It takes a minute, but Edward shakes his head, letting out a half-hearted laugh. "Jeez Louise, boys. Fine, five hundred. Sue me for trying to get a deal." He pulls out his phone, showing us the screen as he transfers the funds. Damon's phone dings as he receives the amount.
"Excellent," Damon says, nodding for us to leave. "May we never see you again." As we exit the office, he asks, "Where to?"
"Sicily."
Damon takes a deep breath, closing his eyes. "Let's go get our girl."
THE SWEET ESCAPE
EMERY
She looks quiteharmless when she sleeps. Naked. Sated. And almost innocent. Her arm drapes over my waist, the fur throw blanket covering the embrace. I remain still. Frozen. Except for my eyes. My eyes are moving, tasked with identifying all the tools I need for a sweet escape.
My gaze floats across the room. The key to the chain is precariously lying next to Toni’s clothes. Her satellite phone is on the computer desk. There’s a pair of shoes by the door. And a jacket. Wallet. I probably need a wallet. Scanning the room for a wallet, I swallow when I notice the handle of a pistol poking out from underneath an upside-down book on her desk. That might be more useful than a wallet.
Who needs cash when you’ve got bullets?
The clock hanging in the back of the basement reads 7 a.m. It’s dark outside. The benefits of winter. I place two gentle fingers against her neck, checking her pulse, careful that my movements are calculated and stealthy. Forty-eight BPM. She’sin a deep sleep. I could never reach such levels of rest. Lucky, Toni.
I pull my hand back and stare up at the ceiling, controlling my breathing.
Now. I need to move now.
Slowly, carefully, I shift my body closer to the edge of the mattress. A sound creaks from the worn-out springs, and I inwardly wince. It’s fine. She’s asleep. It’s fine. Hesitantly, I slip my right leg off the edge, the left one following. When both feet hit the cement floor, I twist my torso, my hands bracing me as I slide fully onto the floor.
A draft nips at my bare skin, and I shiver.
Toni shifts on the bed, and my heart races as I stare at her, praying that she doesn’t wake up.
After a loaded minute, I continue, slithering around the perimeter of the mattress, holding my breath as I reach for the brass key.
Got it.
Swallowing, I move three more paces until I’m kneeling before the chain. Toni’s ankle pokes out from under the blanket.
Swift. This needs to happen swiftly. In one movement.
Grab. Chain. Lock.
No hesitations. No second thoughts.
She’s a small woman, but if I give her too much time to process what’s happening, I fear she may overpower me.
I close my eyes, inhaling a long breath of resolution.
Three…
Two...
One...
It’s incredible. A human’s instinct to survive. How even the most impossible tasks become attainable.
I’m not dying today.
As the cold, metal chain circles around Toni’s ankle, and I insert the key, the click almost deafening, I realize the power of my desire to live.
Toni’s eyes spring open. Her own survival instincts.
