She couldn’t see anything, but she closed her eyes while her fingers felt over the keyhole. Going on instinct, she slid the first pin into the top part of the hole and held it there while she used her free hand to maneuver the other pin into the bottom.
When she had them in place, she started moving them around. Mollie tried not to become frustrated with her inability to see what she was doing, but sweat beaded on her forehead and the ticking second hand of her watch sounded like drumbeats ticking away her life.
Each passing second was one second closer to those freaks returning for them.
She concentrated on her breathing and kept her hands steady while she worked. The slightest tremor might screw it all up.
Mike tore his gaze away from Mollie to inspect the barn again. He almost told her to hurry, but he bit the words back. Rushing her wouldn’t do either of them any good, and there was no guarantee she’d succeed.
He searched for cameras amid the rafters and spotted one in the right corner of the barn. Their captors weren’t too close, if they’d been next door, they would be here by now, but the Savages were monitoring their actions and had to know they were up to something.
A click sounded before the creak of hinges filled the air. His head shot back toward Mollie as her cage door swung open. She sat with her mouth half open and her hands on her knees as the door stopped a few inches away from her.
All around the barn, gasps filled the air, and the increased beat of hearts resonated. Mike stared at her in amazement as she snatched up the Zippo and scurried from her cage. When she tried to rise, she staggered and nearly went down. Lurching sideways, she fell against the bars of her cage.
“Are you okay?” he demanded. He reached for her through the bars but came up short of where she stood.
“My legs are cramped, and it’s been a while since I ate, but I’m fine,” she muttered before removing the pins from her lock.
She spat her gum into her cage and clutched the bars as, on wobbly legs, she made her way over to Mike’s cage and handed him back his lighter. The pins and needles were working their way out of her legs, and the longer she stood, the stronger they felt. She shifted from side to side, stretching her muscles as she examined the lock on Mike’s cage. It was the same as the others.
Maybe it wasn’t the best idea to set Mike free when she had no idea who he was, but he’d helped her, and she’d promised to help him. She couldn’t walk away and leave him to whatever fate awaited him here. No matter how desperate she was to find Aida, she’d hate herself for the rest of her life if she left him caged.
Besides, with as large as he was, his friendship might come in handy for whatever awaited them outside this barn. She certainly didn’t want him as an enemy, and that’s what he’d become if she left him here and he somehow got free.
“Hold the lighter here,” Mollie instructed.
When she grabbed his hand to move it into position, a jolt went through her the second their skin came into contact. Gasping, she nearly released the pins when she jerked her hand away from his. Trying to get her galloping heart under control, she refused to meet his eyes when she bent her head to the task of picking his lock.
What was that?Never had she experienced anything like it, and her body remained electrified by the jolt he’d given her.Had he felt it too? What does it matter if he did?You have far more important things to worry about.
Which was very true. Mollie ignored the tingling in her hand as she remained focused on the lock. She didn’t look up when she felt his eyes burning into her head as she wiggled the pins.
“How did you learn to pick locks?” he asked.
A faint smile curved her mouth while she remained focused on her task. Her mom had been dead for two years now, but out of habit, she always made sure she had a couple of bobby pins on her, as well as a lockpick kit, but her kit was wherever her car was now. Bobby pins had always been her go-to as they were easier to carry, and a nine-year-old toting around a lockpick set probably would have attracted the attention of child services.
“My mom was always locking herself out of places, or her keysintoplaces,” Mollie said. “I couldn’t tell you the number of times she locked us out of our house, car, or roomsinour house. After a while, instead of calling a locksmith or breaking a window, I learned how to pick a lock. I saw it in a movie once and thought it looked like fun.”
“Why didn’t you just carry an extra key with you?”
When she glanced at him, her incredible eyes danced with mischief and stole Mike’s breath. Without thinking, he reached through the bars and stroked the gentle curve of her cheek. Her skin was like silk beneath his fingers as the same thrill he’d gotten from touching her before ran up his arm. What he wouldn’t give to be free of these bars and this place so he could explore more of her.
Mollie gulped and tore her attention away from him when one of the pins nearly tumbled from the lock. She struggled to recall what they’d been talking about as she focused on freeing him.
“Now what would be the fun in that?” she asked in a tone meant to be teasing, but she sounded more like Kermit the Frog.
A click silenced his answer.
Mike stared in amazement when his door swung open before his gaze shifted back to her. All her humor vanished as she backed uneasily away from him and toward her cage. He understood her sudden distrust; their situation didn’t exactly scream faith in others.
“I’m not going to hurt you,” he vowed.
Approaching headlights drew his attention as they illuminated the edges of the barn doors while he crawled out from his cage.
Chapter Six
Mike’s gazeshot to Mollie when she stopped edging away from him and froze to gawk at the doors. Rising, he ignored the stiffness of his legs as he ran over and claimed her hand. A small jolt of electricity raced through him, and his hand instinctively tightened around hers. He’d get her out of this no matter what it took.
