Page 76 of Hidden
Reaching her bag, he hauled it onto his lap.
“It’s a heavy tool. It will be on the bottom,” she said.
He shoved his hand inside, shifted a few items out of the way, then ran his fingers along the bottom. It didn’t take long before they closed around cool metal. A split second later, he had the device out and had dumped her purse back on the floor. Without hesitation, he began opening the various tools, searching for the saw.
He found it on the fourth try and immediately began sawing through the ropes around his ankles. “Remind me to tell Harry how much I love him,” he said.
“I’m pretty sure the feeling will be mutual. Especially if we make it out of here,” she said.
“We will make it out,” he said, sawing through the first set of ties. But then, casting doubt on his proclamation, an ear-piercing crack sounded above them, followed by a crash that shook the walls down to the foundation. He froze at the deafening sound, the implications of it falling heavily on his shoulders as the fluorescent light flickered and died, leaving them in a glowing sort of darkness. Gathering his fear around him like an army, he redoubled his efforts on his second leg.
“Asher?”
“Yeah?” he replied without looking up. He was about ten seconds from being free.
“I’m glad we met. Whatever happens today—”
“Stop,” he commanded. “Whatever you’re about to say, save it. We’re not having any conversations about anything other than getting out of here.” The last of the rope fell away and relief flooded through him. He still had to free Ellie and get the door open, but they were one step closer.
He stumbled through the dark to her side as fast as his numbed legs would carry him. He couldn’t keep from kissing her—a quick brush of his lips against hers—before dropping to his knees behind her. The cough that racked his body when he knelt had him scanning the basement. Sure enough, heavy black smoke now filled the room, trickling down the stairs before rising toward the ceiling. Like an upside-down hourglass.
They needed masks. He considered their options as he began cutting Ellie free. She had a scarf that she could tie across her face. And if worse came to worst, he could take off his shirt and use that.
“Sirens,” Ellie said. “Someone must have seen the fire.”
He cocked his head as he continued to saw. Sure enough, he could hear them, too. It dawned on him that not that much time had passed since Jasmine left. No more than six or seven minutes. The fire must be bigger than he thought if the fire department was already nearby. Still, as grateful for their pending arrival as he was, he kept sawing. They shouldn’t count on the firefighters getting to them in time.
Finally, her hands broke free, and she jerked them in front of her. Then winced at the sudden movement.
“Rub them together and get the blood circulating while I work on your legs,” he said. He moved around in front of her to get a better look at the ties around her ankles. He’d just hooked his finger through a section of rope when another ominous creak filled the air.
He glanced up, and his heart stopped. The flames were licking their way through the floor above them. It gave them more light, but the sight of the fire eating its way along the edges of the wooden planks—weakening them—caused all sorts of worst-case scenarios to bounce around his head.
Frantically, he searched for a spot that looked less precarious. In the recesses of his mind, he acknowledged that if the floor collapsed, the firefighters wouldn’t be able to reach them. But his more immediate concern was to not be under it when it gave and caved in.
“Hold on,” he said, rising.
Ellie’s “what” was followed by a small yelp when he picked her up, chair and all, and dashed to the far corner. With the power now out, his way was lit only by the glow of the fire raging above them. But the darkness of the corner he tucked them into offered temporary comfort. If the flames weren’t lighting the space, then maybe they were safe for a little while longer.
“Cover your face with your scarf,” he ordered as he started sawing the ropes again.
“What about you?” she asked as she complied.
“As soon as I get you free, I’ll use my shirt,” he answered. Then coughed. The fit caught him off guard with its intensity, and he paused in his sawing. No use untying her if his unsteady hands were going to nick an artery doing it.
A loud crack echoed through the room, and Ellie flinched as he freed her first leg.
“That was a good crash,” he said. “The firefighters have breached the front door.” But his relief was short-lived. Not ten feet away, right where they’d been moments ago, the floor and supporting beams came crashing down.
Ellie screamed and twisted away. He leaped up, putting his body between her and the flying embers. Heat flowed over his back like a wave, and pain pierced his shoulders and legs as sparks landed on him, singeing and burning through his clothes.
“Keep your head turned,” he said, his voice gravelly. He didn’t want to think about how hard it was to say those words. To suck in enough oxygen to form them.
She nodded, keeping her eyes closed. As soon as he was certain they were out of immediate danger, he dropped back down to the ground.
The door at the top of the stairs groaned then, with little fanfare, burned from its hinges and slid to the floor. And still, he kept sawing.
He could hear the practiced and measured footsteps of the firefighters above them. Maybe they’d make it down to the basement. But even if they did, at the rate the fire seemed to be moving through the old building, getting out again didn’t seem likely. Not through the front door, anyway. He needed to get Ellie free and then they needed to clear the egress door. It was their best—their only—option.
