Dreamer caught hold of the keys in midair with his left arm, the motion swift and precise.  He smiled slightly at Lanner’s acquiescence.  Finally.  Too bad he would have to live, but if it saved Maeve…<br/><br/>But then Lanner said he wanted to keep Kitten.  That wasn’t as good an option.  True, as a human Kitten probably wouldn’t be in immediate danger, and the kid was cool-headed enough to talk his way out of a bad situation.  But if something happened… Dreamer didn’t think Kitten would survive if Lanner decided to off him.<br/><br/>Maybe he could accept the deal, leave with Maeve, then slip back alone to rescue the young man once Maeve was safe ---- or safer, at least ---- with Feldana and Sherra… but, no.  What right did he have to trade one hostage for the other?  Saving Maeve but leaving Kitten… that would just be selfish.  He had to find another way…<br/><br/>To keep up appearances, he shrugged and turned to the bed.  “Whatever.  He’s not a friend, he’s just a kid I grabbed back in Kree for the trip.  I wanted to be able to take a piss without having to keep an eye on the cow, you know?”  He shrugged again.  “Probably won’t even come back for him… just bring him with you when you head to Kree.”<br/><br/>Kitten would understand, he hoped.  If Dreamer could set Maeve free of the chains at least, he could move her around, shield her more effectively with his body.  The (cow) shit could still hit the fan at any time… and there was something else Dreamer wanted…<br/><br/>He bent low over Maeve’s right leg and unlatched the shackles binding it.  He held her leg down with his right arm, feeling her soft flesh quivering beneath him, but she seemed to be too lost in despair to even try to fight.  He had to fight not to let his dismay show on his face.  Maeve…<br/><br/>He moved on to her right arm, and while his expression remained neutral he tried to catch her eyes with his gaze while he was out of the immediate view of Lanner and his men.  “One more thing, cow.  I need the combination to your safe before we go… or better yet, I’ll have you open it.”  He smirked meanly, but still his eyes stared into hers, trying to convey the importance of this.  “Don’t do anything foolish.  Something in there is mine, and I need it to do my job.”<br/><br/>He looked back at Lanner for a moment and smirked.  “If there’s any money in there, though, you can have it.  I don’t need it.”<br/><br/>Quietly he walked around the bed and finished unshackling Maeve; not gently, but not roughly ---- the way he would be expected to treat a prisoner he had to keep alive ---- he pulled her out of the bed; then he tossed her unceremoniously over his shoulder, her arms and face facing the same way he was.  His right arm held her firmly as he headed for the destroyed portrait, and he nudged it off the wall with his left hand, revealing her safe and its combination lock.<br/><br/>“Open the safe,” he ordered.  “I can smash it, but this way’s easier.”  He turned his head sideways just a bit, away from Lanner, so that his face was next to Maeve’s but hidden from everyone else in the room.<br/><br/>He couldn’t hold it back any longer.  She had to know.  In a voice low enough that even she may not understand him, he whispered into her ear, “Help me save you.”