Bound by Consent by Dalia Craig Page B

another idea…” I sent up a silent prayer that it wasn’t a wild goose chase. “Sasha also mentioned that there may be another exit, one that leads out onto the Heath. Are you game to give it a try?”
    Bryana nodded. “Yes, anything to get away from here without... I never want to set foot inside that dungeon again.”
    “Right.” I stood and offered her my arm. “Let’s see if we can find a way out of here and defy your abductors.”
     

Meeting of Minds
     
    ~
     
    Cassie
     
     
Can Cassie find a way forward or is this the end for her and Bryana?
     
     

 
    B ryana clung onto my arm like a limpet to a rock. “Cassie, are you sure there is another way out of here?” Her brow creased in frown as she surveyed the almost impossible task ahead of us.
    After her recent ordeal, I wasn’t surprised that she seemed unwilling to lose contact with me even for a second. On top of being tied up, blindfold, and gagged, all without her consent, she’d suffered the indignity of being dumped like a piece of trash in this claustrophobic basement.
    I understood her concern and, to be absolutely honest, I also shared her doubts – although I wasn’t about to voice them. One of us had to remain strong, and positive. We’d already spent nearly half an hour searching for a way out of this hell-hole – a viable alternative to using the more conventional exit through the club on the other side of the wall.
    The vast underground complex was hot, airless, and incredibly cluttered with the detritus of many years scattered everywhere one looked. The vaulted ceiling and supporting foundation walls created a series of arched recesses the size of small rooms that divided the perimeter into separate sections. I recognized the arrangement as similar to the cellars at Auchtercairn which had originally been intended to store wines, spirits, and other essential supplies to provide for the occupants above. Although every one of these bays was now crammed with discarded furniture and broken equipment from the dungeon whilst the central area seemed to have become a dumping ground for cartons and packaging material. It wasn’t easy to see any of the walls or work out where an exit might be hidden.
    So far, we’d drawn a blank with the sections on one long wall – to the right of the door – and the second set of bays to the left side didn’t appear very promising either.
    “Sasha was pretty confident there was.” I gave Bryana an encouraging smile and we moved on a few paces, checking every foot of wall for anything that looked like a way out. “Apparently this old mansion has been a venue for all kinds of vice since early Victorian times. She told me that the hidden exit has been in use since then to enable guests to evade the frequent vice squad raids, as well as irate fathers searching for their wayward daughters.”
    “Oh, I didn’t know that...” Bryana sighed and tightened her grip on my arm. I could feel the tension in her fingers where they dug into my flesh. Her gaze flitted around the area where we now stood surrounded by piles of discarded divans and drapes before returning to me. “Please tell me we’ll find the way out soon, I’m scared...scared that they’ll come back and carry out their threats to...” Her voice tailed off as if she couldn’t bring herself to say what was uppermost in her mind. She shuddered. The action brought her closer to me and I wrapped my arms around her.
    “I know... Don’t fret, you’re safe with me. Those women won’t stand a chance if they come back.” I held her tight, fitting her curves against my body, and kissed her forehead. “You need to be brave for just a little longer. I’ll get us out of here in no time.” My promise carried more faith than hope. I hated to admit defeat in anything, and especially in this instance, since I wanted to prove my invincibility in Bryana’s eyes. Defeat also meant going back through the club, and neither of us wanted to do that. Bryana,