Chapter 8
The last Wednesday of the month was Albion’s official team bonding night.
Erin supposed she should be glad that it was only once a month—unless Shanice felt like they needed to spend more time together.
But that tended to happen if things weren’t going well on the pitch.
Luckily, they were. Albion had won their first three games, scoring eleven goals and conceding just one.
Lia, to Erin’s disgust, had racked up six of those goals and was already the out-and-out leader in the race for the Golden Boot.
Though every game she was forced to watch from the sidelines made her ache, Erin was glad her team were at the top of the league.
At least an escape room was better than karaoke. Erin was good at them, logical enough that it was the one group activity for which everyone fought to have her on their team.
In the room, they were split into four groups of six; Erin ended up with Shanice, Lia, Cerys, Adrianna, and—thankfully—Alex.
Erin tuned out the usual spiel from their room’s host, whose name tag said Kiera. She’d heard it all before.
“Okay, this room is different to our others,” Kiera said.
Attention piqued, Erin tilted her head.
“I’m going to need two of you to separate off from the rest of the group.”
The obvious choice was Lia and Cerys. The two of them were inseparable, especially over the last few days. Erin supposed she and Alex could go, but she was sure she’d be the most use in the bigger group.
“I think Lia and Erin should do it.” Shanice’s voice rang clear.
Both Erin and Lia turned to stare at her.
“I’m sorry?” Even Cerys was dumbfounded. “You want us to segregate our best team member? And expect us to escape in time?”
“This isn’t about escaping.” Looking Erin dead in the eye, Shanice folded her arms across her chest. “This is about improving team morale and team bonding, and I’ve noticed that you two barely seem to acknowledge each other’s existence.”
By design. Erin couldn’t believe this was happening. Had Shanice chosen this room especially? It wouldn’t surprise her if this plan had been brewing for some time.
“When Erin is fit again, it’s likely you’re going to be playing together, and you need to learn to get along. So you two are going. Together. Captain’s orders.” Shanice had that look on her face—the one that said arguing with her was futile.
Stubborn as Erin was, she’d had that look directed at her on more than one occasion. She’d yet to manage to change Shanice’s mind once it was set. “Fine.”
Shanice didn’t seem to care that Erin’s answer came through gritted teeth.
A meek nod was Lia’s acquiescence.
They both left the rest of their team behind and followed Kiera along a long hallway full of closed doors. Kiera paused at the end before a door with Hostage Rescue written on it.
“There is an extra part to this room.” Kiera reached for a pair of handcuffs hung from a coat hook beside the closed door.
Erin shook her head. “No way.”
“It’s part of the game.” Kiera appeared to be regretting all of the life choices that had led her to be working the late shift. “You have to be bound together.”
“Like hell we do.”
“It’s part of the game, Erin.” Lia already looked tired. “Aren’t you supposed to be good at these things? Think of it as part of the challenge.”
Erin clenched her jaw. Being attached to Lia’s wrist for the whole activity would sour proceedings.
“You’re not scared, are you?” Lia set her jaw when Erin remained silent. “Scared I might also be better at this than you are?”
The look in Lia’s eyes and the challenge of her words were designed to elicit a reaction—and Lia got one. Erin surged forward, expecting Lia to back down, but she stood her ground. “You are not better than me at anything.”
“Then get over yourself and prove it.” Lia extended her left hand toward Kiera. “Or you can stay out here for all I care.”
Reluctantly, Erin allowed the opposite cuff to be placed around her right wrist.
“It won’t be for long,” Kiera assured them, looking like she’d rather be anywhere else. “Well, provided your teammates are quick.”
Erin smothered a groan. She and Lia would probably be joined together for the whole goddamn hour.
Kiera pushed open the door. “It’s going to be dark in here initially—the first thing the rest of your team needs to do is find the light switch.”
Great. So Erin was going to be attached to Lia and unable to see a damn thing. She should have called out sick. Shanice wouldn’t have turned up to her apartment and dragged her here, would she?
Kiera ushered them into the room. The only light in there was a strip of green along the floor to mark the perimeter of the small space. As she tried to move as far away from Lia as possible, Erin’s shoulder brushed against the wall.
A window looked out into another room, but that was just as dim. Erin couldn’t look around to see what kind of puzzles were on the walls.
“If you feel claustrophobic at any point, hit this.” Kiera pointed to a large button beside the door. “That’ll let you out into the hall.”
