Before taking it out, he frowned. He was pretty sure it was the dead of the night, and he really didn’t think whoever had taken them had left anyone watching over them, given the solidness of the door. Still, there could very well be a dozen men out there. Was it worth risking it?
This might be the only chance they had.
Mind made up, he went back to Heather’s side and sat down on the cot by her hip.
“Heather,” he said softly, not wanting to jar her awake.
When she slept on, he placed his hand on her slim shoulder and shook her gently. “Heather. Wake up.”
Despite his efforts not to scare her, she shot straight up, looking around wildly. “What is it? What’s happening?”
“It’s all right,” he soothed. “I didn’t mean to scare you, but I think I might have found a way out of here, and I need you to be awake in case it works so we can make a run for it.”
“A way out?” She blinked, putting a hand to her chest as she met his gaze, obviously still frightened out of her mind and half asleep.
He nodded and pointed to the door. “I think I can take the door off its hinges.”
She frowned. “What if there is someone on the other side?”
He shrugged. “If there is, I think I can take him. But it’s the middle of the night, and I believe there will only be one guard, if any.”
“But won’t it make a lot of noise? He’ll be ready for you even if you get it off.” She looked doubtful, to say the least, and it hurt him even though he knew she had absolutely no reason to trust him.
He pinned her with a look. “I’ve got to try. Whatever their intentions for us are, they aren’t good. Would you rather wait around and see what they plan to do with us or take a chance?”
She bit her lip. “I’d rather take the chance.”
With a grin, he pushed off the cot and went back to the door. “I don’t think there’s anyone out there,” he assured her as he worked. “I’ve been sitting here for hours, and I haven’t heard a peep from the other side of this door. Surely, if there was someone there, they’d cough or move around or something.”
Still looking unconvinced, she got up and started to struggle back into her clothes. He paused for just a second, admiring a slim leg as she pulled back on her stockings, then shook himself and kept working on the hinges. He started with the bottom one, which was just as stubborn as the other one, but eventually broke free. Though somewhat surprised that their captors hadn’t thought he might try this, it wasn’t completely illogical either. There was undoubtedly a lock on the other side of the door, and his captors had thought that, and the door’s incredible thickness, would suffice. Hell, they probably hadn’t even looked to see which side it was hinged on. He didn’t think this room had been used as a cell before, though it had definitely been used assomething.
This whole kidnapping scheme seemed to have been put together in the spur of the moment, and whoever had orchestrated it likely hadn’t really thought things through.
The top one was much harder, as all the weight of the door was now pulling down on the hinge. As he worked, he was aware of her getting dressed and putting her shoes back on, then slipping behind the screen in the corner, obviously so desperate for relief that she didn’t care if he heard her. Good. He didn’t need her to be miserable as they made their escape.
“Come here,” he said softly, beckoning her over after she reemerged.
She moved to his side, face flaming, and he explained what he was trying to do softly, just in case there was someone out there. “I’m going to hold the weight of the door. Can you finish unscrewing this?”
“I’ll try,” she murmured. As she strained to loosen it, she stood on her tiptoes and stuck her tongue out slightly in concentration, something he found absolutely adorable, even though so much adrenaline was flowing through him he felt ready to pop out of his skin.
Finally, the hinge slipped off, and she had the presence of mind to catch it before it hit the floor. A look of victory crossed her lovely face, and he bent forward to press a passionate kiss upon her lips. “You’re amazing,” he assured her, easing away from the door. “No matter what happens, I want you to know how proud I am of you. And also that making love to you was perhaps the best thing that ever happened to me.”
Her face flushed with obvious pleasure, and he realized she’d had far too few compliments in her life. If they made it out of here alive, he intended to rectify that.
The lock on the other side held the door mostly shut, but it had opened just a crack. Holding his finger to his lips, he pressed his eye to the opening, finding that whatever lay beyond was pitch black.
“There’s no guard,” he whispered, elated. “Help me pull this open.”
The lock kept it from opening very far, but they were able to pull it toward them far enough to slip through. Their cell cast just enough light behind them so that they could see a shadowy staircase not too far in front of them.
He took a deep breath, his heartbeat accelerating, and it suddenly became very clear to him that it wasn’t just his life he was risking but Heather’s as well. For a moment, doubts assailed him, but then he squared his shoulders, knowing that no matter what happened, it was better than just sitting here waiting to die. At least if they left the cellar they had a chance, and an hour ago, he’d been certain their luck had run out.
“What if there are people upstairs?” Heather asked, her voice trembling as she pressed behind him.
“Just stay behind me,” he instructed, reaching back to squeeze her hand. “I’ll keep you safe.”