and she had no desire to stick around for more. "Just hurry."
"Do you know where Lewis put the gun?" Olivia asked, wincing at the effort it took to loosen the knot.
Allison paused and looked around. "Not since he picked up the knife. But it has to be in here somewhere, right?"
Olivia scowled. "We have to find it before he wakes up."
Allison tried to pull her hand free from the rope. "Finding the gun won't be very helpful if we're both still tied up."
"Stop," Olivia snapped. "I almost have it. You'll just make it tight again if you do that."
Allison rolled her eyes and stilled her movement. "Hurry," she urged.
Olivia bit her lip and pulled harder. "There," Olivia sighed in relief. "I've got it."
Allison slid her hand free from the rope and winced at the bruised mass of skin covering her wrist. "Thank you."
"Don't thank me yet. We still have to get out of here. Untie your other hand, I have to find the key." Olivia turned back to the pile of clothes and used her feet to separate out the different material. She finally uncovered his jeans and drug it to the side with her toes. She knelt back on the floor and felt for the pockets.
"I can't get it." Allison pulled at the rope securing her right hand. "It's too tight."
"Then you have to try harder," Olivia retorted. Lewis would be furious when he woke up. She didn't have time for a pep talk. They had to move. Now. She moved her hands to the other pocket and felt something hard. She reached in and pulled out a thin piece of metal. Her shoulders relaxed. She had found the key.
Allison slid her body closer to the edge of the bed, using her freed hand and her mouth to work on the knot.
Olivia twisted the key in her hand to slide it into the key hole, but it fell back down to the floor with a clatter. She hissed in frustration.
Allison bit down on the rope and tugged on it. The knot loosened, and her fingers pulled apart the knot. "I got it!" she announced happily.
"Work on your feet, then. We have to hurry." Olivia picked the hand cuff key back up and carefully twisted it around. After a few misses, she felt it click into the keyhole. She turned it and felt one of the silver bracelets loosen. Hope began to kindle in her heart. Maybe they could actually get out of this. Maybe she could go home. She pulled her hand free and stood to check on Allison. "Let me help you."
"You two going somewhere?"
Allison froze, her hands halfway to her ankles. Olivia met her panicked gaze and cringed. No. Not when they were so close to getting out of here.
He leaned against the door frame and crossed his arms. "And here I thought you were behaving so well."
Olivia turned around and trembled at the sadistic glare sent her direction. "Lewis."