It was so dark that they could hardly see, but Sev still paused against the wall of the building, waiting to see if the Rider perched atop the tower—or anyone else they might have overlooked—had spotted them, but no alarm was raised.
Pausing to catch his breath, he tugged at Kade’s tunic, seeing a darkened patch of blood seeping through the bandages on both his front and back. Kade brushed him off.
“I popped a stitch in the fight.”
“Just one?” Sev pressed, reaching for Kade’s tunic again.
“We don’t have time for this,” Kade said with some exasperation. Sev could tell he was in pain, but Kade was right—Sev would check on the wound later. For now they needed to see if they could get inside the building, if there was any way to free Veronyka while one of the Riders was gone.
The doors were wood banded in steel, with barred windows cut in each. Sev gently touched the handle, and was unsurprised to find it locked, but when he got on tiptoes and peered through one of the windows, his heart leapt when he saw that it was a simple latch mechanism.
Sev considered their possessions, and his eyes landed on Kade’s belt. He reached for it.
“Can I help you?” Kade asked, trying to whisper, though his voice was several octaves higher than usual.
Sev couldn’t help but smile at that; he stopped tugging but didn’t remove his hands. They stood very close together. “I need your belt,” he said quietly.
“What about yours?” Kade pointed out, but he spotted the issue at once. Sev’s belt held weapons, while Kade’s was a regular bondservant-issue belt and did not. “Fine,” he said, though he batted Sev’s hands away to remove it himself.
Sev continued to smile until Kade handed it over. The belt had a simple metal buckle, and with a quick snap, Sev removed the prong that bisected the frame, leaving a metal square. He got onto his toes again, then carefully fed the belt through the opening between the bars of the window.
He lowered it until the buckle dangled at the right height, knocking gently against the lock. It took several attempts: once, twice—Teyke help him—three times until finally Sev got it into position, sliding the loop of the buckle onto the latch of the door. He carefully adjusted his grip and paused, steadying his breath. This was the moment of most danger, when they would discover exactly how well cared for the lock was, whether it would open silently on well-greased hinges or with a resounding shriek on tarnished, rusted joints. He pulled.
The lock released with a soft click, and Kade quickly took hold of the handle to stop it from rattling any further.
Sev sighed in relief and drew the belt back up, trying not to look too pleased with himself. Kade was watching him, though, so he said, “You learn a thing or two, living on the streets.”
Kade raised his brows. “Like how to get a man to part with his belt?” he asked, paused in the doorway.
Sev stepped after him, stopping so that they were chest to chest inside the frame. “No. That’s the first time I’ve managed that,” he said softly, and Kade’s eyes dropped, an embarrassed smile tugging at his lips.
Inside was as empty as Sev had expected; there was a hallway leading off to the left and a door that led up to the tower on the right. He examined the handle to the tower door, but unlike the exterior door, this lock would have to be picked. Sev could do that, too, if only he had his tools.
Turning, he found Kade examining a table surrounded by chairs and scattered with half-empty cups and a pair of dice. “Looks like they left in a hurry,” he said, indicating the disarray. Not only had they left alcohol and a game of dice behind, but one of the chairs was knocked over, and several copper coins glimmered from where they’d fallen onto the floor.
“Look at this,” Sev said, spotting a piece of paper clipped to a board that had fallen onto the ground under the table. He pocketed the coppers, too—old habits died hard.
Kade smirked but didn’t say anything.
“Prisoner listing…,” Sev said, running his finger down a column of names with cell numbers beside them, but all had been “released” and dated except one at the very bottom. “It’s her,” he said blankly.
“Who?” Kade asked, taking the list from Sev. His eyes bugged. “Riella?”