Free Holding On To You by Anne-Marie Hart Page A

gun a little more strongly into her spine, and Maddy relents. He slams the trunk and walks her into their motel room, shutting the door behind them and locking it without taking his eyes off her. Once inside, he closes the curtains and checks the room for other entrances, of which there are none. In fact, all he finds is a dead cockroach next to the toilet bowl. Maddy stands there with her arms folded, watching him go, a look of disgust on her face. The place is absolutely filthy, and there are weird stains on the bed and the far wall. Dust inhabits every available surface, and there is an acrid smell of tobacco smoke, that River immediately adds to, by sparking up yet another cigarette. Maddy watches him sit down on the bed, as though the place has always been his.
    'This is it? Maddy says. 'This is your grand escape plan?' A shitty motel in the middle of nowhere. What are we going to do now, spend the rest of our lives here until the cops forget about you?'
    'That's almost funny Maddy, I like that', River says.
    'Fuck you', she says. 'You can't just go around taking people hostage like this, it's not fair. I have a life!'
    Maddy looks for somewhere to sit down, but the options are either sharing the bed with River or sitting on the dirty floor, neither of which seem appealing to her. Instead she just paces back and forth a little bit, like a mechanical doll, before kind of leaning awkwardly up against the back wall.
    River watches her. The last thing he wants is for her to have a nervous breakdown. He'd rather not gag her, and besides which he'd prefer for her to be compliant, not difficult. It would be easier and much more enjoyable for them both. He's only known her last than half a day, but he can tell that she's the kind of person that needs a bit of fun.
    'Settle down Maddy, he says. 'For a start, this isn't a shitty hotel. It's thirty five dollars a night, and a lot of famous people have stayed here.'
    The statement is so bizarre, that Maddy almost gives him a weary smile.
    'Secondly, I want to make a deal with you.'
    'A deal?'
    'I'm going to make it across the border to Mexico, with or without you.'
    There isn't an ash-tray close by, so River tips the ash onto the top of the bed-side table.
    'Do you have to do that?' Maddy says, disgusted.
    'You've got to loosen up a little bit', River says. 'You can't go through life twisted up like that.'
    'And you think it's alright to go through life like you are? Stealing and hurting and ruining everything.'
    'It's done me alright just so far', River says.
    'I can see.'
    'Why don't you sit on the bed? You'd be more comfortable.'
    'I'm fine where I am', Maddy lies, as uncomfortable as she was in the back of the car.
    'I can see.'
    Maddy scowls at him. River goes to the bathroom and throws the end of his cigarette into the dirty water at the bottom of the toilet bowl. There is a short fizzing sound as the water swallows it down.
    'Here's the deal', River says coming back into the room. 'You do what I say, and we have some fun on the way to the border, or you don't do as I say, and you spend the time gagged and handcuffed in the back of the car.'
    'Some fun on the way to the border? What do you think this is, a road trip? You've just robbed a bank, stolen my money and taken me hostage. The police are probably on their way to us now.'
    'Gagged and handcuffed it is then.' River says, and moves towards Maddy.
    'Wait, wait', Maddy says, the memory of the ride in the trunk of the car, all too recent.
    'How do I know you won't just kill me anyway?'
    'I guess you'll just have to trust me', River says. 'You ever trusted anyone in your life before Maddy?'
    'Have you?' Maddy says, turning the question back on him.
    'I trusted a lot of people, and most of them just let me down one way or another. I'm hoping you're not going to do that. Anyway', he says. 'I'll kill you if you try to run. If you behave, and I get across the border, I'll even pay for the bus to send you back home.'
    'What do you