“I’m in the cellar.” I hold my breath as I wait for a reply. No feet pass the window. The chair is heavy, but I lift the back legs slightly and slam it down. My stomach stings from the cut of the knife. Knowing all I can do is wait, I sit with my head bowed and close my eyes. Then the feet are back, passing the window.
“Help.” The feet stop and I tilt my head as I wait and listen. They come back and I shout once more. “I’m down here.” I was shouting at someone, hoping they were from the River Demons and not one of Delaney’s men.
“Mia?”
Cole’s voice is nirvana to me and the air slips from my body as it deflates in anticipation. I blink as I glance up at the window and he flashes a light beam at me. “Cole.”
“Mia, are you okay?”
Okay. I have never felt better. I snort, “I’m alive.”
Cole chuckles as he keeps the light on me, and I continue to squint. “That you are Mia.”
“Is Alex with you?”
There is a loud resounding kicking sound and glass breaking. Shards shatters and scatter around me. As the flashlight flickers away from me. A shuffling and a string of oaths as Cole squeezes his body through the gap, fills the air.
“Shit. I think I need to lose a bit of weight.”
I giggle. It is a nervous giggle. Cole is nicely toned without an ounce of fat on him. He lands with a gentle thud and the flashlight blinds me once more.
“Cole.”
“Yeah, Mia. It’s me.” His aftershave surrounds me and the beat of my heart increases, knowing I’ll soon be away from this hell hole. Then his fingers are at the knots on the rope at my wrists. I raise my hand. Tiny pricking pins spear through me as blood raced to my wrists and I rub them. Then my feet are free, and Cole rubs them. As he swings the light over me, the beam catches on the cut. “Fuck. Are you hurt?” His fingers soft as he probes the cut and I nod.
“It’s a flesh wound. Just stings a little.” There is more rustling, and Cole helps me to my feet. After slipping off the ruined top, he pulls his own tee-shirt over me.
Cole swings the flashlight round the basement, then back at the window where the draft is quite noticeable. His chuckle has me glancing at him as I raise an eyebrow. “I’m not climbing back out of that gap. I nearly damaged my manhood.” He flexes his hand. “And I think I’ve several splinters in my fingers and palm.”
“There are stairs and a door we can use.”
Cole scowls, “maybe I should leave you here for Alex to find and deal with.”
It’s the adrenaline running through me, which makes me lighthearted, and at Alex’s name, I glance at the stairs. It’s still too quiet. “Do you think he’s okay?”
Cole chuckles, slipping his hand into mine as he guides me up the stairs. He twists the door handle, swearing when he finds the door locked. “He’s fine.” Cole swings the flashlight round the doorframe. “He’s not on his own.”
A shiver shudders through me. “Delaney was expecting him.”
Cole twists the door handle once more, then leans against the door and pushes, but the door refuses to budge. “Alex thought that.” He pushes against the door again; the wood gives a slight tremble but refuses to open. “Here hold this.” I take the flashlight and point it to the door. Cole throws his body again and groans. “Shit, I’m going to be covered in bruises.” Then he turns to me, pulling out his cell. “I’m done showing off.”
We don’t have to wait long before the door opens and find ourselves face to face with Oyster. His over bright smile is missing. One moment I am standing beside Cole. The next I am in a bear hug.
“Shit, Oyster. I can’t breathe.” Oyster’s hold slackens and after I kiss him on the cheek, he sets me free. As I turn from him, I spot Alex standing in the doorway to one of the other rooms. He holds his arms out. His grip is just if not tighter than Oyster’s. The cut on my body stings. I don’t care. I am with Alex.
Chapter 33
Mia: Alex’s Apartment in Noir Valley
“This isn’t Demon’s Lair.” I follow Alex into the small apartment as I take a swift intake of the decor. It is clean. The sage green sofa and easy chair dominate the room. At the rear is the kitchen, cut off from the main room by a half wall. To my left is a
