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After a few more minutes, Lockwood emerged with the empty food tray and his medical kit. The plan I’d made in my head was rudimentary, and its success depended on my acting fast, taking him by surprise.
I crossed the room in two long strides and pinned him against the door as soon as he’d locked it. He dropped everything and used his hands to push me away.
“What are you doing?” He didn’t sound frightened. More like... demanding. “Stand down, guard. What’s gotten into you?”
I could crush him with my little finger. I wasn’t going to do it just yet.
“Who do you have in there?” I asked.
He was trapped between the door and my chest. I held my hands by my sides, if only to stop myself from wringing his neck.
“Someone who’s paying for her sins,” he said.
As vague as ever.
“Stand down,” he said in a lower tone now. “Or don’t, if you want to lose your job.”
I backed away, and he took a deep, calming breath, exhaled as if he needed a moment to compose himself and forgive me for my transgression, then straightened his clothes and pushed his glasses up his nose.
“Do you swear she did something to your mother and you’re only making her pay for it?” I asked.
“I don’t have to swear it, and I don’t have to tell you anything. I didn’t expect you to be so difficult. I’ll have to call your boss and have a talk with him about what you just did.”
He picked up the medical kit, then kicked the tray in my direction. The plastic plates and utensils left bits of food on the cement floor.
“Clean this up, since it’s your mess.”
With that, he left, his footsteps as measured and lightweight as ever. To be fair, the guy mystified me. And maybe even scared me a little. His confidence was off the charts. Did he really think his money could buy me, and that he had power over me just because he’d signed a contract with Monster Security Agency? Legally, sure, he did. Legally and professionally, I was required to do what he said with no questions asked. But I wasn’t like that. I might’ve not been a saint or a hero, but I had my morals.
I waited a beat, then pulled out the key from my pocket. I could be stealthy when I wanted to. Attacking Lockwood had merely been a distraction, so I could get my hands on the key. I didn’t know how long it would take him to realize it was missing, so I pushed it into the lock and turned it.
I cracked the door quietly, wary of what I would find inside. A sliver of light penetrated the darkness, guiding my gaze from the toes of my boots, over the cement floor, to a set of tiny feet tied to a chair. My gaze moved upward – slender legs, thin arms, a longneck, bright blue eyes swimming in tears. She was tied up so tightly that she couldn’t move an inch. Her mouth was covered with duct tape.
I cursed under my breath, not believing that Lockwood was capable of something like this. No, in fact, I did believe it. He was a psychopath. I stepped inside, closed the door, and switched on the only light bulb. She winced, her eyelids fluttering in discomfort.
She was tiny, with long brown hair and the biggest, most beautiful eyes I had ever seen. She looked at me with hope and despair, not knowing what to expect. I approached her carefully, holding my hands up.
“Hey there. I’m Mason. The bodyguard. I mean you no harm. Here’s what I’m going to do. I will untie you, so we can talk. I don’t know what’s happening here, just that I was hired to guard the door. I want to hear your story, okay?”
She nodded.
“It’s important that you don’t scream. I stole the key from Dr. Lockwood, and I don’t know how long it will take him to figure it out. We don’t have much time, so let’s use every second of it wisely.”
She nodded again. Now that we were in agreement, I started moving a bit quicker. I undid the ropes around her legs and arms, and peeled off the duct tape. I was ready to cover her mouth in case she screamed, but she surprised me by being calm and cooperative.
“What’s your name?” I asked.
“Maya. Maya Lucas.”
I helped her out of the chair and onto the mattress that was on the floor, against the back wall. She looked terrible. Her gaze traveled quickly to a chain that ended with two handcuffs, and I shuddered when I realized it was bolted to the floor. All thistime, she’d been tied up or chained? How long had she been here?
“Please help me,” she whispered. “Please stop him.”
I kneeled before her, blocking the way to the door. I was so big compared to her that even from this position, I was several heads taller than her. She had to crane her neck to look at me. I didn’t know who I was dealing with, so I was taking things slowly, not jumping to conclusions, but it seemed preposterous to think that Maya had hurt anyone and deserved this. Still, I had to hear it from her.
“What did you do to Lockwood’s mother?”
“Who’s Lockwood?” she asked.
