“It might hurt a bit if a spark hits her, but I swear it won't be too bad, and then she’ll be out.”
I nodded, unable to form any words. Mason helped me to my feet and pulled me against the wall as Dio got to work cutting through the metal. She screamed and cried the moment he kneeled in front of her, and I was thankful for the sparks that hid the details of her face and the noise that drowned out her wails.
When it finally gave, Mason gripped me tighter to stop me from lurching forward. “It's still glowing, Claire. Do you want to end up in the hospital?” I wanted to hit him for treating me like a child, but I honestly couldn't deny I wouldn't have cared about the glowing metal with how crazed her wailing had me. Instead, Dio grabbed the cage door, popping off the lock and giving me a disparaging look as he did.
I shoved Mason out of the way and pushed Dio to get to the woman.
“What the fuck?” he stepped out of my way as I lunged into the cage and started pulling her out.
“Claire, you're not strong enough. Let us…” Mason protested, grabbing at me to pull me back out. Of course I wouldn't, though not because he was wrong about my strength. They were much stronger than me and could do this much more effectively, but she would rather I clumsily drag her out than have any of these men touch her.
It took me several hard yanks and a few curses at the men trying to help. Her feet finally passed the cage door, and I fell onto my ass, completely spent from the effort. I half dragged her, half fell, ending with her slung across my lap. Her bare ass was in the air, and I held back a sob at the sight of the broken, welted skin. She had been whipped. However, that felt inadequate to describe how the weapon tore her apart.
I worked my fingers into the impossibly tight knot, trying to ungag her. Her cheeks were dry, like she was too dehydrated to keep up with all the tears she cried. She reeked of piss, but thankfully nothing more. Making me think she'd been here no longer than a day or two max.
“I’m going to take this out,” I told her just before I pulled out the rag. She made a pitiful noise of pained relief as she smacked her lips together and tried to work her dry tongue. “Does anyone have water?”
“In the car,” Mason said.
“Okay, we need water, and we can’t leave her naked. It’s fucking cold out. Can someone pass me the sheet off the bed?” Mason handed it to us, and the woman shivered into me at his nearness. I wrapped the fine fabric around her, cringing at the thought process behind putting the most expensive linens on top of a cage. “We need whatever extra warm clothes we have, and I need a knife,” she flinched, and I patted her arm reassuringly, “It’s just for the bindings.”
She said nothing, just made soft, pained noises as I wiped away a few streaks of blood with the end of the sheet. Victor handed me a small but incredibly sharp pocket knife. Slowly and carefully, I cut through the ropes; my hands ached with the effort. Finally, I got her arms free, and she gingerly brought them to her sides, groaning in agony.
She lay there limply as I unbound her torso, legs, and, finally, her ankles. For a few minutes, she did nothing but groan and twitch, presumably allowing blood and sensation to reenter her limbs. The tips of her toes were blue from blood loss.
She sat up and uttered a few broken sounds.
“I’m sorry, I couldn’t understand you.”
She tried harder this time, and I was surprised to realize her words weren't English. I could have sworn she flinched when I asked for a knife, but perhaps she flinched for another reason or understood a few words.
“Everything will be okay. We will help you.” I hoped if I was wrong about her understanding some English, that at least the tone of my voice soothed her. I looked around, realizing no one had left when I requested water and warm clothes.
“Did you all think that I was making a suggestion? Victor, I have a spare sweater in the car. Can you please look and see if there's anything else for her to wear? And get her some water.” He looked toward Mason, who nodded at him. Victor left the room.
The woman sat back, clearly wanting her space, but positioned herself slightly behind me, giving herself a barrier between the men and her.
Each minute that passed in Victor's absence, she became more and more hysterical. When Carlos coughed, she shrieked and jumped straight off the ground. “Mason, this is too much, and she's getting more upset. I'll walk her up to the car and meet Victor.”
“I don’t like that idea.”
I rolled my eyes, “Of course you don't, but Victor is up by the car. We're just going to meet him and get her settled, so maybe she will calm down. I can't take her crying like this. It's too much.”
She shrieked in response to Carlos looking at her a moment too long, “We're going.”
“Mr. Sharp, we’ll head up through City Hall and make sure that’s clear while she brings the girl up. No one will sneak up on them.”
Mason nodded, “I'll give you a three-minute head start, and then I'm following.”
I sighed in frustration, knowing that was the best I would get, “Fine.”
I tried to explain that I was helping her and that she was safe. I reached out a hand to coax her up, but she wouldn't trust me. I didn't blame her, but eventually, I grabbed her hand and dragged her to her feet. She screamed and cried, trying to bolt from the room. I held onto her hand tightly as she pulled me away.
She calmed down and let me lead once she realized I was taking her away from the men. The walk through the library was tense and dark. She cried and sniffled the whole way, muttering words I didn’t understand, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that they sounded like a warning.
We were in the atrium, under the big round skylight, when I noticed her getting extra twitchy. I grabbed her hand firmly in a gesture meant to comfort her. She looked at me with frightened eyes but followed along. I pulled off my jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders before I opened the door. Luckily, I had a thick sweater underneath and would be warm enough until we got to the car. She was far more uncomfortable with nothing but a sheet covering her legs.
I pushed the door open, struggling against the wind and my hold on her. The air outside was intensely cold. I was hurrying now, knowing that Mason must be following. I desperately wanted her in the car before he came and scared her more.