I’m the first at my table to bet. I bet everything, which only gets me to nineteen points. It won’t be enough.
It’s not.
Liesel wins her hand, knocking another person out of her table.
My eyes lock with hers as I stand up and walk to the stage area. They never leave hers. That’s not unusual; my eyes are always on hers when I’m suffering.
This time is different, though. This time I look at her to make sure she hasn’t lost her damn mind. Or she’s not trying to sacrifice herself to save me. I look for any sign that she’s changed her mind.
But she looks completely at peace when she sees that I’m going to do what she asks.
I don’t know what my dares are, but I feel a slash land on my already ripped apart back. I usually try to keep the pain inside, but this time I let out the wince. Then another, louder groan with the second beating.
I fall to my knees on the third.
The fourth—tears are falling down my face.
And by the fifth, I’m holding my hand up in surrender.
The room gasps as I give up, collapsing in a heap on the floor, completely defeated.
The room is silently watching and judging me. Then they turn their attention to Liesel. I lift my head enough to see tears falling down her face.
Drip.
Drip.
Drip.
Each drip is a mark on my soul. I feel like I failed her, even though I’m doing what she says she wants.
The room may think the tears burning down her cheeks are a sign of defeat, fear, and heartbreak.
Only I can see the truth behind the tears. I see the absolute relief and the hint of a smile she holds back, so the others don’t get suspicious.
Eventually, I’m lifted onto my feet by two men. I’m walked off the stage and led out of the room, away from Liesel.
That’s when my heart starts losing its shit. I just left her in a room full of dangerous men to fend for herself while I go in search of our daughter that she thinks I’ll be able to find if I use the ducts. Liesel’s lost it. What the hell was I thinking leaving her?
I should go back, change my mind. I can’t leave her.
The men continue to drag me by my arms. I don’t know where they are taking me; I just know they need to turn around and take me back to Liesel.
Suddenly, I’m falling face-first onto a tiled floor. I catch myself at the last second.
“Here, clean yourself and get dressed. You can either wait in the bar, or we can call you a car ride home,” one of the men says before the door swings shut.
I realize I’m in a bathroom, and the heap of fabric that was tossed at me is a towel, pants, and shirt.
I quickly stand up and use the towel to wipe some of the blood off. Without a shower and closing some of my wounds, nothing will get rid of the blood.
I put the plain clothes on. They are a little big, but the pants stay up when I walk, so they’re good enough. Then I go in search of the ducts on the east side of the building. I’m not sure exactly what I’m going to find, but I hope I find Rose. Rose is the only thing that would be worth me leaving Liesel alone in that room.
I exit the bathroom and assume those idiot guards are going to be waiting for me. They aren’t.
There is no one in the hallway.
I glance up, sure that there are cameras monitoring me. People who work for the Browns are watching me and will attack me if I go somewhere undesired.
I move quickly, headed toward the east side of the building. My ears perk up, and my eyes glance around every turn, trying to figure out where Rose might be.
The ducts?
Rose must be a floor above us, but still, why would Liesel tell me to search the ducts? Is that the only way to get to the second floor?
There is another bathroom on this side, so I decide to duck inside, hoping there aren’t any cameras in here while I figure out a plan.
I pace inside, trying to figure out what Liesel isn’t telling me.
I hear a clank, and I look up.
“Shit,” a soft voice curses through the vent.
My heart—my heart leaps at that sound, a sound I wasn’t sure I’d ever hear again. My precious girl is in the ducts.
“Rose?” I say hesitantly.
“Dad?” her voice returns.
Oh my god.
The ceiling is low, so I jump with everything I have and grab hold of the vent cover. It falls off easily with my weight. Then I jump again and pull myself up the sides of the vent. I poke my head inside to see my favorite smile in the whole world staring back at me.
“You came for me, just like the woman with the funny name said you would.”
I smile. I don’t think I’ll ever stop smiling.
“Liesel?”
She nods.
“Did she help you get in the ducts?”
“Yes, she told me to crawl straight or right, not left. To be as quiet as possible and that you would find me. I’m so glad you did.”
“Me too.”
I feel myself slipping. I can’t hang on much longer.
“Rose, I’m going to drop back down. After I do, I’m going to need you to jump down, and I’ll catch you. Can you do that?” I already know my adventurous girl will have no problem jumping.
“Of course, I can do that,” she says in her sassy little voice.
I let go and land back on my feet.
“Okay, Rose, I’m ready.”
I watch as her feet scoot to the opening, and then she falls down into my arms.
I squeeze her tight to me the second she lands in my arms. I’m never letting her go again. I hold her tighter against my body.
“Dad, you’re squeezing too hard.”
I chuckle, but don’t let her go. Based on how tightly she’s squeezing back, I don’t think she wants me to let her go.
Liesel found her. She protected her. She knew she couldn’t get Rose out of here safely on her own, so she sacrificed herself to ensure Rose and I could escape.
How could I have ever hated Liesel or thought she was a monster?
“I need you to climb onto my back, Rose.”
She nods, and I help her onto my back.
I don’t have a gun or any other weapon, but that won’t stop me from getting Rose out of here.
A part of my heart grieves as I leave Liesel behind, though. It’s the right thing to do. Liesel chose to make this sacrifice, but it feels wrong to leave her behind for any amount of time.
“I’ll come back for you,” I whisper, and then I get Rose out of this hell hole.
14
Liesel
There’s a shift in the air. Goosebumps form on my arms. My heart stops. My breathing slows. The world changes for the better.
I purse my lips and let out a long exhale as my entire body relaxes.
Langston found Rose.
“If you will all move to the table in the center,” the hose says.
There are only three of us left, so we’re moved to the final table.
Rose is safe.
But what about the others?
I thought I only had one child to worry about, but now I know I’m a mother of three. My heart is split three ways, trying to ensure they are all safe. I’m not going to survive worrying about all of them.
I wish I had a better connection to them so I would be able to feel the shift like I did when Langston found Rose. The only reason I felt it is because of my connection to Langston, not my connection to my children.