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I had been able to break the pipe free from the walls that the chains for my hands had been wrapped around. I wasn’t able to loosen any of the links with the edges of the pipe, but at least my feet were free for if I had to run. Prying the bar down had been nasty since it had some putrid water in it, but at least I got free before Lindsey fell asleep.
Now I just have to wait for a guard to come down to try and get their keys.
Lindsey said they tossed stale bread into our cells each morning, but the time would vary based on their whims.
Spying the sheet on my bed, along with the little strips of cloth I’d already torn from my dress, I snag one and dab at some more blood that rolls down my hands and arms. I need to keep them as dry as possible in case the guard comes soon.
Light catches my eye and I shift slightly. From Lindsey’s window, I can see the sky starting to lighten with the sunrise.
Somewhere nearby, a rooster crows and I jump, startled before chastising myself. Though, at least that tells me we’re in the country somewhere.
However, minutes later, the door scrapes open and I quickly get into position, even though the action makes the wounds on my neck and shoulders burn. I hear Lindsey’s chains rattling, and I wonder if it’s to help hide the noise my chain just made. I pray she stays quiet like we talked about. She doesn’t need to be hurt anymore than she already has been.
Dress shoes sound once again on the steps, and I wonder if it’ll be Bruce or someone else.
The footsteps go to her cell first and I hear a soft thump against the floor, so it’s most likely her piece of bread.
Then I hear the curse when the person gets to my door and right before the door opens, I hear the click of a gun’s safety going off.
Fear runs down my spine, but I force it down. The door opens and as soon as his arm is in; I bring the pipe down hard on his arm. He hollers and thankfully, drops the gun from the pain. It skitters across the cement into the corner of the room.
I get another good hit on him and he staggers enough for me to pull back even more and thwank him up alongside his head. He goes down to his knees. Another whack to the head has him going down hard.
I grab his gun and then his radio that’s clipped to his belt before grabbing the keys out of the door, locking him inside. I stash the radio and gun on my pile of things, surprised that everything’s actually there, and rush to Lindsey’s door.
When I get there, I see she’s already covered both our moms up like she had wanted to.
She rushes into my arms as soon as the door opens and sobs into my neck. Her arms tighten around me but I swallow my pain when her arms lands on multiple wounds.
“We did it, Pumpkin. We’re free of our shackles. Now we just gotta get out of here.”
“Before we do that, can I hit him for what he did to Mama? For hurting her?”
I freeze, but then go and look at him through the door. He’s still knocked out and blood dribbles out of his ear. I must be insane because I’m actually considering it. But then I look back at her.
“Pumpkin, we need to get out of here. I don’t know if he’s faking it, and I don’t want to risk your safety. However, I know your daddy and my Old Man are on their way here. Do you know how?”
She shakes her head.
I shift the shackle on one of my wrists and wiggle down my bracelet that is coated in fresh and dried blood. “There’s a tracker in here, Pumpkin. So long as we stay together, they’ll be able to find us. Once we’re back home, I’ll talk to your daddy about letting you get in two hits on him, since I have to say no right now. Okay?”
“I think that can be arranged, Pumpkin,” Drae’s voice comes from behind me, and I spin on my heel, covering my mouth with my free hand as a sob escapes at seeing Liam right behind Drae.
Tears roll down Lindsey’s cheeks as Drae carefully takes her out of my arms and it’s then that I see my wrist wounds under the chains are bleeding even more than before.
Liam scoops me up in a hug but immediately releases me when a hiss escapes.
“Fuck,” he hisses when he turns me around but then I immediately scramble to get in front of Drae, who was moving to Lindsey’s cell.
“Please believe me, Drae, you are going to want to wait to see her until I, or someone else, cleans her up. Please,” I whisper. I know I have no right to ask this of him, but I also think Lindsey needs him to be strong right now for her.
“The bad men hurt Mama and Mae’s mama, Daddy. I saw most of it. Mae’s mama stopped moving the day after they took her hand and Mama stopped moving three sunrises ago after the mean men hurt her really bad. Worse than they had before. They even cut off some of her fingers.”
Tears cascade down my cheeks at rehearing Lindsey say what our moms went through, and they fall harder at seeing the anguish on Drae’s face.
He nods, turning away, and I push through the other men to the corner and grab my things, stuffing them into a bag that Liam holds out.
“I don’t know what you want to do with his radio or gun, but just so you know, I touched both. Same with these keys,” I say holding them up.
