The Ties That Bind: A Scarecrow and Mrs. King Continuing Story Book 1

Chapter 11

Day 2

Lee tried to shake off the dazed feeling as he lifted his head to look around. Debris was everywhere, and people were just getting to their feet. For a split second, he wondered where they had come from and why they were in the Georgetown Foyer. He whipped his head around to look for his wife. There. On the other side of the foyer.

Not even bothering to get to his feet, he crawled hurriedly across the floor to reach her. Fred had already removed the rag from her mouth and was cutting the ropes that tied her hands and feet together. Tears streamed down her face as he gently gathered her into his arms; she was shaking uncontrollably.

"Are you okay? Are you hurt?" Lee whispered frantically and pulled away so he could see her. He didn't wait for her to respond to his questions but ran his hands over her body looking for bumps, cuts, and broken bones until he was satisfied there was nothing seriously wrong with her. Not caring that they were still sitting on the floor with people all around them, he pulled her back into his arms and cradled her head against his chest.

"I'm okay. I'm okay." She looked up and touched his face. "Are you?"

He heaved a great sigh and looked into her eyes. "If you're okay, I'm okay."

"I guess you should have pulled the blue wire." Amanda smiled shakily.

A short burst of laughter erupted from him. Her reference to the time three years ago when she'd correctly told him to pull the blue wire on a nuclear bomb that was only ten seconds away from detonating told him more than anything that she really was going to be okay. He shook his head and smiled softly at her. "Oh, Amanda..." Gently, he pulled her back into his arms and kissed the top of her head.

She buried her face into his neck and curled herself into the protection of his body. No, she wasn't really okay; but no, she wasn't hurt. Not too badly, anyway. All she could think about at the moment was how closely she'd just come to losing him.

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He was a bloody Houdini! How did he always manage to escape these things? Both of them should be dead – at the very least, he should be. The man knew one of his accomplices wouldn't like the danger he'd put Scarecrow in, but the one he was most worried about was going to be livid that he screwed up.

And what was this public display of affection all about? Scarecrow looked genuinely shaken up. More shaken up than a man who was simply having a fling with a co-worker. Hell, he wasn't even trying to hide his feelings for her at the moment.

The man looked around the foyer. Everyone seemed a little shocked at Scarecrow's reaction, but they were pretending to not notice. Well, he noticed. Was it possible they'd misjudged their relationship? Oh, she must not be liking this at all! He looked over at her. She better get a grip on herself and learn how to hide that snarl.

So, was it back to the drawing board? Or could he use this as a springboard to tweak their plan? He wasn't sure yet. One thing he was sure of...Scarecrow and Mrs. King were not easy targets. But even the Great Houdini eventually got caught in a trap he couldn't escape.

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Seeing them holding one another sent rage boiling throughout her body. This was not how things were supposed to go. He was going to get an earful from her, and soon. How dare he put Lee's life in danger! Mrs. King, she couldn't care less about; let her die in whatever way amused him. She just wanted the woman out of the way so she could be with Lee.