Hidden Secrets
Leona Palmer Haag
Chapter 3
Natalie let out a sigh of relief when the unknown man
finished his silent, supposedly secret examination of the area and crept away,
possibly to report all the lines were still intact and would be effective, she was still securely tied up, hadn't sprung any lines yet, and
was still alive. His presence had unnerved her, making her baby finger twitch
and an instinct to jump up and run almost overtake her. Now he was gone and she
relaxed as much as she could. He hadn't triggered the three crossbows. He
hadn't unknowingly killed her. He hadn't….
Her thoughts stopped. Maybe he hadn't been sent to
observe her. Not sent to gloat over her predicament. Ordered to keep her secure
and as payment received some perverted pleasure in seeing her tied up. Maybe it
was Nick Washington.
But it couldn't have been Nick. She'd be free if it
had been him. Why hadn't she done something to alert the man? Let him know her identity? If anyone could get her out of this mess, it would be….
What was she thinking? Nick was in Bolivia. A deep
ocean of water and a few mountains separated them. Unless…
No. Nick was on another assignment. Nowhere nearby.
Natalie willed her heart to settle down and her eyes
to once more examine the lines. She'd find a way to escape uninjured. She'd be
a thousand miles away before the stranger returned to check on her. And then
she saw a slight difference. A measure of slack in one line. It would fire a
fraction of a second later than the other two. If she leaned far enough to her
left and rolled forward with lightning speed, maybe she could avoid being shot
and killed. It was her only hope.
Over and over in her mind Natalie planned the escape.
She'd yank hard on her hands, lunge left with all her might, and roll with
lightning speed. Her excitement grew. She'd disappear into the night. First
she'd race to the water where she'd plunge into the waves. Soaking wet, she'd
return to the jungle where she'd roll in the dark soil until the light colored
skirt she wore was as dark as the shadows around her. She'd creep beyond
grasping fingers wishing to squeeze life out of her.
No, first she’d grab one of those sharp arrow tips and
loose herself. Then she’d run. When she returned to the marble palace perched on top
of the hill she’d pay Ricardo and Carlo an unpleasant visit.
Natalie hit the replay button in her mind and envisioned
the new scenario. Once her mind knew it like an instinct she’d spring into
action.
End Chapter 3
I love little short chapters when it comes to editing. So easy!
Why I'm sharing my novel in my blog: After nearly 100 rejections on the previous novel, I felt discouraged and decided to give up writing. That lasted about 2 days. I recovered by sitting down and writing another novel on an entirely different subject and loving every minute of it. But not seeing the first one I peddled so hard be snatched up and published, I set it aside. Basically I gave up on it. Since then I've rethought the whole idea of publishing and decided to share my talents and excitement for free. I'd get excited about someone handing ME a free novel! Then I grew excited to share one for free with others. So, this is a gift for you. And I'm delighted to give it to you to enjoy.
Happy reading! If you're enjoying it, share my blog address with someone who you think might enjoy it too. Remember, it is copywrited, so please don't copy it in any manner.
Thanks! And you're welcome!
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