Chapter Nineteen
A fter my statement, Murphy found a pen on one of the desks, writing the date on each of our arms. There was no way we were going to take the chance that we would forget. Shoving the pen into his pants, he assured us that now we would be able to keep track of the date.
Realizing our time here was up, hopefully for good, we raided the rest of the building. Shoving medical supplies and meager helpings of food into our bags, Warner threw Aiden over his shoulder, the seven of us prepared to sneak out. Unfortunately, we weren’t entirely sure how.
“Maybe they aren’t out front anymore?” Mina suggested, but even her voice lacked its usual optimism.
Our shoulders touched, creating a line of bodies, staring at the front door. There had to be guards on the other side. And now that the sun was up, probably hundreds of innocent people as well. Which meant a shoot out was out of the question. Or at least it was for me.
“There isn’t a back entrance?” Murphy asked, his eyes squinting at the door. Although, I knew the slant of his eyes had more to do with the excessive bruising than searching for an exit.
None of us had an answer for him. We had walked the entirety of the building and this seemed to be the only door. But not the only exit.
As I thought the words, Warner said, “There’s a back window.”
Our gazes collided, his lips quirking in a smirk when he saw the idea in mine. Maybe climbing out a window was crazy, but what part of this day hadn’t been? The real challenge would be lowering Aiden’s body without injuring him more. But I was willing to take the chance if it meant avoiding whoever waited for us outside the door.
Again, no one spoke in response to Warner’s statement. All of us debated the pros and cons in our heads until Rainer groaned.
“Fuck, we’re jumping out the window, aren’t we?”
Murphy laughed at his friend’s statement, throwing an arm around his shoulder. “Guess we are.”
The two shared a look, Rainer looking ill while Murphy smiled as wide as he could without causing pain in his cheeks.
Warner led our group back upstairs, Aiden still slung over his shoulder. Every now and then, I saw his eyes twitch, a notable sign that he would be waking soon. Hopefully, he’d stay unconscious until we were somewhere safer.
There were no windows in the medical room, but there was a singular window in the back bedroom of the building. It faced the back of the camp, only two rows of tents and the gate sitting behind it. And right now, there were no guards, most of them out front.
“Alright, who’s first?” Warner said, slowly dropping Aiden onto the floor.
Sasha raised her hand, stepping toward the window, opening the glass, and leaning over the ledge. Mina and I leaned over her shoulders, taking in the drop. It was higher than the gate, about double, so around twenty feet.
The three of us gulped in unison. It wasn’t going to be a comfortable drop. And if anything went wrong, we could get seriously injured.
We backed away from the window, our gazes bouncing between each other, as we realized this may not be the smartest idea. Maybe a shoot out was our best bet. In fact, I’d put good money on Rainer, Murphy, Warner, and Sasha getting us out of it alive.
Turning on my heel, I opened my mouth, ready to suggest a new plan, when I noticed Murphy. He had shed the bed of all the sheets and blankets, knotting the ends together with expertise.
I quirked a brow at him when he looked up from one knot. He shot me a sly smile. “Did I ever tell you I was a boy scout? Aced all the knot tying.”
Laughter bubbled in my chest, and I fought the urge to throw my arms around him. How had I ever lived without this man?
Once everything was tied together, he threw one end out the window, holding tight to the other side. The length didn’t quite reach the ground, but if you shimmied all the way down, it was only a few feet to the grass below. And thankfully it was grass because I don’t think I’d have the stomach to attempt this if there was cement below.
Warner and Murphy both gripped the end of the blankets before Warner gestured with one hand. “Ladies first.”
Once again, Sasha stepped toward the window. She climbed onto the ledge, shifting her body outside, before gripping onto the makeshift rope, lowering her body. Mina and I watched raptly, eyeing her technique, but also there in case she slipped.
Leaning over the ledge, I said lowly, “The second you hit the ground, climb the fence and run. The longer we stay here, the bigger the chance they’ll catch us again.”
Sasha nodded fiercely and then her focus was on her hands as she slowly but surely shimmied down the sheets. It only took several minutes until she hopped off the end, landing with a silent thud against the grass, but I held my breath the entire time.
Sending us a salute, she turned on her heel, disappearing into the tents and heading toward the fence.
“Mina, you go next,” I whispered.
