Edge of Surrender Read Free Page A

burned, and she tugged again. She got a firm hold on the tape and gave a fast pull, swallowing a scream as her lips seemed to catch fire. She closed her eyes until the pain subsided.
    Her mouth was uncovered now. She could scream her head off, but who would hear her?
    She shook the strip of tape off her fingertips and went to work on the bindings, gnawing them with her teeth. The tape tasted gluey and sour, and she spat little fibers on the floor. The first layer came loose, and she felt a surge of hope. Could she really do it? Could she really tear herself loose?
    But then what?
    The squelch of a radio outside the door made her go still. Icy darts of fear went through her. The guard on the other side of the door mumbled something into a walkie-talkie. She held her breath, waiting for him to come in again, but nothing happened.
    Emma’s heart pounded as she started gnawing again, determined to get through the endless layers of tape. Finally, she felt her wrists loosening and managed to yank her arms apart.
    Freedom!
    She groped around in the darkness, elated to have use of her hands again. But the euphoria soon faded as she realized she was in a closet-sized room without any openings besides a door that was manned by a guard.
    He was there. Still. She could hear him muttering into his phone or his radio. He had to be armed, and if he was anything like the men who’d kidnapped her, then he was big, too, much too big for her to take on alone.
    She paused to think for a moment. She was wearing low-heeled shoes. She slipped them off and kicked them into the corner.
    A loud squelch. Emma went still. Through the door, voices. She strained to listen.
    â€œShe’s still asleep,” the guard said with a grunt.
    Static over the radio. Then “—wants to talk to her—” More static. “—are ready now.”
    Panic shot through her. Emma grabbed the strip of tape off the floor and pressed it back over her mouth. She clamped her wrists together and lay back down in the position she’d been in earlier, pretending to be asleep.
    The door creaked open. Heavy footsteps. She held her breath, heart thundering, as the man stared down at her in the darkness. Then a light shone in her eyes. She let her lids flutter open and squinted into the glare.
    â€œUp,” he ordered.
    She feigned confusion, but what she really felt was terror. What if the tape fell off when she lifted her head?
    â€œ Now .” He grabbed her arm and hauled her roughly to her feet.
    Emma made a muffled yelp as he spun her toward the door and gave her a shove. Mustering her courage, she made a sound of protest and nodded toward the back of the room.
    The guard towered over her, scowling in the dim light of the hallway. It was the man from before, the one who’d kidnapped her, and he was in the same dark suit, only this time his gun was holstered at his side, not digging into her ribs.
    She made another muffled noise and nodded at her shoes on the floor.
    He turned and muttered a curse, then bent to retrieve them.
    The instant his back was turned, she gave him a mighty shove and slammed the door, then bolted down the corridor. It was dark and narrow, and her bare feet flew over the concrete as she sprinted for an exit, ripping the tape from her mouth as she went. She didn’t see a way out.
    Behind her, a door smacked open. She darted around a corner as she heard the guard lumbering after her. She looked around, trying to find a way out. Another corner. She ducked around it and spotted a door at the end of the hall. She raced for it, heart pounding wildly at the thought of what she might find on the other side. But she had no other choice. She could hear the guard’s footsteps behind her and his labored breathing as he yelled into his walkie-talkie.
    She yanked open the door. Stairwell.
    She tried a door on the other side. Locked. The only option was up, and she took the steps two at a time, grabbing the metal