Though she had no intention of pressing it, Erin nodded. “Thank you.”
“You’ll know when the game begins. Good luck.”
The darkness grew deeper once Kiera closed the door behind her. All Erin could hear was both their breaths. After a few seconds, Lia’s turned quick and fast.
“You’re not having a panic attack, are you?” Erin asked.
“No. But I am wondering what the hell I’ve gotten myself into.”
“You and me both,” Erin muttered.
“At least you’ve done one of these before!”
“You’ve never done an escape room?”
“No. And if I knew it’d involve being bound to you and shoved into a glorified cupboard, I’m not sure I would’ve agreed to come.”
“Team bonding is mandatory.” Erin made her voice sickly-sweet as she parroted Shanice’s words whenever Erin had protested any of their activities. “But don’t worry. I’ll have us out of here in no time.”
“Cocky.”
Erin shrugged. “I prefer confident.”
“Of course you do. You are so—” Lia cut herself off as, through the window, the other four members of their team were led into the adjoining room.
They were chatting freely, and Erin was glad they were audible. Good. Erin was sure they’d need to communicate with one another if they were going to be quick about this.
A few seconds after the door of the other room had closed behind them, a countdown began on the television screen hung on the wall.
Game on.
* * *
Being handcuffed to Erin Finch was not how Lia had expected her Wednesday night to begin.
The room was so small that Lia had nowhere to go.
She was hyperaware of the heat of Erin’s body, and, every so often, their joined hands would touch.
Lia’s was clammy, nervous energy making her sweat, but despite all her earlier protests, Erin seemed unbothered by the position they’d found themselves in.
She stood with her face pressed against the window into the other room, barking orders at the rest of the team. “How hard is it to find a light switch?!”
How was this good for team bonding? A few minutes in and Erin already seemed annoyed.
Content to wait it out, Lia leaned back against the wall. She didn’t see what else she could do; even as her eyes adjusted to the dark, it wasn’t enough to be of any use. Some things hung on the wall—framed pictures and a few posters—but she couldn’t make out any words or shapes.
When the lights came on, she breathed a sigh of relief.
But Erin sprang into action, dragging Lia along as she moved around the room, greedy eyes scanning each wall.
Lia’s arm was yanked at an awkward angle. “Ow!”
“Keep up!”
“I would if you’d tell me where to go!” Everything on the walls may as well have been in a foreign language. She understood the words but couldn’t make sense of anything.
“I’ve got a code!” Erin raised her voice to be heard in the other room. “If you’ve got any three-digit padlocks, try one, six, two.”
Astonished, Lia blinked at the side of Erin’s head as the other four scrambled around, no doubt looking for locks. “Where have you got that from?”
With a huff of annoyance, like she couldn’t believe Lia had the audacity to ask a question, Erin pointed toward a poem on the wall. “Read the first letter of each line.”
“Oh.” Read downwards, it spelled out the three numbers Erin had called. “You really are good at this.”
“I told you.” Erin’s eyes scanned around the rest of the room, but she didn’t say anything else as she waited for the others to find the right lock.
Some were clearly more invested in the search than others.
“I still can’t believe the story about Carol Evans.” Adrianna’s voice carried clearly from the other room. She stood beside Alex on the other side of the window.
Lia froze. She’d managed to dodge any questions at training that week—she suspected she had Cerys to thank for that—and had thought the escape room would be a good opportunity to forget all about it. Adrianna’s words brought it all rushing back.
“Do you think Lia knew?” Adrianna asked. “And that’s why she left?”
Lia’s breaths, too quick and too fast, drowned out Alex’s reply. She turned away from the wall to see Erin watching her, head tilted to one side.
“You did know.” Unlike Adrianna, she at least had the decency to keep her voice quiet. “It wasn’t you, was it? The player?”
Disgust roiled through Lia’s gut—quickly chased away by the flames of anger that ignited in its wake. “I was engaged. I would never—” Lia cut herself off and bit hard on her bottom lip to stop a sob. Goddammit, when would the day come that she could talk about Hannah without wanting to break down?
Realisation flashed across Erin’s face.
Great. It wasn’t just escape rooms Erin was good at solving—she could read people like a book, too.
“It was your fiancée.”
Lia wanted to sink to her knees and let the floor swallow her whole. She’d leave the room if she wouldn’t drag Erin along with her.
“I’m sorry.” Erin looked like she wished she hadn’t opened her mouth at all.