For some reason, this lock was harder than the ones Shane had trained her on. Every time Kim slid the pick inside, it seemed to slip when it touched the pins. Why didn't Shane give her something to use as a tension wrench? Even a simple screwdriver would have made this a lot easier.
She glanced around their prison, but saw nothing of use.
"Why is it taking so long?" Kayla asked. Kim could not tell if her sister meant opening the lock or hearing more from Shane. They had heard Steve's screams.
"I know you're here, Donovan." She heard Cal yell, his voice coming through the vents. "You'd better come out now or I'll blow his head off."
"No!" Kayla cried. "Oh God, he has Steve."
"I'm sure Steve's okay," Kim lied. She was concentrating so hard on getting the pick into the right position, her jaw was beginning to ache.
Come on, come on. Open you damn lock.
There. The pick was all the way in, just like Shane had taught her when working only with the pick. Now she had to lift and pull, fast, so all the pins went up. She jerked her hand back as she tried the door handle.
Nothing.
That's okay, she said to herself. Even Shane sometimes had to do this a few times before it worked. Just stay calm. Don't worry about Shane. He's just fine. He can take care of himself. Kim kept repeating that, almost as a mantra, but her stomach felt hollow and it felt like someone had poured ice over her spine. It was that same feeling of dread she had experienced before. He's okay, she said.
The pick was all the way through and she turned it so it was in position. Lift and pull. She yanked on the pick.
Click.
"Got it," she said, turning the handle and pulling the door open. Kayla did not move. "Come on, Kay. We've got to get out of here."
"Not without Steve," Kayla said slowly, shaking her head.
Kim reached out for Kayla's hand. "Shane said to climb out the window. He's with Steve; he won't let anything happen to Steve."
Kayla still did not move. "But . . . Steve . . . he's hurt."
"We have to go, Kay. They want us to get out of here. They want us to be safe." She grabbed Kayla's forearm and began pulling her into the office. Kayla tried to pull away, but Kim would not let her. "Please, Kayla, please." Kim let go and grasped both of Kayla's shoulders, so they were face-to-face. "Steve wants you safe. Even if he's hurt, he wouldn't want anything to happen to you. You've got to get out of here with me." Kim did not want to give voice to her biggest fear - that Steve was already dead. "Shane will get him out," she said, softly, forcing a smile to her face. "He did it before. He'll do it now."
Then, from the room next door, the gunshots rang out, and all thought of running away disappeared.