Chapter 120 What took you so long
Doris looked like a child in adult clothing. The man’s clothes hung from her body like a dress but she did
her best to shove the shirt into the pants and make the belt as tight as possible so they didn’t fall off her
body. With a coat on, it didn’t look half bad. But she knew it was still painfully obvious the clothes didn’t
belong to her.
William was a little too big for his own clothes. His muscles strained against the the fabric and he was
one sharp turn away from splitting his clothes open. He pulled a hat down on his head and shoved a bit
of his black hair beneath it. 1
He looked her up and down with the nerve to look amused. “I sometimes forget how small you are.” He
said quietly. Doris rolled the sleeves a bit so they didn’t fall past her hands before she pushed all of her
hair up into the sweaty hat on her head. It was almost a brilliant idea from William, but she was afraid if
she admitted that, he would insult her again just to keep it even. 2
“Yes, well—let’s hope no one looks too closely at how giant my clothes are.” Doris whispered back. He
gripped her hand and led her back towards the door with keys in his grip. Her stomach turned the closer
they got and she tried to hold in her sick feelings. 1 Once they stepped out of the bushes, they both
stood up straight and acted as if they were back on duty. He dropped her hand the second they stepped
back on the main path. She used her feet to cover the traces of blood that were left from the other
guards—she didn’t have time to feel guilty about what she’d done.
He looked around casually, Doris kept her head down until they reached the door. He slipped the keys in
her hand and she tested the door before she started fitting the keys one by one. On her luck, it took a
dozen tries before she found the right one. She opened the door and they slipped inside quickly before
they clicked the door shut behind them. Her head spun along with the room around her.
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The hall was a lot brighter than she remembered, it also stretched on more than she first thought when
Joseph had led her down it. Perhaps it was due to the daylight, but there was no time to wonder. A few
guards passed by the end of the hall and they both quickly ducked into a shadowy part of the wall until
they were out of sight.
“Which way do we go?” William whispered against her ear. His warm breath tickled a little, she brushed
her loose hairs behind her ear. It wasn’t the time to focus on how close he was to her. It almost made her
forget that she was supposed to be mad at him still.
“At the end of the hall, we turn left and there should be a green door. After that, we turn right and go all
the way down to the end and that’s where the cells would be.” Doris whispered. She peered around the
corner of the wall. “They’re behind a big dark door. We might need to find a guard that works near the
cells for the keys. I don’t think these ones would have it.”
William nodded and stepped back out into the light of the hall with more confidence than she could ever
hope to obtain. Doris straightened herself and followed. He took the lead and walked down the end of the
hallway with his hat tilted down a little to hide his eyes. To her, they were a dead giveaway to who he was
but she doubted a lot of the rouges would feel the same
They passed by a few guards that didn’t look at them twice, despite how ridiculous she must look. She
tried her best to walk in William’s shadow. Doris did notice how many more guards were around than
there had been before. It almost looked as if they had doubled in just a few short days. n
They found the green door and casually walked inside as if it was where they were meant to be. He
closed the door after Doris and they both glanced around the empty hallway. Somewhere, two voices
echoed off the wall in a discussion and Doris dreaded the thought of running into a guard that might
recognize her. Would they kill her this time? 1
William must have saw the look on her face because he motioned for her to stay as he took the keys out
of her pocket. Doris tried to ask why with her eyes, but he was already around the corner before she
could. Doris swallowed her nerves and leaned back against the wall and allowed herself to breathe for
the first time since they put on these uniforms.
The voices faded even when Doris strained to hear more. She started to count in her mind but quickly
lost count when her mind wandered to where William could be. What if he went ahead and left her here?
What if he had gotten caught somewhere else and she didn’t know it? What if someone saw her here
and knew exactly who she was
“Come on.” William whispered. Doris almost jumped out of her skin-she hadn’t even heard him when he
returned. William gripped her arm to steady her and placed a new set of keys in her grasp.
“Are these—“ Doris started to ask before William silenced her with a look. She hated how good he was at
that. Doris narrowed her eyes at him and his mouth lifted just a little before he turned and went down the
hall again. Doris quickened her step to catch up with his annoyingly long strides. She could only bet he
took pleasure in her annoyance-well, so did she. His annoyance was beginning to feel like the highlight
of her day. 1
They turned right and headed down towards the dark door at the end of the hallway. Everything about it
screamed to stay away, and that was when Doris realized they were exactly in the right place. Now she
could see with clear eyes, it was all so much worse than she first thought.
A young guard sat in a chair near the door with a book in his grasp. He didn’t look too concerned with
anything that might go wrong and she was only glad she didn’t recognize him. She could only hope he
had seen her when she was held as a prisoner in those very cells. There was never a guarantee, but she
hoped he didn’t.
“Shift change.” William said loud enough to make the boy jump. She didn’t blame him, she had almost
done so herself. 1
He looked a bit confused. “I’m due here til dinner.”
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“I didn’t ask, did I? I was sent to relieve you and do a walk through.” William kept his head tilted just
enough to hide his telling features. Doris did the same as she stood behind his large form.
“I should go talk to Mr. Hugh. I don’t want this to be a knock on my pay.” The boy grumbled as he stood.
Doris felt a bit of panic bloom in her chest and she knew it was there to stay. 1
William gripped the boy’s arm. “He sent me himself. Don’t go bothering the boss because you’re wanting
to sit back all day.”
He released him and shoved him a little down the hall. The boy glared at William’s back and Doris turned
her head quickly before he could get a glimpse of her face. Once he was gone, William unlocked the
door.
“Where did you get those keys?” Doris whispered.
William snorted. “There were two guards on duty down here other than that kid. I caught one alone and
left him in a closet.”
“Dead?” Doris gasped a little. William gave her an annoyed look as he pushed open the large doors.
“Of course not. I’m not a complete monster.” 1
“I didn’t mean it like that,“
“We don’t have time for this.” William grumbled and took the lead. It was even darker than she
remembered, it was almost hard to see a foot in front of herself. The cells closest to the door were clearly
empty. She knew they must have placed him in the far back just as they did to her.
It was like a new version of hell for her—she wondered if it was just as bad for Enzo.
Doris made sure the door was closed before she spoke.
“Enzo…” She whispered. William walked ahead as he peered into each cell. “Enzo?” Doris said a little
louder. Something shifted back in the darkness and her heart skipped a beat. Could it be?
“What took you so long?”