Page 27 of Deceptive Lies

What was her fate?

“Willow?”

The whispered voice had tears welling in her eyes.

For once, fate was on her side.

“C-Cooper,” she stammered.

“Can you stand, honey?” His figure knelt at the edge of the trapdoor, and even in the moonlight she could see his worried eyes looking down at her.

Or maybe it was just that she felt them roaming over her huddled body.

“Yes,” she answered, not sure it was true, but no matter what, she’d find a way to make it happen. “But he has me cuffed to the wall.”

“No worries, honey, we’ll get you out.” Cooper’s voice was calm and confident, soothing her in a way nothing had in a long time.

With an almost elegant jump, he landed on the floor in front of her. Dressed in the same clothes he’d been wearing earlier, Willow realized that he hadn't gone back to his hotel to change, he must have stayed in his car, waiting until the neighborhood was quiet before making his move.

Knowing he’d been close by all this time, that he hadn't left her, moved her and those tears very nearly came tumbling out.

Somehow, she managed to hold them in. Watching, he moved toward her, knelt, and reached out with those large hands of his to very gently circle her wrist. For a moment he stilled, staring at it, his fingertips almost absently skimming across her bruised and torn skin.

Then he pulled out a tool, bolt cutters she realized as he snapped the handcuff binding her in place.

When her hand dropped to her side, the relief she felt was overwhelming.

Not just psychologically.

Physically too.

The thought that freedom was within her reach sent her entire system haywire, and she began to shake. Not just tiny little trembles but huge wracking shakes that made her already aching muscles spasm, and she had to clamp her lips together so she didn't cry out.

The last thing she wanted to do was embarrass herself in front of Cooper.

A hand cupped her cheek, and it was pure instinct to lean into it. A single tear escaped, and Cooper caught it with the pad of his thumb.

“Hey, honey, listen to me.” He waited until she lifted her gaze to meet his before continuing. “You’ve done amazing. I'm in awe of what you’ve survived, of how brave you’ve been. It’s okay to need a little help now.”

Giving him a shaky nod, Willow dragged in a deep breath. She had to do this.

Had to.

This was her only chance of escaping.

At living.

There was no way she was going to shoot herself in the foot.

“You got this, Willow.”

His words of encouragement gave her enough of an infusion of strength to allow his hand to shift to her elbow and help her keep her balance as she pushed to her feet.

Without his help, she likely would have fallen right back down again. But with his steadying arm, she made it the few steps across her cell to the bottom of the trapdoor. This was the last time she’d ever have to set foot in this hellhole again, and she couldn’t wait to get as far away from this place as she could.

“I'm going to need your help to get you out of here,” Cooper told him.

It might be dark, but she fixed him with a fierce glare. “I survived two weeks of daily beatings. I'm not about to fall apart now. You tell me what you need me to do, and I’ll do it.”

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