Free Wild Is the Night by Colleen Quinn

blasted through the saloon window. Amanda gasped, then flattened herself against the wall as a cowboy tumbled out of the saloon doors.
    “Let’s go! Jesus…” Luke swore, then grabbed her hand and took the stairs two at a time. Amanda struggled to keep up with him while the noise below gave her an added incentive to try. Luke stopped at the door, gave it a swift kick, then reached inside and snatched up the bird cage.
    “Here!” He thrust the owl at her, as if not trusting himself to carry the bird. Footsteps sounded below, and even over the noise from the bar, Amanda could make out the sheriff’s voice.
    “Great. Now how do we get out of here?” Luke shot her a sarcastic look.
    Amanda thought for a moment. “Lou said they did laundry. I should think there would be a laundry chute, or some kind of entrance for the wash women to gain access to these rooms, other than the lobby below.”
    Luke shrugged. He had to admit the idea had merit—and anything was better than spending the night in the county jail. “All right, lady, you got us into this. Let’s give it a try.” Snatching up her carpetbag, he indicated the hall. “After you.”
    Encouraged, Amanda crept down the hallway, not at all surprised to see a narrow door at the end of the corridor. Pushing the panel open, she was even less amazed at the sight of a long wooden ramp that descended down into what looked like a basement. Taking a link of Aesop’s cage between her fingers, Amanda fastened the owl’s cage to her dress, using the rumpled sash tied around her waist as an anchor. She then took a seat at the top of the chute.
    “See? There is nothing to it,” Amanda said confidently, then gasped as she lost her balance and slid into the darkness below.
    “Luukke!” Amanda screamed. Blackness enveloped her, and she hurtled down through the musty stillness, her bottom thumped on the wooden slates beneath her, her arms and legs banged by the force of the ride.
    “Amanda!” Luke pushed on the back of the door, then followed, his large body shooting downward at even a faster rate than Amanda.
    The laundry chute seemed to go on forever, down into a pitch black basement that Amanda could smell long before she landed in a pile of dirty laundry. Coughing on the mildewy odor, she stood up, amazed to find that no bones were broken and that her legs still worked. Dirty clothes and tablecloths clung to her, and as she wrestled with the laundry and the squawking owl, Luke tumbled down the chute and landed directly behind her.
    “Luke! Are you all right?”
    The look he gave her was murderous. Even in the dim light, she could see his expression and had enough sense to back up several feet.
    “Oh, I’m just fine. Couldn’t be better. You?” Luke responded.
    Amanda sensed the sarcasm in his voice, but didn’t know how to respond to it. “Well, I feel all right, nothing’s broken. Aesop seems to be fine, too. I appreciate you asking—”
    “Amanda,” he snapped. “Find a damned light.”
    Uncertain of why he was so angry, she found a candle on a table and lit the slender taper, throwing the room into a painful illumination.
    “Great,” Luke grumbled, throwing a stained tablecloth across the floor. Wading through the wash, he tried to find an exit, some kind of small entranceway for the maids, but found nothing. “What an idea! Lost in a goddamned wash bin. The next time you get a brainstorm, do us both a favor. Stop thinking.”
    “It wasn’t my fault,” Amanda said defensively. “You agreed. Besides, there has to be a way out of here. How else would the laundry women get in?” She kicked at the laundry, trying to clear a path. Light fell on the wall, revealing a door that was locked on the outside. Amanda tugged on the round metal ring that hung from the center, but it was firmly secured. Turning to Luke, she shrugged helplessly.
    Without a word, he flipped open his holster and shot at the latch. Amanda dove for cover as the wood shattered and flew