“Why would you do that?” I barked and stepped back. I didn’t care if I pressed another button and the entire floor collapsed.
“In case something happened to me,” he said, still not raising his voice. “In case we got separated.” He groaned. “God, you have proved to have a talent for creating difficulties. First, you put on the bracelet, and now you’ve locked us in the bloody tomb.”
That stung. Earlier, he was glad I’d tagged along with him on this trip.
“You should warn me when you do things like that,” I yelled, throwing my hands up.
“I thought you saw me doing it last night, and I also didn’t think you’d follow me in here.” He looked somewhere past my shoulder, shaking his head.
“You didn’t answer when I called your name, and you were struggling.”
Andrew’s eyes locked with mine, and his nostrils flared. “If I’d heard you,” he said in a controlled tone, “I’d have answered.”
Shouldn’t he be in a frenzy of furious rage? Tearing me apart? Shouting at me? I couldclearlysee he was annoyed with me, but why was he trying to be composed? I was the one who had made a mistake, and I wanted to pound on his chest as if it was his fault.
“Why aren’t you yelling at me?”
Andrew lowered to the ground and planted his elbows on his knees. “I’m saving my strength.”
With his eyes closed, Andrew rested his chin on his linked fingers, grasping the flashlight, the beam pointing at the front wall of the coffin. It had a design of steps leading up to a door with a double-sloped roof in Roman or Greek style with a decorative pedestal placed on the pediment. There were inscriptions at the bottom and at the top. I wanted to ask what they said, but it was probably best to let Andrew stew for a while.
Fear and guilt bottled up in my chest as I padded in the opposite direction and slid to the floor with my back to the wall. I fought the sob wedged in my throat, and then my chin quivered. I should have hugged William before leaving instead of kissing his forehead. The thought of him was like a blow to my gut, and the sob burst from my mouth. With trembling fingers, I fished out my phone from a pocket, and the home screen came to life with a photo of William and me, laughing our asses off at his last birthday celebration in Savannah. Hot tears spilled down my cheeks. I wiped them with my grungy dressing on my forearm. I’d miss seeing his face and hearing his jabbing remarks. Because of my stupidity, we would never go on another spontaneous trip or watch a cheesy movie while talking over each other. But at least he was safe. God, I never thought I would be glad he’d hurt his ankle.
I hit the back of my head on the cold granite. My karma had a wicked sense of humor, and she’d outdone herself this time. I drew in a shuddering breath and put my forehead to my knees.
An hour passed, or maybe even more, before the shock of the situation started wearing off. The entire time, Andrew and I sat in stale silence, the dust particles flowing in the beam of our flashlights.
What would come first: death from thirst or a burst bladder because there was no way in hell I’d pee locked in a room with Andrew? I shook my head. I shouldn’t think about that. I should channel my energy into something else instead, like chiseling our way out of here. Sitting and sobbing was unproductive. If I were to die here, I would die trying to find the way out. My hand twisted the bracelet, loosely dangling on my wrist. I didn’t need it anymore.
Taking it off, I shuffled to Andrew’s backpack, unzipped its front pocket, and carefully lowered it in. Then I circled the white marble casket, not daring to climb it and check what was inside.
All four sides were decorated with magnificent works of art. The right side had a garden with fruits and blooming bushes, a man and a woman with two small children on either side. Augustine and Maria with their sons. And everywhere there were birds. In the skies. On trees. On the ground. In the hand of each boy.
The back side had a design of the same birds facing each other that we had found on the tile at Erizo at Las Loma. The left side had the carving of the palace from the sketch: the building that we were in. I traced my fingers over the curves and valleys of its roof and turrets. The details were unbelievably vivid. It would have been a beautiful place to live.
When I’d made a full circle, Andrew crouched by the front of the sarcophagus. His eyebrows furrowed, and his eyes narrowed as he concentrated on the design. At least my last days would be in the company of a handsome man who probably regretted his earlier words that he was glad I’d come on this trip.
“You’re staring at me,” Andrew said without lifting his eyes to mine.
“Yes, I am, because there’s nothing else pretty to look at.” I bent and picked up his hat and dusted off the cobwebs. “Again, I’m very sorry for… messing up.” Andrew hummed, thinking, his teeth grazing his bottom lip.
I placed the hat on my head and returned to the locked door. The bracelet was the key to unlocking this vault. From outside. Inside there were no holes in the wall for me to push my hand through. Why would Augustine need to shut the door from the inside if only the dead were here? To keep zombies from leaving? I scoffed. This space was designed to be a safe. And only later must have been converted into a crypt. The trap must have been original to the design. What was the purpose of it?
What if it was also a panic room?
“There must be a way out of here.” I spun around to look at Andrew. “Maybe one of these blocks is a button of some sort?” Of course, one of them could also be a “release the booby traps” button. Crap. I wasn’t sure I liked Andrew’s job. He should stick to teaching if we get out of here.
He hummed again. “All right.” He rose to his full height.
“All right, what?” I peered at him.
Andrew took a step toward me, removed his hat from my head, and placed it on his. “You promised me a kiss.” He palmed the back of my neck and took over my mouth with his. It both surprised and electrified me. But as much as I loved the feel of his soft lips, I was also very much confused. I broke our kiss.
“I’m lost. First, shouldn’t you be outraged and not make out with me? And second, is this a goodbye kiss?”
“I was mad. Yes, you should have listened to me, but you didn’t lock us in intentionally.” Andrew’s breath ghosted over my lips. “I believe I know the way out.”
A new energy and relief surged within me. I arched backward. “Where?”