The horrific gang rape going on outside their bedroom door had lasted for more than an hour already, Milan's screams for help slowly turning into moans of pain, as she too realized that her knights in shining armor weren't exactly equipped to help out at the moment.
Each heart-wrenching sob tore on Steve's nerves more, as he continued to fight the locks of his handcuffs, the hairpin in his fingers starting to bend from the overuse.
With his back towards Mike to get better light through the few cracks of the closed windows, he'd worked away tirelessly for what seemed like an eternity, his fingers raw and cramping, losing his grasp on the hairpin more than once already.
Small drops of sweat were running down his temples and disappearing below his jawline as he continued to fight the restrains, trying to ignore the unspeakable horror outside but unable to.
With each groan, the nauseating sound of skin hitting skin, paired with the occasional slapping that made Sarah scream in pain, Steve felt his breathing speed up, as the panic about this situation and his inability to help made his emotions spiral.
Behind him, Mike shifted slowly, having been quiet since Davis left them be not too long ago.
And yet, Steve was painfully aware that his partner's eyes had been on him the entire time, holding out hope that he'd be able to open the cuffs before their mission would be in vain.
"Breathe. Nice and slow. Just…just listen to me…and breathe…in and out…", the Lieutenant finally said, his voice soft and soothing, trying to settle his fraying nerves.
Acknowledging his attempts with a faint nod but never turning around, Steve inhaled deeply, his aching back straining against the motion, as another scream tore through the silence.
"Just focus on my voice, nothing else. Concentrate on what you are doing and focus on my voice only…"
The quiet cadence in Mike's words helped to calm his senses somewhat, as he drew in another deep breath, trying to disguise the shudder in it but knew that his partner heard it too.
"Keep breathing and focus on those handcuffs. I know you can do it, Buddy Boy…"
Shoving the hairpin into the lock for the hundredth time in the past hour or so, Steve pulled his wrist back to straighten out the handcuffs, the move allowing him slightly better lighting.
"What are we going to do even if I can get these things open?", he asked in between turns, the metal of the hairpin shifting beneath his sweaty fingertips.
"Don't worry about this right now. Tackle one problem at the time. Just focus on what you're doing right now."
Letting Mike's words calm his frantic thoughts some more, Steve felt the slightest of resistance on the locking mechanism and knew instantly that he was in the right spot. With a careful twist and shove, the handcuffs on his left hand released with a clip, freeing his arm and giving him a better angle to work on the right side still tied to the floor.
Noticing his change in posture, Mike peeked over his shoulder, a sigh of relief escaping his lungs from behind.
"Good job, I knew you could do it. Keep it up, just…just keep it up."
Letting Mike's encouraging words drown out any other noise surrounding them, Steve continued to fight with the handcuff on his right hand, struggling with the use of his fingers on the left side for a bit, before shoving the hairpin into the lock and turning it slowly.
Blinking feverishly when a drop of sweat made it past his brow and ended in his eye, Steve cursed quietly, then pushed the hairpin another turn over, his anger turning into utter delight when a click signaled his success.
With his hands shaking from both, the strain of manipulating the lock and the fear of what was to come next, Steve spun around on his knees, ready to free Mike, when the Lieutenant grabbed his wrist and shook his head decisively.
"We're running out of time, Buddy Boy. We gotta change plans."