We both crashed onto the hard marble floor. When Atkins held the remote out of reach, I leaned down and sank my teeth into his arm. Atkins yelled out and punched me in the side of the head, sending me rolling away from him.
I scrambled to my hands and knees, but before I could climb to my feet, Atkins was there. He kicked me in the side, sending me rolling once again. I rolled right over the gold collar he'd wanted me to wear.
I grabbed it and held on tight, hiding it under my body. When Atkins went to kick me again, I grabbed his leg. While he was trying to shake me loose, I wrapped the collar around his ankle and snapped the lock into place.
Atkins got in one particular good punch to my temple, stunning me. It gave him enough time to walk over and pick up the remote. He sauntered back over to me as if he truly believed he'd won the fight.
Moron.
He stopped next to me. I turned my head and glared up at him. He must have seen the hatred in my eyes because the man shook his head.
"I didn't want it to come to this, Danny, but you've forced my hand."
Atkins hit the button.
Even though I knew Abe was hurting too, it was satisfying to see Atkins fall to the floor as he screamed and grabbed his ankle. I scrambled across the floor and grabbed the remote. I jumped up and raced over to Abe's cell.
There were so many buttons on the remote and I had no idea which one to push, so I just started at the top. One of the doors on the second level opened. I tried again. The door to the sword room opened.
"Danny, where are you?"
"Basement."I pushed another button.
"We're in the basement,"Ian said."We came through that secret entrance in the bookshelf just like you told us to."
"There's a large set of double doors across from the stairs. I'm in there."
Maybe it was a combination of buttons?
I tried pushing two at the same time. A bird flew out of a cell on the second level. "Okay, I'm getting closer, Abe. I'll have you out of there soon."
"Danny, we can't get the door open."
I shot Abe a quick look—the man was just lying there on the floor, unmoving—then ran over to Atkins. I reached down to grab the gold key, yanking until the chain broke. I glared at the man when he looked up at me. "You fucked with the wrong kitty."
I leaned back and aimed a well-placed kick at Atkins, catching him in the head. The man's entire body slumped. I clutched the key tightly in my hand as I ran for the double doors. I couldn't believe I could feel grateful that Atkins was a paranoid bastard, but as I turned the gold key in the lock and opened the doors to my friends, I was.
I grabbed Hank's hand and started dragging him toward Abe's cell. "Come on, I need your help. Atkins locked Abe in this cell, and I can't get the door to open."
"Holy crap!" Kaito exclaimed. "This place is insane."
"You don't know the half of it," I said. "This is Atkins' collection room. I think he sits right over there in that chair and just takes it all in."
"Holy crap!" Kaito exclaimed again.
I stopped in front of the glass wall of Abe's cell and showed Hank the remote. "There's a door here and this opens it, but I don't know which buttons to it. I'm afraid to push too many of them because it also activated the shock collar around Abe's throat."
Hank turned the remote over and over again in his hand before stepping back. "Everyone get away from the glass."
I gasped when Hank pulled his gun, but quickly moved back from the glass. I squeezed my eyes and turned my head when he pulled the trigger. I screamed when something slammed into my arm, spinning me around.
When I opened my eyes and glanced down, I just knew. I sighed in resignation as I slapped my hand over the bleeding wound. "The glass is bullet proof."
"Shit, Danny," Ian shouted. "You've been shot."
"Yep."
It was just the way my day had been going.
