Gil yanks one of the long, gauzy curtains down from the window next to the balcony doors. He rips a strip off and starts to bind Trent’s hands together. “We’ll get him tied up. Go. Let’s get out of here.”
Taking one last, lingering look at the faces of the men I love so much, I push up off the floor and make a run for the hidden door. I shut it behind me and start going down the spiral staircase, pausing halfway and listening to see if anyone is in the office. When I don’t hear anything, I rush through the office and throw open the heavy door.
“Fuck…which way?” I look up and down the hall. I need to find the stairs to get up to the top level. Deciding to head toward the elevator, I hold one hand out in front of me, trying to let my intuition guide me. I make it all the way down the hall, finding nothing but closed, unmarked doors.
The stairs have to be behind one of them, locked off in an attempt to hold all the children prisoner here. And dammit, I don’t have the keys anymore after setting them down to pull the board off the window. I stop in the middle of the hall and exhale, chest burning from the broken ribs, and look at each door.
“Which one of you takes me to freedom?” I whisper. Going with the one closest to me, I push my shoulders back, conjure a fireball, and throw it at the door. It blasts through and into a supply closet.
“Dammit!”
I push forward and get hit with a wave of dizziness. Stumbling, I catch myself against the wall, blinking rapidly to try and keep my vision from blacking out.
“Acelina,” a voice whispers in my ear, and I shoot up. I know that voice.
“Mom?” I turn, finding strength inside of me, and see the door at the end of the hall slowly creak open, revealing the stairs. My mouth falls open and I stare at the open door in disbelief.
Then I shake myself, needing to get it together. My hand slides off the wall and I start forward again, wincing with each step. By the time I get up the stairs, I’m winded, and I don’t get winded easily.
The door at the landing is locked too, but this time the ghost of my mother doesn’t open it. I put my hands on my knees and lean forward, giving myself a few seconds, and then I raise my hand, bringing up another fireball. This one hits with less power and doesn’t blow the door right off the hinges. I have to try again.
And again.
But third time’s a charm and the door smolders as it falls to the ground. I step over it, wafting smoke out of my face.
“Rachel,” I say quietly, using magic to carry my voice to her. “I’m here. The coast is clear for now.”
I stop, holding out my hands, ready for an attack. And then I see her, holding the hand of a little girl. She ushers the kids out of her room. They’re all so young and look so terrified.
“Go downstairs and don’t stop until you’re outside,” I tell her. “There’s a blue Prius and a police car parked out front. My friends are in them. They’ll help you. Go!”
Rachel picks up the little girl. “What about you, Ace?”
“I’ll be fine.” Fire rises up around my fingers. “But I can’t say the same about Trent. Now go, before the police get here. We’ll work out a story later, but for now…just go!”
She hugs the little girl to her chest and starts down the stairs. Once the last child is in the stairwell and out of the hall, I rush back to the door leading into Trent’s private living quarters. It’s been kicked in, but all is silent inside the living room.
“Ace?” Thomas calls.
“Yeah, it’s me.”
Thomas hurries out of the room and wraps his arms around me. I wince and he pulls away.
“What’s wrong?”
“I’m sore all over,” I tell him with a frown. “But I’ll be fine. Is everyone else—”
“Yeah. We’re good. One security guard was no big deal. And the old guy was even easier.”
“Old guy? Oh, right, Charles.”
Thomas puts his arm around me and helps me walk into the living room. Trent is tied up, gagged, but awake. The guard and Charles are knocked out on the floor.
“This place will be swarming with police soon,” I tell the guys. “You need to take Trent and get out of here.”
“What about you?” Hasan asks.
“I’m going to stay and try to clean up the mess the best I can. The kids are on their way down to Nick and Gemma. I’m going to call Nick and come up with a story.”
