She grabbed the mop and bucket. She’d already cleaned the floors, thank God—less reason to stay here. “Excuse me. I need to put these away.”
He took the bucket of dirty water from her hands. “Where do they live?”
“I didn’t ask you to help.” She went to grab for the bucket, but he pulled it out of her reach.
“You didn’t need to. Where should we put this water?”
“Dawson—”
“Do you fight everyone on everything, or do I just get special treatment?”
Her jaw clicked and she headed through the kitchen and out the back door. “I tip the water into the garden near the fence, and when you’re done, the bucket goes down here. And I don’t fight with everyone, just you.”
As Joel emptied the water, she unlocked the old root cellar door. The thing was built back when the building was—a long freaking time ago.
She hated it down here. It was the smallest cellar to ever have existed. Or at least the smallest she’d ever been in. She could barely stand upright. Joel would definitely need to crouch.
She only kept cleaning products down here because she was running out of space in the back room.
One deep breath, and she quickly moved down the stairs to set the mop in the corner, already feeling her chest tightening at the lack of space.
Footsteps sounded behind her, and she turned as Joel moved off the last step, and yep, he had to hunch.
“So I get special treatment, is that what you’re saying?” His full lips curved into a grin.
She took the bucket from him and set it beside the mop. She was just turning to reply when a bang sounded and the room shot into darkness.
Joel cursed, and she heard rustling before the flashlight on his cell lit up the small space.
But the light didn’t help her racing heart. And it didn’t do anything for the black dots starting to hedge her vision.
Out. She needed to get out.
Joel climbed the steps and pushed at the door.
It didn’t open.
“Shit,” he cursed. “The lock must have latched.”
No.
He moved to the side, and she rushed up the steps and gave the door a big shove. It didn’t budge.
She shoved again, harder this time, her heart now beating so hard she could feel the pulse in her throat.
Come on, come on, come on.
“Polly, it’s fine. I’ll text the team. One of the guys will come and let us out.”
She shook her head. “No. I need to get outnow. I need…” The room started to close in on her, and she swayed.
“Whoa!” Strong fingers wrapped around her waist, and she was lifted and placed in a seated position on the bottom steps.
She could barely make out Joel kneeling in front of her. He was a blur. Everything was a blur. Even the pockets of darkness swirled in her vision.
“Hey. Talk to me, Sunshine. What’s going on?”
“I don’t like…small spaces.”
