Christopher tosses me the last stack of paperwork and we go charging out the door.
Impossible to break it. Stupidly easy to break out.
“Up there!”
Boots echo up the spiralling staircase as I grab his hand and yank him down the hall. Sweat trickles down the back of my neck as we go sprinting through corridors, racing from one end of Drache Manor to the other until we hit the maid’s quarters.
Marginal bedrooms line the upper floor as we push past the laundry sector and tiny dining area. Our heels leave indents in the plush carpet as we run for the farthest door.
Ripping it open, a set of concrete stairs greet us. Heavy breathing fills the stark space as I pull out my phone and cast a flashlight around, slowly brightening our descent into darkness.
Round and round we go, dropping farther and farther until the cool drip of the basement pipes is above us.
“Access to the railroad is through here.”
Ducking past beams and steaming pipes, I train my eyes over the cracked concrete until the faint lines of chalk come into view.
The gritty surface of a manhole appears, a manhole I didn’t know existed until Christopher handed over the Hoffmann blueprints.
A grunt echoes through the stale air as Christopher slides the metal plate out of its position. Wooden beams stare back at us, the rickety frame of a minecart balancing precariously on top.
“Lock down all exits and make sure they don’t escape!”
I watch him drop through the opening and hold out a hand for me.
“You coming, darling?”
Slipping our fingers together, I feel his grip start to tighten.
Close around nothing but a piece of paper I leave behind.
“The offshore accounts I promised you.”
Shock shatters his features as Christopher stares up at me.
“You think I’m still doing this for the money?”
I stare at him, feeling my throat tighten with the sight before me.
“No.” A hideously vulnerable smile hits my face, “But we have to stick to the plan.”
“Fuck the plan. I’m not leaving you.”
Whatever parts of myself I thought were numb come blooming back to life as I watch Christopher struggle to climb out of an escape route.
Fighting to find a way back to me.
“You have to.”
“Get your ass down here. I’m not-
The metal plate slides back into place, muting the sound of his voice.
I silence the frustration radiating from the railroad beneath me. The thief who stole my broken pieces and brought a monster back into the light.
Back into the world I forgot I was missing.
By the time a ruddy-faced guard appears, I’m pacing back and forth, impatience snapping between the click of my fingers.
