She watched him walk away and realized her hands were clenched. He had known the threat in that last sentence would have the effect he wanted. He might be playing a game, but he always wanted to twist the knife. He was clever and diabolic, and she never knew which way he might strike. He had already started to figure out the rudiments if not the details about her horses.

Well, he’d only scratched the surface with Chaos. And he knew nothing yet about Alisa. She could only hope that it stayed that way until they could get the hell out of this place.

But she had to be ready when that happened, and she’d need all the help she could get. She turned, entered the tent, and strode back to Natasia. “Listen to me,” she whispered as she fell to her knees beside her. “Things are getting very bad and we might not have as much time as I hoped. That means I have to trust you whether I like it or not.” She looked over her shoulder at the canvas door leading to the guard room. She could still hear them laughing and talking. “Those guards come through here checking only about every forty-five minutes to an hour and then they’re gone again. But I can’t be sure that they won’t change their routine and I have to have warning. That’s you. You keep watch, and the minute you see one of them come through that door you make noise and distract them.”

“Distract them from what?”

“We have to get everyone out of this tent.” She nodded at the CL-20 explosive fixed to the post. “I need to weaken those chains so that we can manage to break them.” Sasha took out the solvent she’d placed in her jacket pocket that morning. “I’ll apply the chemical to do it. All you have to do is keep watch.” She was now pouring the acid on the links connecting Jeanne’s chain to the post. “He said to give it a minute to set and then it will turn brittle.”

“He?” Natasia’s eyes were suddenly glittering. “You do have help. You can get me out of here.” Her gaze shifted to Jeanne’s chain, which Sasha was now covering with dirt. “Why are you bothering with her? She can’t help us. If that stuff will loosen those chains, do it to mine.”

“I believe I’ll wait and coat your chain last,” Sasha said dryly. “You’re a little too eager. I wouldn’t want you to try to slip out of here tonight on your own. They’d undoubtedly catch you, and then they’d check all the other chains and you’d ruin any chance of getting anyone else out. You know what he’d do to them if he thought we had any outside help.” She glanced at Jeanne. “You saw it.”