Page 98 of Risky Obsession

“We need to go,” I said.

“Help!” Gunter yelled.

Kane slapped his hand over Gunter’s mouth, pinning him in position.

“Help,” Gunter mumbled through Kane’s hand.

“Find something to tie him up,” Kane said.

I unhooked the satin rope holding the curtain open, and the heavy drape fell across the window, darkening the room. As I raced back to Kane, the commotion in the hallway grew louder.

Gunter groaned as I pulled his hands behind his back and tied his wrists to the chair.

“We need to get out of here.” I glared at Kane.

Kane leaned into Gunter’s ear. “Are the teeth on the map a clue to the missing gold bars from the train?”

Gunter’s nostrils flared as he tried to breathe.

Heavy boots sounded outside.

Panic surged through me.

“We have to go!” I clutched Kane’s arm.

Kane shook his head, fury raging in his eyes.

The door rattled.

“Help.”

Kane suppressed Gunter’s muffled cry with his hand.

I expected the door to burst inward.

We all held our breath.

Outside the door, the sounds of footsteps running started again.

We got lucky. I doubted we would dodge a second attempt at that door. I raced to the window, praying it was a way to escape.

“Answer me and you’ll never see us again,” Kane said to Gunter. “If you don’t, you will be forever looking over your shoulder.”

I pulled up the window latch and pushed on the heavy wooden frame. The old hinges creaked as the chilly night air rushed in. “We have to go.” I peered down and my stomach churned. A small ledge jutted out three feet below the windowsill. Then the wall went straight down twenty feet to the moat that surrounded the castle.

I searched for another option. There wasn’t one. The moat was about fifteen feet wide and was hemmed in with a lush grassy embankment. Beyond that was the paddock where the cars had been parked for the gala event.

I yanked off my stilettos so hard, I broke the strap on the left shoe, then I tossed them out the window.

“Answer me.” Kane pressed all his weight on the hand over Gunter’s mouth.

Finally, Gunter nodded. “It is a clue.” His voice muffled through Kane’s hand.

Kane nodded at me. “Go.”

Shit. Shit. I hoisted myself onto the ledge and peered at Gunter. The raw fear blazing in his eyes scraped at my sanity.

“Help! Help!” Gunter’s cries were barely audible through Kane’s hand.