Free Hidden Hideaways by Cindy Bell Page B

Paul's captor was shouting again.
    “That was a warning,” a disgruntled voice said. “The next one will be aimed at you if you don't tell me where the drugs are.”
    “I thought they were here,” Paul insisted. “Maybe Trent moved them. This is where they were supposed to be.”
    Suzie was a little shocked by his words, but overjoyed to hear his voice. After a moment of elation, she had a terrible thought. What if Paul really had known about the drugs? What if he was trying to make some extra money and didn't think it would be too much of a risk? It was a terrible thing to think. She pushed the thought from her mind.
    “You've fooled us one too many times,” the man shouted. “First you said the drugs were by the motel, then you told us that they were somewhere else, and now finally we're here where you swore the drugs were hidden, and you're lying to us again.”
    “I'm not lying,” Paul said mournfully. “They should have been here. Maybe they are hidden in those woods.”
    “No more maybes! I told you that we shouldn't have killed Trent until we had the drugs,” another voice said with irritation.
    “This guy is supposed to be his partner, he must know where the drugs are,” the first voice growled.
    “Obviously he doesn't,” the second voice snapped back. “Trent was playing all of us, what makes you think he wasn't playing this guy, too?”
    “Well, if he was, he's of no use to us, now,” the first voice said with a grunt. “He's nothing but a liability. He doesn't know where the drugs are. If we don't find them, it's our lives on the line.”
    Suzie tensed when she heard those words. She knew that if Paul wasn't worth anything to them, he would never get out of there alive. There were only moments to intervene.
    “All right,” she heard Paul finally say. “I give in, I know where the drugs are,” he admitted.
    “See,” the first voice said. “All it takes is a little persuasion. So, where are they?” he demanded.
    “I can't tell you, I have to show you,” Paul explained.
    “Another story that he's making up to save his skin?” the second voice said. “I don't trust it, he could be setting us up.”
    “For what? A swim with the sharks?” the first voice asked. “This place is isolated, no one else is on this beach. He's got nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. If he lies to us, he dies. Do you hear that?” he shouted. “If you play a game with me you will regret it!”
    Suzie crept closer to the window of the shack. She was so close that it seemed as if the men were shouting right beside her ear. She peered inside to see Paul tied to an old wooden chair. His hands were bound behind his back, and his feet were duct taped to the legs of the chair. There was no way that he could escape.
    “I think he's lying right now,” the second voice growled. “If he knew where the drugs were he would have told us already.”
    “I don't care what you think, I'm not going back to the boss with nothing to show,” the first voice snapped. Both of the men were burly, and they wore torn t-shirts paired with ratty shorts. It seemed that they were familiar with the criminal life as they commanded Paul with ease and authority. Suzie ducked back down as the taller man turned towards the window. Her heart raced as she wondered if he had spotted her.
    “Gabriel, we need to get out of here,” the second man demanded sharply. “What if the coast guard spots his boat? We could be swarmed with cops any minute and you want to waste time on another one of his lies? We're better off just looking for the drugs ourselves.”
    “So, what if the cops do come?” Gabriel replied harshly. “Then they'll just find the guy that killed his deckhand. The only question is will he be alive or dead to tell the tale. We're not looking for anything but the drugs, pal. If you give them up, you might get out of this still breathing.”
    “Like I said, I can't tell you, I have to show you,” Paul repeated with determination.