Run to Me Read Online Free PDF Page B

jutting from the wall he’d finally managed to scrape off his bindings. For all the good it did him. No matter how hard he kicked at the door it didn’t budge. And he could tell from the dead flat sound of his shouts that they never reached beyond the kitchen.
    And so he’d waited, using the time to try and come up with some kind of plan for getting them out of here. First he’d have to convinceReece and Corey there actually was a danger. They were both so smitten with Vanessa that could be difficult.
    Then he had to work out how three small boys could outsmart or overpower three adults. Especially when they’d be expecting them to try. In all the hours he’d been stuck in the cupboard he hadn’t come up with a single idea.
    From beyond the door came the sound of voices. Scrambling closer,Zack peered out through one of the holes.
    Past the edge of the kitchen table he could just glimpse the dining room. No one in sight. He strained to listen. He could hear voices but nothing distinct. The sounds grew closer. Shadows flickered. At last he caught Vanessa’s words.
    ‘I’ve got a surprise for you boys this morning. If you can be ready and out in the van in five minutes we’ll stop andget donuts on the way to the shelter.’
    Out in the van? Zack’s hopes dissolved. Tragg must have got the all-clear from his man. They were leaving and he still hadn’t thought of a way to escape.
    Movement at the corner of his eye drew his gaze. In the feeble light feeding in through the holes, a spider worked at repairing its web. Zack watched the pea-sized creature thoughtfully, feeling his initialrevulsion give way to speculation. Last night they had driven an hour to get here, which meant they’d be driving an hour back . . .
    All at once he was groping around for the mint box Tragg had thrown at him. When his fingers closed on it he opened the lid and, using a stick from the floor, gently scooped the spider into it.
    Voices from the dining room.
    ‘What about Zack?’ Corey sounded anxious.

    ‘Don’t worry, he’s coming. He’s just in the bathroom,’ Vanessa assured. ‘So what do you say? Can you guys be ready?’
    ‘We’re ready now!’ Reece shouted.
    ‘Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s go!’
    Noises receding.
    Zack braced himself. This was when they would come and get him. He wondered if it would be Tragg or Nolan and if they would tie him up again, replace his gag. How would they explainthat to Reece and Corey?
    Silent moments. Clutching the mint box, Zack peered out. No more shadows moved in the dining room. The house was still.
    Panic washed over him in deepening waves. Had they left without him? Maybe they’d decided they didn’t need him, that the others could tell them what they wanted to know. Once they got Corey and Reece in the car all they had to do was drive away.
    Thedam that had served him well through the night began to crack. Left in this hole with no food or water, what would become of him? He flashed on the image of his shrivelled remains, sucked dry by dozens of feasting spiders.
    The dam finally burst.
    ‘Hey! Lemme out! Hey! I’m in here! Hey! Hey!’
    He pummelled the door till his hands went numb, then leaned back and had a go with his feet.
    Suddenlya blinding light stabbed his eyes. A hand reached in, took hold of his ankle. He had just enough time to grab the mint box before being hauled out into the room.
    He lay squinting up at the kitchen ceiling. When Tragg’s faceappeared above him, he tried to scuttle back. The man thumped a foot in the middle of his chest, pinning him in place.
    ‘Now you listen to me, kid. You’re going to go outand get in that van and not say a word to your little buddies, you got that? Because if you so much as open your mouth someone’s going to get hurt. And it might not be you. You get what I’m saying?’
    With no breath to speak, Zack quickly nodded.
    Tragg removed his foot, reached down and lifted him by the front of his pyjama shirt. He thrust