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consider forgettable. But
this was Mason, a bumbling idiot, and anything was possible.
    As hope blossomed inside me that today was
one of those days, I got to my feet and tiptoed slowly toward the
door. Pressing my ear against the wood, I listened to his slow and
careful steps climbing the stairs, realizing that the footsteps I
could hear were slow and cautious, and Mason was anything but. He
was clumsy and heavy footed.
    The handle on the door jiggled. Glancing
around the room, I searched for something to arm myself with,
because I would kill him if I had to. I refused to stay in this
room and allow Leisel to die, not when there still might be a
chance I could do something to stop it.
    I decided on the table lamp; after all, it
didn’t work anymore. This house—every house—was full of many things
that didn’t work anymore, all set up to make us more comfortable,
to help us forget the horror outside the walls.
    As the handle twisted again, I readied myself
to swing.
    “Eve?”
    Jami!
    Bursting forward, I slammed myself against
the door. “Get me out of here, Jami, please, get me out!” Again, I
tried the handle, twisting it and pulling on it.
    “It’s locked,” he said, his voice sounding
deeper than usual through the thick door. “Is there another
key?”
    Though he couldn’t see me, I shook my head in
answer. “There’s only one,” I whispered loudly. “But Mason keeps it
on him.”
    “Fuck me,” he muttered. Several tense seconds
passed and then he yelled, “Stand back!”
    I dropped the lamp. It fell to the floor with
a loud clatter and rolled against my feet. Quickly, I scrambled to
the other side of the room just as something heavy banged against
the door with a resounding thud. Again and again, the loud noise
echoed throughout the room, once, twice, and just after the third
bang the door swung open, slamming hard against the wall. As it
swung back, Jami caught it just before it could smack him in the
face.
    Our eyes met, and he was grinning at me, a
grin that made me weak for him. I didn’t love this man, but in that
moment I felt something damn close to it. Running across the room,
Jami met me halfway, and I threw myself up against his chest,
pressing my lips against his, all while repeatedly mumbling my
thanks.
    “How did you know?” I asked when I finally
pulled away.
    He looked down at me, his eyes searching mine
as if assuring himself that I was all right. “You’d never leave her
alone like that.” He kissed me again, still grinning against my
mouth. “Let’s go get your girl.”
    Pulling away from him, I took a moment to
really look at him, his handsome face clearly expressing what he’d
never said before. “Thank you,” I whispered, feeling overcome.
    Taking my hand in his, Jami pulled me
through the house, not stopping until we’d reached the back door.
There he pulled a ski cap from his back pocket, similar to the one
he was wearing, then slipped it over my head and tucked my curls
inside it. Grinning again, he pulled his gun from its holster, then
led me from the house.
    Adrenaline coursed through me, both from the
fear of getting caught and the excitement that maybe, just fucking
maybe, our plan would work. And Leisel and I would soon be free of
this place.

Chapter Five
    Leisel
    “You shouldn’t be helping me,” I insisted, watching
as Alex hurriedly unlocked my handcuffs. Ignoring me, he finished
with my hands, then bent down to work on the shackles encircling my
ankles.
    “What if we get caught?” I continued, knowing
that it was likely we were going to get caught. There were too many
people living in such a small space, a place that was heavily
guarded. “You’ll be killed alongside me.”
    Alex remained as stoic as I’d always known
him to be, notorious for saying as little as possible. Finished
with my shackles, he shoved them away and got to his feet. I
remained where I was for a moment, seated on the hard bench as I
rubbed my sore wrists and stared up in wonder