“Give Vin a call. Tell him we need him to bring a saw.” Grimacing at the debris clinging to his dress shirt, Marlin sighs, “And tell him to make it quick.”
“Vector is not working this weekend.”
“You decided to give him a vacation on the one day we need him?”
“He was costing me too much overtime.” I snap back at him, tension and agitation crackling between us, “Can’t you just unscrew it?”
Melody steps forward, foolishly putting herself between me and her boyfriend.
“Let’s calm down. I’m sure there’s another way.”
“You are not a part of this plan.”
Christopher clears his throat, peering up at the warped mechanism.
“If you push on it from the inside, you might be able to break it apart.”
Marlin eyes him wearily, unused to anyone but himself having good ideas.
“That would help to distribute some of the pressure.”
Dropping to one knee, Christopher bends his head and beckons for me to hop on. I climb onto his shoulders, gripping the sides of his head with my thighs as he stands up and walks us over to the access point.
Bang!
“I do hope the screaming has not paused just yet.”
Bang! Bang!
A loud groan follows but the stubborn board stays in place.
“It’s stuck but I think I can climb inside from this angle.” Tilting my head, I study the narrow entrance to the ventilation system, “Once we make it through this bit it should open up.”
“By we, you mean the people small enough to make it inside.”
Marlin says it quietly, his eyes roaming over the space that couldn’t possibly fit a man of his size.
“I’ll do it.” Melody speaks up, her blue eyes trained on the tight entrance, “I’m small enough to make it through.”
“No.”
“Marlin, I’m the shortest person here. I canfit-
“My little saint will not be joining you.”
It’s a final statement, one that leaves no room for argument.
“If you are caught...” His throat bobs as he swallows, “I'm afraid I’ve found something that I am not willing to lose.”
Twelve years is a long time to know someone. A long time to learn their weaknesses and strengths, to study and acknowledge the gaps that will always be missing.
I expect to find defeat when I look at my old acquaintance. Wolf Hollow’s most ambitious villain, he takes like the rest of us and will stop at nothing to succeed.
I expect to find some form of disappointment.
Instead, all I find is love.
“Here are the lists I made with the possible combinations.” Ripping a page out of his notebook, Marlin passes it to me, “Top three are listed at the top. After that, it’s a game of statistics.”
