well.
My gut tells me to go right. There are a lot more doors to the right than straight ahead.
I continue down the hallway as silently as I can, looking for clues of whose house this is or where Langston is. All of the decorations look to be a century or more old and have no personal touches. I wouldn’t be surprised if this is a rental property. That, combined with the seemingly lack of security cameras or guards, makes it feel like whoever is holding us doesn’t have as much money or skill as we first thought.
I come to the first door and place my ear against it to listen. I don’t hear anything, so I continue on.
I do the same to two more doors before I get to one where I hear a gentle moaning sound. I open the door, too quickly, and it makes a creaking sound. But I’m in such a hurry to get to Langston if he’s hurt.
Langston is lying on the cold floor, but no one is watching him. They must think since they drugged us that they don’t need to stand guard—what fools.
I race over to his side and gently pat his cheek.
“Langston, you have to wake up. We have to get out of here.”
I tug on his arm and try to roll him over.
He moans but doesn’t open his eyes.
“Sorry about this, but you need to get up.”
I take his arm out of the sling and pull hard.
He growls and grips it, his eyes flying open.
I exhale sharply. “We have to get out of here,” I repeat.
He looks around, completely confused, but we don’t have time to explain or wait until his brain is fully functional again.
“Can you stand?”
“I think so.”
He starts to push himself up with one arm but falls.
“I’ve got you,” I say, looping his arm over my shoulders and lifting him up.
He’s heavy, and his feet seem barely functional. I won’t be able to help him far. Hopefully, his legs will start working soon. If not, we won’t make it far without being caught.
“Well, well, how clever you are to have avoided a dart,” a man says from the doorway. He’s wearing a sharp-looking suit, apparently the king of this castle. It’s almost like he’s from another time.
He snaps his fingers, and two men run inside and pull Langston from my shoulder.
“Don’t hurt him!” I plead as they throw him back down on the ground. He’s too drugged up to fight. He can barely even lift his head.
“Well, that depends on you, Miss Dunn,” the man in the suit says.
I continue to look at Langston on the floor. I’m completely helpless. I’ve failed. Now I know how Langston must have felt when he failed to protect me. It’s a horrid feeling that creeps up your chest and throat, taking hold of all your senses.
“What do you want?” I ask.
“Come with me, Miss Dunn, and we can discuss what will be done about Mr. Pearce.”
I bite my lip and hold back tears as I look at Langston, broken and weak on the floor. I want to run to him, hold him, protect him.
“Promise me if I go with you, you won’t hurt him,” I say.
The man smiles. “This isn’t a negotiation. You are in no position to negotiate.”
“You want information from me, yes?”
He shrugs. “From either of you. Whoever tells me what I need gets to live.”
I shake my head. “The only way you get the information you need is if you let him live. Each of us only has half the information. You need both of us.”
The man frowns. “I promise I won’t hurt him until after we’ve talked. You have my word.”
It’s the best I’m going to get, so I take a step to follow him.
“No, Liesel,” Langston says, trying to scramble to his feet to come after me.
I refuse to turn and look at him. I’m doing this to save him. I won’t let him persuade me to let him suffer in my place with his puppy dog eyes or commanding voice.
The man in the suit looks past me to his two employees. “Make sure he stays here, unharmed until I say otherwise.”
I exhale sharply in relief. The man starts walking out of the room, so I follow him like a loyal servant.
He doesn’t speak to me as we walk down the hall, and I try to tune out Langston’s moans and pleas.
Please, let me be doing the right thing.
The man stops in the original room I was