Zaira almost smiled. The two wouldn’t be going anywhere except the calaboose, as the city jail was called.
The whispered arguing continued down the hallway, then the door squealed as it opened and shut. Once silence settled over the hallway, Zaira started to scramble to her feet.
“Ach, hold on with you now, lass.” Bellamy was on his feet, too, and positioned himself in front of the door. “I’ll be the one checking to see if we’re clear to go, not you.”
His whisper seemed loud in the silence. And his warm breath was beside her face, which meant his face was also near.
She had the urge to stroke his cheek and reassure him that everything would be alright, but in the next instant he was fumbling for the door handle. He tried turning it and pulling, but nothing happened.
“What’s wrong?” she whispered.
He tugged again. Still the door didn’t budge.
“We’re locked in, aren’t we?”
“Oh aye, that we are.” This time Bellamy heaved hard, shoving the door with his shoulder. He did so several times, but the door was solid wood and seemed to fit in the frame snugly. “When Mr. Wright tried to unlock the door, he actually locked it instead.”
“Probably so.” Did that mean they were trapped?
The possibility didn’t necessarily disappoint her. Surelythey’d find a way out. They were both smart people, and they could put their minds together to figure out something. Even if they couldn’t discover a means to free themselves, she was getting the adventure she’d been longing for.
The only frustrating thing was they wouldn’t be able to rush to the police right away and alert them to the burglary in process.
Bellamy slammed into the door again. This time it seemed to rattle the walls.
She grabbed on to his arm. “If they hear the noise, they’ll come back and look for us.”
He stopped himself short, his breathing labored.
“Besides, maybe it’s time to admit you’re not as strong as you think you are.”
“You’re probably the one who thinks I’m strong.”
She released a soft snort. “Aye, that’s why I agreed to the match. Because of the size of your muscles.”
“I thought so.” He seemed to draw in a steadying breath. “You can’t get enough of my muscles.”
“You know me so well.”
“So I do, enough to also realize how enamored you are with my blarney.”
“I do love your blarney.” She spoke the words sarcastically, but truer words had never been spoken. She loved his charm and his humor and even his sarcasm.
If she had to pick one person to be stuck with, it was Bellamy McKenna. In fact, she would relish every moment.
18
What had he gotten them into?
Bellamy jammed his fingers into his hair, his frustration mounting more with every passing second.
“Let’s see if we can find another way out.” Zaira started moving away from him but bumped into something that fell to the floor with a clatter.
He reached out a hand blindly for her but grasped only air. “Someone wise once told me if they hear the noise, they’ll come back and look for us.”
She released a scoffing laugh. “We can’t just sit. If we do, they’ll escape with the money.”
He liked that she wasn’t afraid or upset at their circumstances. She never seemed to let a situation bother her. And she was daring—another admirable trait.
