Page 12 of Organized Chaos

“You’re going to have to jump.” He shifted under her feet. “Go fast. When I let go of your ankles, grab my hands, and jump down.”

“Are you sure?”

A bark of laughter rang out. “Not at all. But you can’t stay up there and the longer we talk about it the more frightened you’ll be and the harder it will be to trust me. So. You’re not going to think. You’re going to listen to me. For once.”

“Hey.” She wished she could swat him again, but their situation prevented her from moving. “I resent that.”

“Truth hurts sometimes.” He squeezed her ankles and a lighter note hit his voice. “You can do this. Trust me. I won’t let you fall. Jump on three. One.” He braced against the wall. “Two.” His hands let go of her ankles. “Three.”

Sarah grabbed for his hands and jumped. She missed his hands but caught hold of his neck and grabbed on with all her might.

Phillip let out a sound she’d never heard before. Something between a grunt and muffled laughter. His arms went around her waist and brought her to his chest before her feet hit the floor. “I suppose that works.”

His face was inches from hers and her arms tightened around his neck of their own accord. Despite all the horrid thoughts she’d had about him today, in this moment, she wanted to hold onto him forever. She forced her fingers to untangle from his hair. “What can we try next?”

Phillip released her and shoved his hands into his pockets. He looked away, his throat dipping in a hard swallow. “I need to think.”

“You go think.” Sarah took a giant step back. “I’m going to look around some more.” She could not be close to him right now. Not with how her emotions were running on high and she was entirely too attracted to a man so completely opposite her that it was laughable. What did they call that? Stockholm Syndrome? No, that was when you fell in love with your kidnapper.

Phillip wasn’t that. She might not know much about him, but she no longer believed he was capable of hurting her.

“Watch out for snakes.” Phillip cautioned when she turned away.

“Har har,” she called back over her shoulder. A shelf appeared out of nowhere and she slammed into it knee first.Lord, I could use a little less klutz and a little more grace right now.

She rubbed her wounded knee and hobbled back into the darkness in search of an escape. These old houses like this were famous for hidden passageways. Maybe Phillip’s grandparents had a house that was once part of the underground railroad. There could be a tunnel just waiting to be found.

Any kind of distraction was welcome at this point if it kept her from romanticizing Phillip.

CHAPTER FIVE

Phillip knew one thing for certain. He never wanted to experience another day like this. He settled deeper into the pile of boxes and watched Sarah rush back and forth between the narrow band of light from the afternoon sun filtering through the cellar doors and the stark emptiness of shadows.

Her flightiness agitated him, but he kept his mouth shut and let her roam. Surely, she’d get tired soon and settle down. No matter how many times he told her there wasn’t another way out, she seemed determined to mine every square inch in an attempt to prove him wrong.

Let her try. He’d love to have her find a way out. It beat sitting here with his mind spinning in all directions and the threat of never being found hovering overhead like a guillotine ready to fall.

Phillip shook the morbid image away and scrolled through his phone. He’d tried countless times to send a text message; but like Sarah couldn’t give up her prowling, he couldn’t give up trying one more time.

The message flashed and he received the same ‘delivery failed’ icon that accompanied the last fifty or so messages.

Growling, Phillip shoved the phone back into his pocket and focused on the hole above him. God had kept them safe. That he knew as well. The spot where the floor gave way dropped straight between two shelves full of glass jars. They’d have been cut to ribbons if they landed several inches to either side.

He tipped his head and considered the shelves. Could they move them closer to the hole and then climb out? The shelves were sturdy, and incredibly heavy. Scooting them across the dirt floor would take considerable strength. He was no slouch when it came to working out and had the physique to prove it, but those shelves weighed several hundred pounds each.

A quick look at Sarah reminded him that she’d be little to no help. He’d consider himself lucky if she didn’t fall under the shelves and get trapped. He’d never met a clumsier person.

As though she felt his gaze, Sarah turned. Her overalls were covered in dirt and her braids were starting to come undone. But she wore her fierce determination like a banner for all to see.

“Come and sit down.” He patted the box beside him. “Let’s try and work through this together.”

Sarah huffed and tossed her braids over her shoulders. She crammed her hands into her pockets and kicked the floor as she walked his way. “I’ve never solved anything by sitting down and thinking.”

“Well, I solve all my problems this way.” He patted the box again. “We’ve tried your way for hours. Why not change tactics?”

“Fine.” She collapsed onto a box. The cardboard caved underneath her and sent her sinking down, down, down until nothing but her head, hands, and feet were visible. She flailed her arms and screeched. “You did that on purpose.”

A snort of laughter escaped. Then another. He hopped from his perch and grabbed her hands. He tugged between bouts of laughter and Sarah emerged in fits and starts until she finallypopped free like a Jack in the box and stumbled into him. She regained her balance and pulled away.

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