The stairs weren’t wide. As they sat side by side, Mina’s thigh pressed against Stephen’s, the contact was thrilling despite their predicament, several layers of clothing, and the generally uninviting atmosphere of the staircase. He shifted his weight and fought a losing battle with his instincts.
At least it was dark.
“What now?” Mina asked.
“I’m not sure,” said Stephen, fixing his mind on higher things, or at least trying to. “I don’t want to kill the men outside—particularly not if Ward didn’t hire them.”
“No,” said Mina, quiet but firm. “You said you didn’t think they’d go away for a while?”
Stephen shook his head. “One of them said it was a long time until dawn. This place has no back door, either—at least not one we can get to from the staircase. We could break the lock on one of the ground floor offices and break a window from there—”
“—but that would get as much attention as going out the door.”
Stephen looked down at his hands, and the silver ring caught his attention. “I could talk to Colin, at least. I’m not sure what help that would be, though. ‘Excuse me, sir, but my brother and his friend snuck in there and would like to come out now.’ It doesn’t sound promising.”
“Doesn’t have to be him,” said Mina, sitting up as an idea struck her. “And it doesn’t have to be the truth. Have him hire someone to distract the guards. They could…I don’t know, start a fire or break a window round the back and start yelling, and then run for it. You could get a couple men for half a pound each, I’d think.”
“At this time of night?”
Mina laughed. “Especiallyat this time of night. It’s the sort of idea that’ll sound wonderful to drunk men.”
Without thinking, Stephen put an arm around Mina’s shoulders. “Cerberus, you’re a wonder.”
“A real criminal mastermind,” she said and laughed again, breathless this time. “You’d better talk to your brother, hadn’t you?”
She didn’t move away, though, or try to shrug his arm away. Beneath his hand, her shoulders began to relax a little. Stephen rubbed his hand along her arm gently, almost absently, as he triggered the ring.
“Colin?”
“Here. And not in the wine cellar, before you ask.”
Overhearing that, Mina giggled.
“I’d imagine you’d have no need to go yourself,” Stephen said. “You’d just make eyes at Polly and get her to bring you half the bottles down there. We’re a bit stuck here.”
He explained the situation in a few words and added Mina’s suggestion. Colin made a thoughtful noise. “I’d imagine that will work well enough. It’ll take a while for me to get it done, though. Can you hold out for an hour or two?”
“As long as we’re out before anyone else comes in,” said Stephen, “that’ll be good enough.”
“Right, then. Try not to set the place on fire while you’re waiting,” said Colin, and cut the connection.
“Well,” said Mina, sounding thoughtful. She leaned against Stephen’s side, possibly for warmth and possibly for reassurance of a sort he didn’t think she’d ask for, any more than he would. He put his other arm around her, glad for the human contact. He was also hard again, despite the clearly transient distractions of escape, and her breasts brushed against his chest when she breathed in a way that was going to drive him mad soon, but he was a MacAlasdair and several centuries old, and had at least a measure of self-control. He would be fine.
He realized she’d said something. “Hmm?”
“I said that we have some time on our hands.”
Surely she hadn’t meant that the way it sounded. She couldn’t intend anything suggestive, even if her voice had been like warm silk when she spoke.
“Aye,” he managed roughly. “It’s a pity we don’t have a deck of cards. And, er, a light, I suppose.”
“Yes,” said Mina, sounding almost annoyed. “Quite a shame.”
“You’ve my apologies for getting you into this,” Stephen said. He wished he could see her face better. Her body was tense again, though she wasn’t pulling away.
“It’s not your fault.”
“I could have kept watch on the building beforehand,” he said and tried to keep his voice even, tried not to think about the way she smelled and the way he could feel each breath as her chest rose and fell against him. “I might have seen—”
