Page 15 of The Hitchhikers

He hesitated, his mouth a hard line.

“I’mbeggingyou,” Alice said.

“Why should we do anything for you?”

“Please—he’s in so much pain.”

“And whose fault is that?” He stared at Alice, daring her to answer, but she had no words. After a moment he called out to Jenny, “Babe, can you bring some Tylenol?”

She didn’t answer, but Alice heard water running and cupboards opening. A moment later, Jenny showed up with a bag of frozen peas, a glass, and two tablets in her hand.

Alice carefully lifted Tom’s neck, supporting the weight so he could swallow a little water and the pills. Then she helped him back down and folded his arm across his body. She gently rested the frozen vegetables over the top of his shirt, along his collarbone, but he still cried out.

“He needs a hospital,” Alice said. “You can drop us off. Take the RV.”

“You’ll call the police.”

“Just…” Tom groaned, struggling for words. “Leave us here.”

“You can tie us up. You’ll be far away before anyone finds us,” Alice said. But what if they tied them too tight? What if Tom did have internal bleeding?

“How did you know who we are?”

Alice hesitated. “Your photos were in the paper.”

“What paper?” Simon sounded both scared and angry.

She leaned over and pulled it out from under the mattress, handing it to him. There didn’t seem to be any reason to hide it now.

Simon unfolded the article. Jenny moved closer to read it with him, her eyes growing wider as they scanned the page.

“Everyone’s looking for us!” Jenny said.

“Stop. Don’t say anything else.” Simon folded the article back up, shoved it into his pocket, then pointed to Alice. “You’re staying here with Tom.”

Simon searched the drawers in the kitchen, and when he didn’t find what he was looking for, he began going through the small closet near the bed. Alice was confused and embarrassed when he pulled out two of her bras and a couple of sets of pantyhose. What did he need them for?

“Get in beside Tom.”

“Please don’t hurt us,” Alice said.

“I’m tying you up so you can’t do anything tous,” Simon said, and even in her panic, Alice heard the indignation in his voice. Like somehow, they had betrayed him.

Alice shifted her body up against Tom’s, trying not to bump him. His forehead was dotted with sweat, and he seemed to be getting paler. He needed medical attention.

“What are you going to do to us?”

“Nothing if you listen to what I say.” Simon wrapped the bras around her ankles, and then Tom’s, stretching the straps and tying them into complicated knots. He did it fast, with confidence, and Alice remembered how much he knew about boats and fishing.

He lashed both of Alice’s wrists and Tom’s bad arm together with the pantyhose, tying them off with another intricate-looking knot. If she moved even an inch, she would hurt Tom.

Jenny was still hovering nearby, almost as pale as Tom, her blue eyes darting between them all. When her gaze landed on Alice’s, she got that pleading expression. Did she want Alice to tell her that everything was okay? That she didn’t mind what was happening?

“You can have our cash,” Alice said. “We won’t tell anyone.” One of Tom’s fingers looped over her pinky, tensing.

“Bullshit. You’ll call the cops.”

“We won’t!”