Total pages in book: 139
Estimated words: 128083 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 640(@200wpm)___ 512(@250wpm)___ 427(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 128083 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 640(@200wpm)___ 512(@250wpm)___ 427(@300wpm)
He didn’t spot a camera anywhere.
But that didn’t mean it didn’t exist. There were so many knotholes in the walls and on the ceiling. There could be a camera or even an eye peering at him right that moment. A shiver danced over his spine.
Cyrus grabbed the bag of food and sat down on the floor against the wall and opened it. Inside was a paper cup of chili and a baked potato with orange cheese and bacon bits. He pulled out the plastic spoon and peeled the lid off the chili and ate a few bites. He needed to keep up his strength if he was going to fight his way out of this situation once he got the chance.
He finished the food and stuffed the garbage back in the paper bag, and then he used a napkin to wipe off the plastic spoon and then pretended to put it in the bag sitting next to him. But he actually dropped the utensil behind his hip.
He gripped low on the handle and began carving into the wall, his moving hand hidden by the bag as his gaze roamed over the walls again, looking for that tiny viewing device.
Cyrus stood when he was done and picked up the bag full of trash and dropped it by the door. When he turned, he glanced at the place where he’d carved his name, satisfied that it could barely be seen and probably wouldn’t be noticed by the man who brought him food and playing cards. The one who might or might not be just beyond the door. But if Cyrus disappeared, if the bad men came and took him from here, and he was never seen or heard from again, then maybe someday someone would see his name carved in the wall by the floor and know that at one time, he’d existed.
He wasn’t sure why that mattered to him. It just did.
He took a seat on the bed in the same spot he’d sat before, and again, he reached his hand down and gripped the bedpost nearest the wall. When he moved his wrist lightly, he could feel that the post was loose, and when he turned his head and yawned and looked down at the place his hand gripped, he could see that when he turned it, it came up slightly, as though it was a separate piece that had been twisted onto the one below.
If he could loosen it enough to pull it off, he’d have a pretty good weapon. He could use it to club the man over the head. He’d have to time it right, though, so the man wouldn’t see Cyrus preparing his attack through the camera before he entered the room.
He couldn’t let him know he had a weapon at all.
But he was going to try to escape.
Because Cyrus didn’t give a shit what that nose picker said about wild animals in the woods. He knew what happened when you waited around for someone to save you. It was better to save yourself.
And Cyrus had decided he’d rather take his chances with a bear than with the bad men on the way.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Rex saw the number on the screen and pulled his truck to the curb as he was answering the call. “Joaquin.”
“Well, this is a surprise. Aren’t you supposed to be selling a house somewhere?”
“Yeah, I am. But something more pressing came up.”
“Oh boy. I don’t like the sound of that.”
Joaquin Andazola had never been accused of being slow on the uptake. “How’s the shoulder?”
“Healing too damn slow and pissing me off.”
“Don’t rush it or you’ll be right back where you started.”
“Yeah, yeah, you sound like my wife,” he grumbled. “What do you need?”
He glanced out his window at the coffee shop next to where his truck was idling. “That app you were telling me about, how accurate is it without a horizon in sight?”
Joaquin only paused for a moment. “Depends. What other data points do you have?”
“I have a crystal-clear view of the stars with a time stamp, and I have the position of the sun time-stamped as well.”
“What time for the sun?”
“Morning.”
“Morning is good. It would make things a lot easier if you had an idea of geographical location.”
“California. Likely the northern part of the state.”
“Okay, okay. That narrows it. We’ve got something to work with. The system still has quite a few bugs in it, though. I’ve been working on it, but it’s far from perfect. And with the limited information you have, it makes it more of a challenge. I might be able to get you close, but no exact location, or guarantee.”
“Any information you can provide would be helpful.”
“No problem, buddy. It’ll give me something to do. Shoot over the pictures, and I’ll give it a go.”
“I owe you.”
“Hell yeah, you do. But I owe you, too, and I’ve pretty much lost track of who’s up, so let’s figure we’re even by now.”