51. Cassie
CASSIE
I looked at Bram and the Hawks and we all raced to the paneled wall.
Except it wasn’t just a wall.
There was a door.
I tried the knob.
Locked.
“Hello!” I banged on the wall. “Is someone in there?”
“Yes!!!” The woman on the other side started to cry. “I’m here!! Please, get me out before he comes back!!”
Vigo looked at Dimitri, dead on the bed. “He’s uh… not coming back.”
“Hang on!” I said. “We’re going to get you out.”
Vigo raised his bat. “Bet you’re glad I brought this now.”
“Move,” Bram said, clearly planning to use his body as a battering ram.
“Wait!” I said. “There has to be a key. Dimitri accesses that room from this one. We don’t want to bring the other guards.”
If we still had a chance to get off the property without a shootout, I was going to take it.
Especially if there was an imprisoned woman in the next room.
We split up, opening the armoire and the nightstand drawers, looking for a key to the door.
Nothing.
I stood in the middle of the room, my heart hammering, ready to tell Bram to bust down the door, anything to get the woman out.
And then I saw the pockets in Dimitri’s robe.
I moved toward him.
“Cassie— ” Hawk started.
I reached into Dimitri’s pocket and felt the key, closed my hand around it, backed away like Dimitri might suddenly come ack to life.
Then I moved to the door, inserted the key into the lock, and turned the knob.
A dark-haired girl in a silk robe fell sobbing into my arms. “Oh my god, thank you! Thank you… Please, get me out of here.”
I ripped off my mask and sank to the floor with her in my arms, stroking her hair. “Shhh… it’s okay. We’ve got you. We’re taking you with us. You’re okay.”
She looked up at me and recognition hit me like a slap.
It was the girl from one of the missing posters in the shop.
Rain Adakai.