Guiding her over the ledge, I kept a hand on her arm until she was confident in her hold and then she followed Sasha’s path. Waiting with bated breath again, I exhaled deeply when she landed, taking off in a quick sprint.
I knew it was my turn next, but I turned to the three conscious men in the room, eyeing Aiden. The plan was great except for one caveat. “How is the last person going to get down?”
In fact, that wasn’t the only problem. Could one person truly hold the weight of the second to last person? And what about Aiden? Even if we managed to wake him, he couldn’t climb down himself.
The three men seemed to realize that, all of them glancing at each other. I expected Rainer to volunteer to go last, but when I looked at him, his face was ashen.
Murphy realized this as well and he dropped his hold on the sheets, going to his friend. Whispering low under his breath, he clasped a hand on Rainer’s shoulder. Rainer’s head was bent in silence, his chest rising and falling quickly.
After a few more moments, the two broke apart and Rainer stepped toward the window.
“Rainer’s going to go next. And then you’re going to wake up your brother. He needs to attempt it, but Rainer will be there to catch him.”
“And the two of you?” I asked because I knew they weren’t going to let me be one of the last two.
“Don’t worry about us,” Murphy suggested, and I laughed lightly. As if. My whole world seemed to revolve around worrying these days.
Warner must have seen my disbelief because he gave me one of his classic, haughty smirks. “We’ll be fine, babe. He’s the one you should be worrying about.” He nodded toward Rainer, who shook near the ledge of the window.
I had never seen him like this. Even after attacks, he was calm, cool, and collected. But right now, his entire body shook like a leaf.
Stepping closer to him, I kneeled near the window. “Are you scared of heights?”
Rainer looked at me from under his lashes, his glare less intimidating when it was filled with fear. “Everyone’s afraid of something,” he muttered.
I opened my mouth to give him some sort of reassurance, but he was already sliding down the sheets, his eyes closed. I wanted to yell that closing your eyes was a terrible idea while climbing, but knew he wouldn’t appreciate it, as well as I couldn’t draw attention to what we were doing.
“Go wake your brother,” Warner instructed and I took one last glance at Rainer before following the orders.
Leaning over Aiden’s body, I shook him softly, whispering his name. It only took several seconds and then his eyes were peeling open, his face groggy.
“Lessy? What’s going on? Where are we?” He tried to stand to his feet, but I pressed a firm hand on his shoulder.
“Plenty of time for questions later. Right now, you’re going to climb down a rope.”
Aiden’s eyes widened, shifting around the unfamiliar room, before landing back on me. Squeezing both shoulders in my hands, I stared at him. “Do not freak out. You are safe, I’m safe, and that’s all that matters.”
I glanced over my shoulder, Murphy throwing me a thumbs up. “But right now you’re going to climb out that window and then I’ll be right after you.”
Hooking my arms under his shoulders, I didn’t wait for a response, guiding him to his feet and toward the window. He was a little sluggish, his movements slow, but I had to hope that even if he slipped, Rainer would be there to catch him.
Aiden focused on the task at hand, sliding onto the sheets, his grip slick but steady. My hands twisted together as he lowered himself. He was about halfway down when his grip slipped, his body flailing in the air.
Rainer squatted as he watched, catching Aiden’s body on the way down. The two of them tumbled to the ground, Aiden on top of Rainer. I gasped, leaning over the edge of the window, praying they would be okay.
Seconds passed and then the two of them stood, Rainer holding Aiden’s weight. Shooting his gaze to mine, he threw me a salute, and then the two of them were off toward the fence.
“You’re up,” Warner said, gently pushing the sheets into my hands.
I climbed over the lip of the window, the material bunched tightly in my hands, and then I let my feet go, holding on with all my might. Murphy and Warner both looked at me as I began lowering myself.
“Don’t do anything stupid,” I whispered, holding both of their eyes.
I couldn’t survive if something happened to either of them. Not after everything we had already survived.
“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Murphy told me, the blue and purple shades of his face not taking away from his sweet smile.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Warner said with a smirk.
Shaking my head at him, I lowered myself the rest of the way, jumping the short distance and landing on the grass. With one last glance at the two men, I turned on my heel, hightailing it out of there, hoping I’d never have to step foot in this place again.