Just like my other ideas, the plan was stupid and risky. A lot of it was dependent on us getting lucky. I took in a sharp breath, trying to bring up the courage to put my plan into motion. 

"Do you trust me?" I asked in a low voice, eyeing the guard who was starting to doze off. I heard the others calling him Jacob a few times. 

"More than I trust myself." Neither of us had addressed the elephant in the room yet, that Zane just confessed his feelings for me but I hadn't said anything. 

"Well, that makes one of us." He gave me a baffled look but didn't ask for clarification. "Yo! Mr. Gaurd." I let out a shrill whistle. The man growled in response. Rolling his eyes, he came over to us and glared at me, clearly annoyed with being the watchdog. 

"I need to use the washroom," I declared, attempting to keep a straight face. 

"What do you want me to do?"

"This warehouse is pretty big. I'm pretty sure there is a washroom somewhere." 

"Don't get smart with me." He wasn't impressed with my patronizing tone.

"I'm not getting smart with you. I'm just being honest." A few seconds passed by with Jacob staring down at me. 

Rubbing at his beard, he caved. Frown lines appeared on his forehead as he slipped out a knife from his pocket. "I'm going to cut your restraints. Don't do anything stupid." I was most definitely about to do something stupid. 

My eyes met Zane. He was trying really hard to hide his panic. His features were relaxed but his eyes were a dead giveaway of his true state. Once Jacob cut the plastic around my wrists, he grabbed me roughly and made me stand up. 

I clenched my jaw when he pinned my arm behind my back. His nails dug deep into my skin and I almost cried out. Zane sniffed but didn't say anything. 

Jacob led me down a dark and narrow hallway. A strange scent lingered in the air, a mix of mothballs and something that could only be described as wetness. Jacob flipped a switch and nudged me into a room. 

"In and out really quick, okay? Don't try anything," he spat, closing the door behind me. This was good. I was partly worried that he might stand guard while I used the toilet. 

The thing was that I didn't think I would get this far. Crossing my arms, I surveyed the tiny space. There was only a sink and a toilet. No mirror. There wasn't much in here that could be used as a weapon, other than a nasty-looking plunger shoved off to one side. 

There was the tank cover. Shrugging my shoulders, I decided to lift it off and stand beside the door. My hands were sweaty and that was making it hard to grip the lid firmly. This could end really badly. 

"You're the dumbest person I know," I whispered to myself. After counting to ten, I let out a blood-curdling scream. Jacob burst into the washroom with his gun drawn in front of him. Before he was able to turn around, I slammed the lid against the back of his head. 

For a split second, it seemed that Jacob would be okay but then he tripped, grazing his jaw against the sink as he fell. At that moment, I was thankful to have spent time developing my upper body strength. It was also helpful that Jacob was slightly shorter than me. 

"I'm really sorry, man!" I tossed his gun into the toilet and shut the lid. It took me a while to find his knife and cell phone. The guy was still breathing but I didn't want to be here when he woke up. 

Zane was struggling against his restraints again. He stopped when he saw me. "Are you okay? What happened? I heard you screaming." 

"I'm fine. I'm fine. Just did something really stupid." Using the knife, I slit the plastic off his wrists and legs. Once he was free, he passed his hands over my head and then my face. 

He wrapped his arms around me and held me tightly. "Oh god. I'm so sorry. So sorry," he whispered against my ear. 

"Shh, it's okay. We need to get out of here and call the cops. I may have killed Jacob."

"You did what?" Zane pulled away and stared down at me with an incredulous look. 

"I didn't actually kill him. Just knocked him unconscious. Let's get out of here before your ex comes back." I tugged his hand and he didn't protest. 

Once we were outside, the adrenaline was starting to fade and the full gravity of the situation hit me. What if Jacob died? Would that make me a murderer? Zane guided us away from the warehouse and called the police using Jacob's cellphone. 

"Hey hey! Look at me." His hands were on my shoulders. Staring into his hazel eyes calmed me slightly. I pressed my forehead against his chest and tried to even out my breathing. 

My feet were bare. 

***

Zane and I were huddled together in the back of an ambulance, an itchy blanket flung over us. We watched as a disgruntled Jacob was placed in handcuffs and led into an ambulance. "Jacob is an idiot," I muttered with a shake of my head. 

"So are you, Sarah Atef. Next time you want to be heroic, please let me know." He brushed the back of his index finger against my jaw. 

"You're welcome for saving your life," I said while rolling my eyes. 

He smiled and kissed my temple. Heat spread through me at his gentle touches. "Thank you for saving my life. I'm so lucky to be with such a badass woman."

"I need to tell you something." He raised an eyebrow at me. 

"I love you too. I wanted to tell you earlier but I was too busy saving your life." This time he rolled his eyes but there was a smile forming on his lips. "I'm not sure when it happened but it did. I don't know what we were doing before, staying together because it was Kat's last wish or because we were lonely. Whatever it was, I'm glad we tried to make it work."

He lifted my chin and kissed me. "You are the kindest and most genuine person I know. I can't imagine my life without you," I finished. 

"You're making me blush," he chuckled. 

"You better be blushing cause this is the first time I'm baring my soul like this." Zane laughed and pulled me closer. "And that laugh is like music to my ears. Could listen to it all day." I brought his face down to mine and kissed him again and again.