The fog cleared from my head, the memories growing fainter as reality grew sharper and all I could hear was Austin’s dickish voice yapping on and on about how weak I was.

The fucking asshole. How dare he call me weak? He had no idea the shit I have lived through. Ugh, I had seriously had enough of putting up with his attitude. The second I got out of this cell, I was punching him straight in the smug, chiseled face.

“I’m seriously going to kick your fucking ass, Austin,” I hissed at him, narrowing my eyes.

“I’d be more worried if you weren’t handcuffed to a bed right now, Princess.” Despite his sneer, I could swear there was a playful smile ghosting across his lips. He had a point though.

“Any bright ideas on how to sort this mess out?” he asked, and I could have screamed at the sarcasm.

“Actually, Captain Cynical, I do.” The handcuffs holding me were strong, made of steel most likely. The one on my left wrist was just a tiny bit looser than the rest, so I knew it was my best option. I sucked in a deep breath, then using the edge of the bed frame for leverage, I dislocated my thumb and slid my hand out of the bracelet in a move I had practiced countless times since leaving foster care. Once clear, I gritted my teeth and pushed it back into place, the pain relief instant.

“Holy shit,” dickhead muttered in what might have been admiration. Still, I ignored him and considered the other shackles. They were too tight for the same trick to work, and I didn’t have my lock picks.

“Do you have anything—” I started to ask but stopped when a thin steel pin landed on the floor near my free hand. “Perfect. Thanks.” I frowned, unused to Austin being so accommodating, but he just shrugged. I used the pin to release my limbs, and once free, I rubbed the blood back into them. I stretched out my tense muscles then checked out the lock on the door.

“I already tried,” Austin admitted. “Couldn’t fit my hand through the mesh.”

It was my turn to smirk as I easily slipped my smaller hand through the mesh, reaching around and picking the lock on the cell door using his steel pin. The door clanged open. Triumphant, I glanced at Austin.

“All right, so you’re not completely useless,” he reluctantly admitted. “Are you going to get me out of here too? Or just stand there admiring me?”

“You want to try that again? Seems to me like you need me. Poor, weak, little me. Now, would you like to ask me nicely?” Probably wasn’t the time for this, but he owed me for all the crap he’d thrown at me.

His jaw clenched, and his lip twitched in a snarl but he grit out, “Please, Christina, will you get me the fuck out of here?”

“Pretty please with rainbow unicorns on top?” I prompted.

This time I swore I could actually hear his teeth crack as he responded. “Pretty please with rainbow unicorns on top, you fucking nutcase,” he muttered the last under his breath, and I let it slide before unlocking his cell door for him. I expected some sort of thanks for freeing him, but instead he whipped off his T-shirt, showing me a whole lot more ink. Holy crap, was it actually physically possible to have that many abs? I thought there had to be a legal limit or something, but it looked like I was wrong because damn... He coughed awkwardly and thrust his shirt out to me. Why the hell did I want his shirt…? Oh, I was naked.

Completely naked. Fucking Simon.

Crap. I dragged the fabric over my head and turned my face back towards my cell, allowing myself some privacy. From the corner of my eye, I spotted my boots. Thankfully they had been excluded from Simon’s cutting exercise. I took a minute to tug them on, trying to shake the lingering feeling of Simon’s hands. An instant rush of calm washed over me with the scent of honey and oatmeal and a touch of man sweat. What the actual fuck was going on? Was I smelling Austin’s shirt right now? I must have been more messed up from that trip down memory lane than I thought.

Trying not to think too hard about my possible brain damage, I remained grateful Austin was so tall because his shirt hung like a dress on me, mercifully covering my bare ass. There wasn’t much I could do about the heat staining my cheeks, and right now, it didn’t matter. We needed to get out of there. Ready, I led the way down the hallway in the direction I’d been escorted in from. Austin, for once, refrained from making smart remarks as he followed me closely up the narrow staircase and along the short passageway at the top until we reached a locked door, and we both groaned in frustration. It was an electronic lock, meaning we couldn’t just pick it. The only way we were getting out was with a swipe card.

Austin quickly jogged back down to the cells and checked the other direction, but it was a dead end. We needed to wait until someone came down here in order to make our escape.

“We shouldn’t need to wait long,” Austin said, his gaze on the door. “That skinny prick sounded all too excited to get back with that whip, so I doubt he’ll be gone much longer.”

I didn’t respond. The last thing I wanted to do was think about Simon or the whip right now.

We positioned ourselves on either side of the door and waited.