She stares down at where I hold her hands in mine, and I hear her heartbeat quicken. She must be so scared, placing her faith in a man who shares the same blood as her captor.
“There’s a loose panel in the wall behind your bed,” I tell her, showing her where it’s hidden. “Pry it open, and you’ll find a tunnel that leads to the surface just behind the house. Run straight out until you find a stream. I’ll meet you there, but if I don’t make it within half an hour, follow the current downstream. It’ll take you to a small wooden bridge. Beau should be there. He’ll take care of you.”
Her eyes widen slightly. “Why wouldn’t you make it?”
I don’t answer that. I’ll need to hang back and make sure nobody realises she’s gone until she gets a head start. And make sure nobody gets the chance to tell my father what’s going on.
“Why would you risk this for me?” she asks again, and there’s genuine confusion in her voice.
I could tell her about the growing disgust I feel toward my father and his methods. About how I long to look at myself in the mirror and know I stood up for the right thing.
Both would be true.
But neither is the whole truth.
“I don’t know,” I admit finally. “I just know I have to.”
She holds my gaze for a long moment, then nods, a fragile trust forming between us.
“Be ready,” I tell her, pulling some more palatable protein bars out of my pocket and a packet of sweets. “Eat. You’ll need your strength. It’s a good distance.”
As I go to stand, her small hand touches my arm, and my breath catches as I get a shock of static electricity from the contact. “Thank you.”
With a nod, I head back upstairs, my bear restless with anticipation. The next part is tricky. I need to neutralize the two guards without raising suspicion. Without killing them, which would be simpler, but crosses a line I’m not willing to step over.
I need a distraction.
Pete’s still on the porch. Perfect.
“Got to check the perimeter. Dad’s orders. Want a beer before I head out?”
That gets his interest. Pete’s always been lazy. “Fine,” he says, following me inside, seizing any opportunity to get out of the heat. “But you better not tell anyone.”
I toss my head back and laugh. “You think I’m going to tell my Dad I’ve been giving you free beers?”
Pete grins and settles into a seat at the bar.
As he watches the door, I drop a sedative into the beer bottle, giving it a quick swirl before I slide it across the bar toward him, knowing the sedative will work quickly. With a wink, I head out,leaving him to take his nap at the bar, then move toward the east side of the property, where Rory patrols. He’s the easier of the two, not the brightest, and susceptible to distraction.
I find him exactly where I expect, smoking a cigarette by the old storage shed.
“Rory,” I call out, approaching him at speed, bending over to catch my breath. “I need you. Now.”
He eyes me warily. Everyone knows I’m not the type to ask for favors. “What’s up?”
I glance back over my shoulder and draw upon my genuine nervousness to look like a man who’s worried that he might have fucked up.
“Need you to check something for me in the bar. I found something under one of the tables. I’m not sure whether it’s a listening device or what, but I figured you might know.”
That gets his attention. “Shit. Does your dad know?”
“Fuck no,” I say. “I’m not bothering him unless I know for sure.”
“Fuck.” Rory narrows his eyes, dropping his cigarette and grinding it under his boot. “Fine. But if it is, your dad’s going to tear you a new one, you know that? And you’re taking my next night shift.”
If someone’s been listening in on the clan’s plans, whatever Dad’s up to could be in jeopardy, and Rory knows it. That’s the only thing serious enough to make him leave his post. He’s playing it cool, but I can see the panic in his eyes.
“Deal.”
