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Chapter Eight
As Heather and Drakestole up the stairs of the Citizens Committee headquarters, her heart pounded so loudly she was surprised he couldn’t hear it. Was it possible that Jacob and the others had been stupid enough to leave them unguarded in a room they could easily escape, or was this all part of Jacob’s master plan, herding them through a maze like mice, knowing they could be caught again to torture some more?
She had no idea, but she feared the worst. Nothing had gone right in her life for months, and even if they did manage to escape, Jacob could easily find her again. He knew far too much about her.
To her surprise and relief, once they got to the top of the stairs, they found the main meeting room dark and silent as well. She wanted to direct Drake straight to the back door but had to bite her tongue. It wouldn’t do to let him know how intimately she knew this building. So far, she’d managed to keep her role in this a secret, and she wanted it to stay that way.
As kind as he’d been so far, he was a man of justice, and she had no doubt he’d deal some out to her if he knew how much she deserved it. She still hadn’t had time to process that people had died in that explosion. If she really let herself think about it, she’d completely lose whatever calm she’d managed to maintain. How could she have been a part of something so terrible?
Drake reached back and grabbed her hand again, giving it a silent squeeze of reassurance. Tears stung her eyes at his attempt to comfort her. She wished with all her heart that she’d given her innocence to someone like this man, someone who knew how to show affection, even to someone he just barely knew, even though it seemed he’d received very little of it himself throughout his life.
Stumbling along behind him in the dark, she realized that the time she’d spent locked in the cellar with him had made her feel as though she knew Drake Blackstone more than she’d even known Jacob. It almost made her sad to be returning to a world he wouldn’t be a part of. But she certainly couldn’t think of a scenario where they’d ever cross paths again, unless it involved her sitting in a jail cell.
Squeezing her eyes shut at the pain of that, she stumbled hard into his back as he came to an abrupt stop. A small sliver of light came from under a closed door at the end of a long hallway.
Jacob’s office.
Drake froze for a long moment, and intuitively, she knew he was contemplating knocking that door down to see who had done this to him. She also knew that if she wasn’t with him, that would be exactly what he’d do.
But he thought she was innocent in all this. And he didn’t want her to get hurt.
She held her breath, wondering what he’d decide, not really certain what decision shewantedhim to make. Jacob’s death would be the answer to all her prayers, but one careless word from him would ensure she ended up in jail for a very long time.
Before she could come to a decision of her own, Drake spun around and hauled her in the opposite direction, toward the back door of the building.
Clinging to his hand, she trailed in his wake, trying hard to be as quiet as he was. The last thing they needed was for Jacob to hear them and come investigate.
When they finally reached the door, he fumbled with the lock, for the first time making enough noise to be heard. Heart pounding, she brushed his hands away, silently maneuvering the tricky lock she’d opened so many times before.
At last, it sprang open, and they spilled out into the alley behind the Citizens Committee building.
He took a moment to pull her to him and hug her tight. “You’re doing great,” he breathed. “There’s no one I’d rather break out of jail with.”
A hysterical laugh rose in her throat, and she struggled to keep it at bay. “Likewise.”
Pressing a kiss to her temple, he grabbed her hand again, pulling her down the alley.
They’d done it. They were actually free.
