Cassie assured herself. She was letting her fear and her
pain make her think irrationally. First things first. She had to find her way
down from her precarious position or risk dropping into the unknown
below.
If she couldn't swing herself back onto the stairs, then she would have to
try working her way down with her hands. Drawing a deep breath, she
inched her left hand along the tread to which she was clinging until she
found the short drop to the next lower step.
It was painful and it was risky but there weren't a lot of alternatives,
Cassie forcibly reminded herself. How much farther could it be to a point
where her feet would touch the floor? How deep were old basements?
Surely not too deep? If only she could see!
The strain in her hands was rapidly becoming almost intolerable.
Except that there was no option but to tolerate it. Slowly Cassie inched her
way along until she felt another lower step. Where was Justin?
She halted her progress as the faintest of cries filtered through the door
at the top of the stairs. The cat? Cassie decided she wasn't feeling terribly
charitable toward the creature. For all she knew he might have casually
leaned against the door himself! She wouldn't put it past him.
She bit her lip in agony as the pain in her hands built higher and
higher. How much farther? A step at a time, she reminded herself.
Literally, a step at a time. She worked her way down another one. If only
her left leg didn't hurt so much. It wasn't going to hold her weight if she
was forced to let go of her grip on the stairs, that was certain.
She had managed to ease her way down one more step when there was
another sound behind the door at the top of the stairs. She glanced up
automatically, even though she could see nothing. An instant later the
door was flung open and Cassie was blinking up at Justin's dark form. He
stood there, outlined against the daylight in the hall, and for a terrible
moment Cassie wondered if he'd come to finish the job.
"Cassie?" A flashlight's beam cut a swath through the darkness. Her
name was called again in a harsh, rigidly controlled voice that contained
anger and something else, something Cassie couldn't identify.
"Hanging by a thread, Justin," she managed with what she thought was
commendable nonchalance under the circumstances. She couldn't read
the expression on his shadowed face. A second later the flashlight found
her.
He swore incredulously and then started down the stairs. "Damn it,
Cassie, what the hell are you doing?"
"Stirring the creative juices," she gasped. "Nothing like the atmosphere
of an old basement, you know. Better watch that next step, Justin. It's a
bit tricky."
He halted abruptly as his flashlight picked out the missing stair tread.
She heard another expletive ground out from between clenched teeth and
then he was carefully making his way past the gap.
"Hang on, Cassie. I'll be there in a minute."
"I'm looking forward to your arrival," she muttered laconically. He
didn't sound as if he intended to step on her fingers when he reached her,
she told herself bracingly. Surely a man like Justin Drake wouldn't play
sadistic games with an intended victim. He'd simply complete the ugly
business and not offer false hope. Wouldn't he?
Of course, he had wanted revenge, she reminded herself as he carefully
tested each step. The flashlight beam was focused on the staircase and
although some light now came from the open door she couldn't begin to
see Justin's face.
"Justin?" This time there was no false bravado in her voice. She waited
helplessly, knowing she was trapped.
"It's okay, Cassie. I've got you." He knelt on the step and set down the
flashlight. Then he caught her wrists and began to pull her up as easily as
if she'd only weighed a couple of pounds.
Cassie felt the sure strength in his arms and knew he wasn't going to
drop her. "Oh, Justin," she murmured, "I hurt so much."
"I have you, Cassie, you're safe now."
pain make her think irrationally. First things first. She had to find her way
down from her precarious position or risk dropping into the unknown
below.
If she couldn't swing herself back onto the stairs, then she would have to
try working her way down with her hands. Drawing a deep breath, she
inched her left hand along the tread to which she was clinging until she
found the short drop to the next lower step.
It was painful and it was risky but there weren't a lot of alternatives,
Cassie forcibly reminded herself. How much farther could it be to a point
where her feet would touch the floor? How deep were old basements?
Surely not too deep? If only she could see!
The strain in her hands was rapidly becoming almost intolerable.
Except that there was no option but to tolerate it. Slowly Cassie inched her
way along until she felt another lower step. Where was Justin?
She halted her progress as the faintest of cries filtered through the door
at the top of the stairs. The cat? Cassie decided she wasn't feeling terribly
charitable toward the creature. For all she knew he might have casually
leaned against the door himself! She wouldn't put it past him.
She bit her lip in agony as the pain in her hands built higher and
higher. How much farther? A step at a time, she reminded herself.
Literally, a step at a time. She worked her way down another one. If only
her left leg didn't hurt so much. It wasn't going to hold her weight if she
was forced to let go of her grip on the stairs, that was certain.
She had managed to ease her way down one more step when there was
another sound behind the door at the top of the stairs. She glanced up
automatically, even though she could see nothing. An instant later the
door was flung open and Cassie was blinking up at Justin's dark form. He
stood there, outlined against the daylight in the hall, and for a terrible
moment Cassie wondered if he'd come to finish the job.
"Cassie?" A flashlight's beam cut a swath through the darkness. Her
name was called again in a harsh, rigidly controlled voice that contained
anger and something else, something Cassie couldn't identify.
"Hanging by a thread, Justin," she managed with what she thought was
commendable nonchalance under the circumstances. She couldn't read
the expression on his shadowed face. A second later the flashlight found
her.
He swore incredulously and then started down the stairs. "Damn it,
Cassie, what the hell are you doing?"
"Stirring the creative juices," she gasped. "Nothing like the atmosphere
of an old basement, you know. Better watch that next step, Justin. It's a
bit tricky."
He halted abruptly as his flashlight picked out the missing stair tread.
She heard another expletive ground out from between clenched teeth and
then he was carefully making his way past the gap.
"Hang on, Cassie. I'll be there in a minute."
"I'm looking forward to your arrival," she muttered laconically. He
didn't sound as if he intended to step on her fingers when he reached her,
she told herself bracingly. Surely a man like Justin Drake wouldn't play
sadistic games with an intended victim. He'd simply complete the ugly
business and not offer false hope. Wouldn't he?
Of course, he had wanted revenge, she reminded herself as he carefully
tested each step. The flashlight beam was focused on the staircase and
although some light now came from the open door she couldn't begin to
see Justin's face.
"Justin?" This time there was no false bravado in her voice. She waited
helplessly, knowing she was trapped.
"It's okay, Cassie. I've got you." He knelt on the step and set down the
flashlight. Then he caught her wrists and began to pull her up as easily as
if she'd only weighed a couple of pounds.
Cassie felt the sure strength in his arms and knew he wasn't going to
drop her. "Oh, Justin," she murmured, "I hurt so much."
"I have you, Cassie, you're safe now."
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