His anger tripled in its ferocity. The ringmaster wanted this to happen.
The second both of his feet landed safely on the trapezeperch, he squeezed her tight. He didn’t care if his strength was too much. He wanted her to feel him.
“You’re safe,” he said into her wild tangle of curls.
Her entire body quivered.
“I’ve got you. I always will.” He didn’t move. He wouldn’t do a thing until she was ready.
Slowly, she pulled back. Tears ran down her cheeks. He longed to wipe them away but didn’t have the courage to let hergo.
He had almost lost her.
He shuddered at the mere thought. Dovie was so special. So beautiful. So full of interesting thoughts and a magic of her own. She was his best friend. His person.
Cries from the audience below tore their attention away from each other.
The ringmaster had collapsed to one knee. His signature top hat fell to the dirt. His hair was no longer light brown, but salt-and-pepper gray with splotches of pure white. He clenched his abdomen as if he was in pain. Some of his men knelt beside him. They tried to help him rise. He shook his head vehemently and pointed upward. Right where Esmeralda and Ignacio still stood.
The ratas turned and bolted toward the ladder to the trapeze platform.
“We have to get out of here,” Ignacio said. “Right now.”
Chapter 43
Esmeralda
While Ángel regained his composure, the spotlight went to the escape artist, who was still trapped inside her watery coffin. An oversized alarm clock screamed beside Nicola’s podium. She’d been under the water far too long, but no one was helping her. The ratas were too focused on Esmeralda and Ignacio, too busy climbing the trapeze ladder to capture them.
“We’re trapped,” Ignacio said.
Esmeralda gestured upward and tried to tell him about the catwalk overhead.
Ignacio cursed. “I can’t stand to see your lips sealed like this. We’ve got to pry them open.”
She tried to motion to him that there wasn’t time, but his fingers were already brushing against her skin.
“This is going to hurt like the devil,” he said.
She braced herself and nodded. As gently as he could, he tore at the glue holding her mouth shut. Tears blurred her vision. Blood seeped onto her tongue. Her lips came apart, and she gasped with pure relief.
“You were right,” she panted. “That did hurt like the devil.”
Ignacio’s mouth found hers. He kissed her hard and hungrily, making her forget all her pain.
Just as quickly, he pulled back. “Better?” he asked. Some of the shimmering flakes covered his lips. She snorted and brushed them away. “Better,” she said.
“Let’s get a move on,” he implored.
“We can try climbing to the catwalk. I saw Ángel using a ladder in his dressing room earlier that was connected to it. If we’re fast enough, we can beat the guards to it.”
She shuffled around the trapeze platform. They would have to cross a thin plank before they started their climb.
“Wait,” Ignacio said.
His strong hands released her, and she thought she might scream from missing his touch so viciously. But then he took hold of the wings on her shoulders and tore them free, chucking them at the guards making their ascent. The wings smacked into the topmost guard, sending him flying back, pummeling the others as well.
“Not bad,” she said, nodding in appreciation.
