“Kas, wake up.” I move away from the window to shake her gently until she peers up at me. “I think rescue is finally here. You might want to put your clothes on.”
Kas sits up and rubs her eyes. As my words sink in, she jumps up and grabs her clothes before crouching to look out the bottom of the stained glass. Her eyes are wide as she stares at the scene across the water.
“Do they know we’re here?” she asks.
“Can’t say for sure. We need to signal them, and the only way to do that is to break the window. Stand back.”
“Do you have to?” Kas tears up a little as she looks at the beautiful stained glass.
“Yeah, I do.”
She nods and steps back. With a towel wrapped around my hand, I slam into the glass a couple of times with my fist, but it doesn’t break. Eventually, I manage to kick it out. I take my shirt and wave it around outside the window until someone calls to us over a loud speaker.
“Hang on and stay inside! We’re coming for you!”
I gather my things and place them into my backpack as Kas grabs her purse.
“You know,” she says, “I went back for my purse so I could get my anxiety medication. I never even used it.”
“Well, at least it didn’t get ruined in the water downstairs.”
“I didn’t really need it.” She stares into her purse for a minute. “If I hadn’t gone down there, I might not have noticed all that rope in your backpack though.”
“Probably not,” I say. “I don’t usually bring it out on a whim.”
“I think your method works better than the pills, anyway.”
“Happy to oblige, ma’am.” I mimic tipping a hat from my head.
Kas laughs but then goes quiet. She looks both thoughtful and sad.
“Kas, are you okay?” I ask.
“What do you mean?”
“Well, you look a little disappointed.”
“I don’t know. I definitely don’t like being trapped, but the rest of it...well, I guess I was getting used to being here with you.”
“Are you sure you want to be submissive to me after we leave here?” I ask quietly.
Kas nods but doesn’t meet my gaze. I study her expression, trying to anticipate the answer to my next question before I ask it, but I can’t tell—not for sure. I guess I’ll just have to ask.
“Would you like to spend more time with me?” I ask nervously. I clear my throat, hoping I don’t sound like a teenager asking a girl out on a first date. “More time in rope?”
“Yes, I would.” Kas looks up at me, smiling. “I wasn’t sure how to ask, so I’m glad you brought it up.”
“You can ask me anything you want,” I tell her. I lean in and kiss her lightly. “I’m glad you want to keep doing this. If you like, I can take you to a party tomorrow.”
“A party at that dungeon?”
“Yes.”
“Yeah, I think I’d like that.”
“Good. I’d like it, too.”
A small motorboat with a large spotlight on it moves closer to the window.