Leethu returned right about the time when we should have gotten dinner had they not decided to starve us. She told us the guards were unnerved by Lacy’s escape and didn’t want to leave the building, so they were sending the demon out for beer and food.

“They don’t trust me,” she said with a wry smile. “They’ll come by and check the door after I leave. It’s locked on the outside, but not from the inside, so they won’t think there’s anything amiss. Wait another half an hour, then go and go fast. They’re on high alert. Any noise, any sound at all, and they’ll be on you.”

I tried to look confident, even though my hands were sweating and my heart was pounding. This was our chance. It was our last chance before the sale tomorrow. We had to make this work.

“I hope you’re not here when I get back,” Leethu told me. Then she leaned forward and kissed me. “I’ll find you, Red Bird. As soon as I can get away from the one who summoned me, I’ll find you.”

“Or I’ll find you,” I told her. “We won’t be apart for long.”

“Knock it off, love birds.” Sugar rolled her eyes. “Save the kissy-kissy for when we’re out of here and safe.”

Leethu grinned at me, the smile making her look completely different then the scary, stern woman she’d appeared to be that first day.

“See you on the outside,” I told her.

We watched her leave and waited, trying to appear defeated and resigned to our fate when Catcalls came to count us and make sure the door was locked. We all silently marked the time, then I stood and motioned for them to follow.

Baa, Sugar, and Kitten were right behind me, as they’d have the farthest to run and needed to be at the bay door all the way on the other side of the warehouse. Tasha, Pillow, and Pistol brought up the rear. I held my breath and gently turned the handle, then eased the door open just wide enough for me to look out.

There was some noise coming from office number two that sounded like a television. I couldn’t see or hear anything else. Carefully, I closed the door and turned toward the girls.

“They’re in the second office from us, which changes the plan a bit. Pistol, you skip that one and take the next office down. Tasha, when you’re done with the first office, you search the second one. They’ll both run out the minute I start up the bay door, and you can sneak in after them.”

I figured that was probably where the door was. It made sense the two guards, paranoid as they now were, would set up shop in the room with the only non-noisy escape route.

The girls nodded, and I opened the door again, practically crippled with the adrenaline racing through my body. This was it. This was probably our last chance. We couldn’t screw up. Slowly I edged out the doorway, pausing to make sure no alarms went off with my exit of the room. Then I hunched down and ran, silent on bare feet, toward the power switch. The others burst from the room, everyone as stealthy and purposeful as if we were some well-trained military team.

I watch the others run for the bay door, held my breath hearing the faint scurry of bare feet. I had to be ready. Once they hit the switch, the guards would come running while they stood waiting for the thing to inch it’s way upward enough to squeeze through.

My hands were sweaty. I wiped them on my pants, wincing when the roar of the bay door sounded. Then I spun around to intercept the guards.

They ran from the office with a shout. I planted my feet, determined to guard the switch. It took them a fraction of a second to eye the scene, then Pockmarks took off for the bay door, while Catcalls came at me.

He swung the pole and I turned to take the blow in the stomach, folding myself around it and trying to dissipate the force as much as I could. The wind was knocked out of me, but I managed to pivot and get the pole under my left arm, both hands gripping it. He yanked, and I let myself stumble forward, knowing I couldn’t stand firm against his superior strength. Somehow I kept to my feet, the pole burning my palms as it slid a few inches away. I heard a shrill scream, and glanced over to see Baa on Pockmark’s back trying to garrote him with the chain from the toilet tank. Blood droplets flew from her hair as the guard spun around, trying to dislodge her and beat Pillow with the stick. I couldn’t see Kitten, but prayed she was already out the bay door, running as fast as she could.

The pole twisted in my hands as Catcalls shook me back and forth, trying to break my hold on the pole. I gripped harder and dove forward, hoping to throw Catcalls off balance with the unexpected thrust.

Unlike me, he was able to plant his feet, immovable. Then he mirrored my move, pushing forward with a rush. I scrambled backward, frantic to keep my grip on the pole and not wind up on my ass. We edged closer to the power switch and I started to panic. There was a sickening thud from across the room, but I couldn’t take the time to look. I had to keep the bay door opening.

A motion to the left caught Catcalls’ attention—Tasha scurrying into the room the guards had just vacated. I took the opportunity to turn, pushing my weight against the pole and bringing me close enough to twist my hips and kick out. I was barefoot, and the blow landed a bit higher than I’d intended, smacking him in the thigh as opposed to taking out his knee.

Imagine my surprise when Catcalls abruptly let go of the broom handle, throwing me off balance. As I teetered backward, he grabbed my leg at the ankle and twisted. I screamed, trying to turn into the motion and wound up on the ground, my head smacking painfully on the concrete. The stick clattered, but I managed to keep hold, swinging it upward as I quickly evaluated the situation.

Not good. I wasn’t sure what was happening over at the bay door, but from the sounds I was imagining Baa and Pillow being beaten to death. A memory of Deena’s broken face and body swam up and my chest hurt thinking that I might lose two more of my girls tonight.

Catcalls had retained his hold on my leg. He twisted the already broken ankle and I nearly passed out. Somehow I managed to land a blow with the stick and evade his attempts to grab it, but I couldn’t evade the kick that slammed into my hip, rolling me partially onto my side.

The next one landed right in the kidneys. I gasped and ineffectively swung the stick, unable to land any further blows from my weird position twisted on the floor. This time he managed to grab it and yank, pulling me up off the ground. I scrambled to stand, biting back a scream as the foot with the broken ankle hit the floor and twisted again.

“Stop the damned door,” Pockmarks screamed.

Catcalls snarled. “Tryin’ to.” He yanked on the pole, and I couldn’t manage to hold my balance with only one leg. I fell forward, trying to grip the pole to my chest and use the weight of my fall to pull it from his hands. The thing wasn’t all that effective as a weapon with me on the floor, but at least Catcalls wouldn’t have it to beat me with.

As I fell forward, the guard raised his knee and rammed it into my face. I heard a crunch, felt blood pour from my nose. My hands, wet with sweat and blood slipped from the pole. As I hit the ground, I heard the grind of the bay door halt, and reverse. Then the blows rained down on my face and body until everything faded to black.