Page 18 of Scarlet Wars
His hand threaded through my hair, holding me close. “Always, Nightcrawler,” he murmured, all quiet and fierce. “I’ll always find you.”
“Hey. Hey, Emma.”
Someone gripped my shoulder, gentle but steady.
I blinked into darkness. Real darkness.
Cold stone walls, the ache in my back, the weight of the chains… Everything came flooding back.
I turned my head enough to see Amy crouched beside me, her brow furrowed with worry.
“You were talking,” she said softly, her hand still on my arm. “In your sleep.”
I swallowed, heart pounding like I’d just run ten miles. My whole body trembled, riddled with sadness it had been a dream.
Amy leaned in a little closer. “Who’s Caden?”
I closed my eyes. Only for a moment. Long enough to pretend his arms were still around me, his voice still in my ear.
Then I drew a breath and sat up slowly, the cold settling deeper into my bones. “How long was I out this time?”
Amy pulled back, giving me space. “Not long. Maybe three hours.”
My body ached from the awkward angle the chains forced me into, and my wrists had become raw and blistered from the metal cuffs.
Every time I shifted, they bit into my skin, sending fresh waves of pain up my arms.
Since my arrival, Dave had been back down here twice. The first time, he brought a slice of stale bread and a bottle of water, tossing them at my feet like I was a dog. The second time, it was only to remind me of his impatience, his sick grin plastered across his face as he barked about how long I was already down there.
Nineteen hours.
Meanwhile, my mind still churned with calculations. My ankle still throbbed, but the pain had eased a bit, which was a good sign, though it would still slow me down. I had no provisions left, which meant if I managed to get out of here, I’d have to find a way to stock up somewhere, risking exposure. Unless I could overpower the asshole and raid his kitchen, which would be the better but more impossible option.
Amy, as it turned out, had a strong will of her own. Once I’d convinced her his biggest mistake had been to keep us together, a spark of defiance began to reignite in her. Which gave her strength. Every second we were left alone was spent trying to free ourselves from the chains and cuffs that bound us. Her cuffs were looser than mine, the result of almost a month of undernutrition, giving us a slight advantage to work with.
I’d bombarded her with questions, piecing together what I could. So far, I knew we were still in New Hampshire, likely near the border. Which meant I wasn’t far off my original route to Kanata C, a small but significant consolation amid the chaos.
“I think I can slide out of them now, but even if I do, it will take both of us to overpower him. How are you getting out of yours?” Amy sounded ten times stronger than the day before, and I admired her for bouncing back so quickly.
I bit the inside of my cheek. “I can’t get out of these without the key. Once we have it, we’ll have to move fast.”
“How fast?”
I met her gaze, holding it steady. “Fast. And you’re not going to like my plan.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Tell me.”
“You’re going to pretend you’re in love with him,” I said, forcing myself to stay calm, though every nerve in my body rebelled against the words. “You’ll act as if I did exactly what he asked me to.”
She blinked once before she wrapped her arms tightly around herself like they could shield her from the reality I was laying out. “Well, that’s great,” she said, her tone dripping with sarcasm, “but how does that help us?”
I leaned forward as much as the restraints allowed. “He keeps the key on the right side of his pants. When he moves in close to you, and he will, you grab it. You slip it off and throw it to me.”
Amy froze, her wide stare locking onto mine. “Then what?”
“Then you trust me to get out of these chains, we overpower him, and we get the hell out of here.”
Her expression darkened with lips pressing into a tight line. “And if either of us screws up?”
