Page 22 of Brage & Dinah

"No." Brage remained steady.

He would be the only one dealing with Dinah. As long as he had his hand on the door, she was safe. Safe from Slag. Safe from him.

He would deal with the punishment he knew was already set in store when he informed Roar that Dinah had met with a Moroad member.

Heavy steps pulled him back to the task at hand. Viktor dropped a toolbox at Brage's feet.

"Will this do?" Viktor held up a slide lock.

Knowing Dinah was determined to escape the room, he eyed the toolbox. "Do you have two of them?"

"Ja." Viktor picked up a screw gun.

"Put one a foot above the handle and the other below." He pried his fingers between the molding and the doorframe, breaking it loose. There needed to be a flat surface. "I hope you have some three-inch screws in there. It needs to hold strong."

The handle jolted in his hand. Dinah was trying to kick or hit the knob off the door. His bedroom wasn't constructed to be a holding cell for an enemy.

As soon as the whirring and vibration of the screw gun started, the handle never moved. Instead, Dinah beat on the door. He couldn't let go until the second lock was on. The only way the door would open was if someone from inside the clubhouse let her out. That wouldn't happen.

All the inconveniences of keeping Dinah here flooded his head. There was no bathroom in the room. There was no food or water. The window opened to a screen that could easily pop out. While he believed Dinah was smart enough not to jump from a two-story window with asphalt below, he had no idea what desperation would do to her.

Viktor slid the second lock. "It's secure."

He let go of the handle as if burned and walked toward the stairs. He only made it six feet, and he punched the wall, breaking a hole in the sheetrock. The outburst of frustration only made his hand hurt.