Page 24 of Fire in My Blood
Cold sweat forms a thin film all over my body as my gaze scans my brother’s office. Has he taken the key home with him or hidden it somewhere else in the building?
Chapter 15
Erica
My gaze lands on a small painting on the wall, and the corners of my lips slowly lift in a smile. I’ve known my brother my entire life, and I’m willing to bet he hasn’t changed much since we were young.
He always considered himself so smart, but he was never smarter than his sister. He just doesn’t know it, since I never told him I knew his favorite place to hide things from me.
I take the painting down from the wall and turn it over. There, fastened to the back of the painting, is a key, and it looks like it would fit the locks on Lucas’s manacles perfectly.
My smile turns into a wide grin, and I whisper a barely audible, “Yes.” Then I grab the T-shirt hanging from a nail behind the door before leaving my brother’s office.
I put away the cleaning cart I left in the middle of the corridor earlier and pick up my coat and purse. I won’t be back to finish my work tonight. This might well be the last time I’m here at all. Breaking out a prisoner is a crime and will have serious consequences if I’m caught, but that’s the least of my worries right now.
Lucas is standing on the mattress when I storm into the room, and I give him a wide grin and lift the key to show him my prize. “He had it hidden behind a painting, just like when we were kids.”
He chuckles. “That’s my girl.”
My chest swells with happiness and pride.
After dropping my coat and purse on the floor, I walk over to him and hand him the T-shirt before reaching for one of his manacles. But before I can touch it, he snatches the key from my hand.
“Let me take care of these. My male pride is taking a beating with everything you’re doing for me.” Lucas winks at me.
My face heats, and my heart does a little somersault in my chest. “Okay.” If I’m not careful I’m going to fall head over heels for this man. Perhaps I already am.
The manacles fall onto the mattress, but instead of returning his smile, I tense as a sudden thought hits me. “What happened to the bullets? Did they go straight through or are they still inside your chest?”
Smiling down at me, he indicates behind him with his thumb. “Look at the mattress. They were pushed out as the wounds closed.”
Leaning to the side, I look behind him and am amazed to see that he’s right. In the middle of the pool of blood on the mattress there are five bullets. And when I scan the wall above, I see the sixth one stuck in the concrete where it ended up after it grazed his neck.
I blink up at him, once more amazed he’s alive and standing in front of me. “Put on the T-shirt. It won’t provide much warmth, but it’s better than nothing.”
Amusement makes his eyes sparkle before he pulls the T-shirt over his head. “You don’t like me bare-chested? At this rate my male pride won’t survive the night.”
My face blazes again, and I quickly turn around and put some distance between us. “Um, it’s cold outside.”
I snatch my coat and put it on before grabbing my purse. “Are you coming?”
“I’m right here.” I can hear the amusement in his voice as he steps up next to me.
It appears he wasn’t joking a few days ago when he told me he likes the color red on me. But it irritates me the way I’m behaving like a schoolgirl with a crush around him. I want him to see me as a smart and desirable woman, not a fangirl.
I stare straight ahead at the doors while we stand in the elevator together. “As far as I know there are no cameras covering this building or the parking lot outside, so hopefully we’ll be able to get to my car without anyone seeing you. There isn’t usually anyone around at this time of night.
“But then there are the gates.” I let out a shaky sigh, as a shiver of fear follows my spine up to settle like a knot of tension at the base of my neck.
“There are two guards manning the gates at all times, but one is usually sitting inside the small building to the right. The area is well lit, so they will see you even if you lie down in the back seat. Unless you have a better idea, I think it would be best if you get into the trunk.”
I look up at him to gauge his reaction. “It’ll be a bit cramped, but I’ll stop as soon as I can to let you out. The guards don’t usually check my car since they know me.”
Lucas rolls his eyes and lets out an exaggerated sigh. “The trunk. Damn.” He winks at me. “You seem to have this all figured out. Do you make a habit of transporting men in your trunk?”
Laughter peals out before I can stop it. “Yeah, then they can’t complain about my driving.”
The elevator doors slide open on the ground floor. After getting out, I carefully approach the front doors and survey the area outside. It’s deserted as expected.