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There was also an empty bottle, which could be smashed open and used as a weapon. The dog treats on the mantle may be able to help me control the golden retriever.

And then there were the jagged window shards that still lay scattered along the floor.

Could I lean back far enough in my chair to grab one without tipping over and use that to cut the rope that bound me? Yes, that was my best shot. I just had to take it really slow and hope for the best.

Using the tips of my boots, I pushed my way across the cabin floor, struggling on the carpeted parts, until at last I reached the wall. I used one hand to hold tight to the windowsill, praying it would be enough. If I lost my balance and went crashing to the floor in this chair, that would surely wake Denise—and when she realized what I was doing, I’d be done for.

Maybe she’d even call Thompson who would move up their murderous plans. Not good for me at all. Leaning back, I pushed with my toes and strained with my fingers while leaning back as far as I could. I’d have to let go of the windowsill if I wanted to grab a piece of glass. But would I be able to make it?

First, I had to test everything carefully. Could I take it far enough without toppling over?

Oh, I hoped so.

After what felt like an eternity of maneuvering, testing, and trying, I finally decided to make the grab. I took several deep breaths and forced myself to focus on the task at hand.

This was life and death—and I definitely knew which one I preferred.

I closed my eyes and leaned back toward the floor, only opening them again when I felt the tips of my fingers brush the ground. That was when a heavy figure flew through the window and landed right on my chest, pushing me to the floor amidst the broken shards of glass. Fresh cuts opened on my hands and arms, while the sound of the crash sent Denise jumping to her feet.

What had just attacked me?

Had Thompson come back already?

Was this really the end?

Only one way to find out…

Chapter Eighteen

Denise screamed, her face turning white with fear. “Get out! Get out of here!” she cried, running to the edge of the cabin and pressing herself flat against the wall.

“Yeesh. What’s wrong with her?”

I knew that voice. Pringle!

I watched as he hopped down from my chest and onto the floor below. Oh, I’d never been so happy to see that pesky raccoon in all my life.

“What are you doing here?” I sobbed, tears of relief flowing freely down my cheeks. “How did you know where to find me?”

“Enough with the questions,” the raccoon said, tapping his thumb and forefinger together as he thought.

I sat quietly, waiting for him to reveal his master plan, praying desperately that he even had one.

Denise continued to shake and cry, realizing too late that she’d left the gun behind in her desperate need to escape the raccoon.

We both glanced down at the weapon, then our eyes met.

Pringle stood beside me, pushing the shards of glass away with his feet as he slowly cleared a path. He didn’t appear to be in much of a hurry.

“Not to pressure you,” I said softly, “but I kind of need to know what I’m supposed to do here.”

Yes, I was speaking with Pringle right in front of Denise, but right now the only options seemed to be exposing my strange secret or dying an assuredly painful death.

Today, I chose to let my freak flag fly.

“Why are you talking to it?” my captor asked with a ragged shriek. “Get it out of here!”

Pringle drew in a deep breath, his furry shoulders shaking as he attempted to remain calm. “You might want to tell that lady to stop calling me ‘it’,” he warned. “I ain’t no nightmare clown.”

I would’ve laughed, had I not been so terrified. Instead, I simply relayed his message to Denise. “He doesn’t like you calling him it. His name is Pringle and he’s a boy.”

He chittered in annoyance, then corrected me.“I am a man, thank you very much.”

“He’s a man,” I translated, keeping my affect flat.

Denise gawked at the two of us with wide, unblinking eyes. It looked as though she wanted to say something, but only a raspy croak escaped her throat.

“So anyway,” the master bandit continued. “Some giant, hairy dog showed up at the house, all panting and excited and saying you’d been carried off. I knew right then and there that it would be up to me to save the day.”

I nodded my appreciation and would’ve hugged him if I hadn’t still been tied to my seat.

“He led me back through the woods and now here I am. You miss me?” He smiled, showing off his pointy canines.

“More than you’ll ever know,” I told him, not caring if I was gushing. I would never punish him for stepping foot in the house again. Not only that, but I would keep him well fed with Fancy Feast, or Delectable Delights, or whatever he wanted. I wasn’t above groveling, and I would also make sure to pay my debts, no matter how Pringle wanted them paid.

“I’m so glad you came,” I told him. “They’re planning to kill me.”

“Well, that’s a bit extreme,” the raccoon observed, then turned toward Denise, taking several quick steps forward.