Page 77 of Release You

“We got very close to the manhole.” I forced a laugh. “We almost made it out.”

“You should not have come back for me. Henry will never forgive me if something happens to you.” She took a shaky breath. A wheezing sound echoed in her chest every time. Every breath was painful for her.

“Tessa, save your strength. Do you think you can get back on your feet?”

“I think this door is a no go.” She attempted a smile.

“Yeah. I got that.” I sighed. “The other end would just take us back to the house.”

“The servants’ access,” she whispered.

I’d forgotten about that. The study was a few feet away from the foyer. We could use the servants’ access hidden behind the bar cart. It led to the kitchen, but then what? We still had to deal with the goons waiting for us in the garden. Did they know about the manhole? This place was like a fortress.There was no way out except the front door, through Francesca and Scott.

“Do you trust me?” I asked.

“I do, Nikki.”

Her use of my new name made my heart melt. This was the same Tessa I met so many years ago, always willing to do anything to make me feel better, always there to offer a kind word. Leaving her here wasn’t an option. I reached under my skirt and pulled on the flap of the emergency pack. I squeezed my fingers around the twenty-two automatic and aimed it at nothing in the dark. The only way out was through them.

“We’ll go back to the front end of the tunnel and get you out, but, Tessa, you’ll have to hide upstairs and wait for me to get help. I can’t carry you, and I don’t think you can make it far, not after all the blood you’ve lost.”

“Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine.” She sat up and leaned on the wall.

“Don’t say that. I amcoming back for you. I swear it.”

Before I lost my nerve, I stood and hooked my arm around Tessa’s elbow to help her up. Her legs wobbled as she took the first step, but her grip on my hand was strong and steady.

“You’ve never been very smart.” Francesca’s voice echoed in the dark, her tall figure blocking the only exit into the foyer.

The musty scent was stronger here. How long before traces of blood disappeared, before the smell was truly gone? Something like a cold rod scraped my spine from the base of my skull to the small of my back, grinding every vertebra and sending a shock of fear to every fiber in my body. What would this place look like under the light? Maybe it was a good thing we couldn’t see much.

“Even as a kid, you couldn’t follow simple instructions.” Francesca scoffed.

“So you do know who I am,”I said.

“I figured it out the day you and Henry were having brunch. I’d only seen that look on his face once before.” She sneered. “Yeah. It was the day we sent him away, right before he realized his little maid was gone.”

“What’s it to you if Henry likes me or not?” I had to keep her talking, distract her until I found a way to get us out of here.

Holy fuck. I was going to have to shoot my way out of this one. And now was the time, before Scott came back and it was two against one.

“I never really cared what you two did. Though now that Henry’s back, it’s like having James with me again.”

Tessa gripped my arm even tighter. Crazy bitch was a huge understatement. I pushed Tessa toward the side. With a bit of luck, she might be able to sneak past Francesca.

“So you figured if he got to know you better this time, Henry might…what? Want you?” I winced in disgust.

“Why not? I know James had feelings for me. Why not Henry?” She was truly delusional.

Jesus Christ. To my right, Tessa disappeared. I couldn’t tell if she’d gotten to the door or gone back. Either way, I was on my own standing in the dark with a psychopath, with a death grip on my gun, wishing I’d brought a bigger weapon.

“I could stand here and explain to you all the different reasons why the fuck not. But at this point, I don’t care. All I want is to see you drop dead.” I aimed at the shadow in front of me.

I wanted a slow, painful death for her. My finger trembled over the trigger. Time was a tricky thing, especially when a life was on the line. Did I stand across from Francesca with a gun aimed at her head for an hour or merely minutes? I honestly didn’t know. What I did know was that when the secret panel opened to let in the light, my heart did a somersault.

“Nikki.” Henry put up his hands. “She’s not worth it.”

CHAPTER 28

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