The ceiling is tiled, so I push up on one of the tiles. It pops open. I grab onto the cheap ceiling tile and toss it to the floor. Finally, I pull myself up into the opening.
I take a deep breath. Climbing up into the ceiling won’t help if I can’t get into the ducts and up to the floor above me.
I crawl across the ceiling to the vent I saw. When I get to it, I pop the opening off before sliding up inside. I hold myself up with my arms and legs bracing against the sides of vents.
“I asked for milk, not soda,” Rose says.
“We don’t have milk,” a man’s voice grumbles back, clearly annoyed.
I smile. Rose has this man wrapped around her finger.
“The least you could get me is water. Soda is so unhealthy.”
“Fine. I’ll get your damn water. I’ll be right back.”
He’s leaving.
My eyes widen, and my heart pounds. This is my chance.
I scramble up as fast as I can until I get to the top of the vent that leads into the room where she’s being held. The lid is stuck. I push as hard as I can, but it won’t budge.
“Rose,” I whisper through the vent.
“Who is that?” she asks.
“I’m a friend of your dad’s. I’m Liesel.”
Her eyes peer down at me through the slats.
“Liesel? That’s a funny name.”
I smile at how truthful she is. She’s not afraid to speak her mind.
“It is, isn’t it? I wish we had time to talk more, but I’m here to take you back to your dad.”
“Thank god. These people are idiots.”
I laugh.
“Rose, can you help me try to get the top of this vent off before that man comes back?”
She nods and kneels down, her small hands gripping the edge of the vent cover while I push up.
It starts to budge.
“Almost there,” I say, pushing with everything I have.
It pops open, and I’m face to face with my daughter. I’m bloodied, naked, and my head is peering out from the top of a floor vent. Of all the ways I imagined meeting my daughter, this isn’t one of them. And yet, seeing her smile at me like I’m her savior makes it all worthwhile. Seeing that she isn’t injured or hurt is the miracle I’ve been praying for.
“Why are you covered in blood?” she asks.
“I’ll tell you someday, but for now, we have to go.”
She nods.
I hold out my arms, and to my surprise, she lowers herself into my arms, no questions asked. She’s either very naive or a good judge of character. Carefully, I lower us down into the vent, then I pull the lid back so, hopefully, her guard won’t realize how she escaped.
Then I help her down the vent.
I carry her down until the duct turns, and then she can start crawling on her own. She’s much faster than I am. I see stars when I open my eyes, and my muscles shake with each movement. I’m naked; I have no weapons, nothing to get her out of here. This was a terrible idea.
“Rose, wait a sec,” I say.
She stops. Her head looks back at me as her blonde curls hang down her back.
“I need you to listen to me carefully, Rose.”
“Okay,” she says quietly.
“I have to go back to where I came from now. I have to tell your father where to find you.”
“You’re not coming with?”
“Not right away. I’ll meet up with you both later, but I need you to keep crawling as quietly as you can in the ducts here. You can go straight or to the right, but try not to go to the left or back the way we came unless you have no other choice. Your dad will know where to look for you.”
She nods slowly, her eyes big and yet so strong. She’s the strongest little girl I’ve ever seen.
I smile at her, trying to reassure her. “You’ve got this. Your dad is the smartest man in the whole world. He’ll find you no matter which way you go.”
My hand reaches out before I realize what I’m doing. Her small hand reaches back, and I give it a squeeze of encouragement. Or maybe she’s giving me encouragement. Either way, touching her small hand flips a switch inside me. I thought I was protective of my kids before. But now, there is nothing that will stop me.
“You’ve got this, Rose. Trust your instincts and try to be quiet as a mouse.”
“Mice aren’t quiet,” she laughs.
I chuckle. “I’ll see you soon, Rose. And your dad will find you sooner.”
I wink and then watch as she starts crawling again before I turn around and head back to the bathroom.
I’m not as graceful returning to the bathroom as I was climbing up. I fall to the floor.
“Ow,” I say, trying to rub my sore neck as I get back onto my feet.
Quickly, I run out of the bathroom, hoping I run into Langston before the next round starts. As I exit, I see the other men walking leisurely back into the game room. My time is up.
I head to the entrance and poke my head inside, but I don’t see Langston.
“Where have you been?” Langston says from behind me.
I exhale, my eyes closing in relief.
I turn and face him as his eyes search mine, trying to understand why he couldn’t find me for the last twenty minutes.
“Lose the next game. Don’t complete the debt,” I say as quietly as I can between clenched teeth. Hoping to god no one else hears me.
“Why?” he asks.
“If you will all take your seats, the game will resume.”
“Search the ducts on the east side. I’ll keep playing and give you as much time as I can.”
Then I turn and head inside, hoping Langston got my message loud and clear.
13
Langston
The ducts?
What the hell?
Liesel walks away from me back into the room. I follow after her calmly, even though I actually want to run after her and force her to tell me what the hell that was all about.
I don’t have too much time to think about it before I’m sitting back at the table, and cards are being dealt out again.
There are only two other players left at my table. We are nearing the point where they will combine us all to one table.
I glance at my hand. It’s mediocre at best—one face card and the rest in the single digits.
Liesel wants me to lose on purpose and then quit when I get to the stage. She wants me to look in the ducts on the east side of the building.
Why?
Did she find where they are holding Rose? If so, what do the ducts have to do with it? Is that the only way to get to the room where they are holding Rose? Or is this some elaborate way to convince me to quit so she doesn’t have to see me in pain anymore?
I peer at Liesel over the top of my cards at the next table. She is looking right at me, not bothering to look at her own cards. Her eyes are wild and desperate.
Trust me, she mouths.
Trust her.
I close my eyes, trying to listen with my heart. My heart wants me to throw Liesel over my shoulder and run as far away from this place as my feet will take us. My heart wants me to save Liesel and then find another way to save Rose.
Trust her.
I love Liesel. I know that. Part of loving her means trusting her. It’s not something I’m good at, but if I love her, maybe I should start trying.