As he stands, I come to my senses and start struggling. “Let me go!”
“Shh shh, it’s okay, I’m not going to hurt you,” he soothes, his deep, calm voice in contrast with what’s happening.
I shake my head, tears springing from my eyes as I try to push away from his chest. “Please, just let me go!”
“Sorry, little bird, but now I’ve found you, I’m never letting you go.”
The nickname has me stilling, and slowly, I tilt my head to look at the man holding me. His gorgeous green eyes pin me in place as if he can see straight into my soul, and somehow I know… It’s him.
“Sly?”
CHAPTER EIGHT
PETE
SEVERAL DAYS EARLIER
The other three are completely silent behind me, surprising me with their stealth as we quietly make our way out of our cell and down the hall. At the end are two layers of doors that lead to the yard. I know they’ll be locked, but I reach for the handle anyway, and that’s when I hear the lock click.
Anticipation flows through me as I pull my homemade shiv from the back of my pants and slowly turn the knob. I try to contain my excitement when it gives no resistance.
Ever so slowly, I open it wider, making sure it doesn’t creak and alert the guards or other prisoners to our presence. I quickly move across the ten feet of empty space to the final door separating us from the yard, and once again, the knob turns with no resistance.
What idiot forgot to lock the doors?
I plaster myself to the outside wall as I wait for the others to exit. Jagger closes the door just as slowly as Iopened it, keeping our presence out here completely silent. We head around the back, away from the entrance where most of the guards will be, as I toss my shiv back and forth between my hands, ready to get stabby with any guards that pop up.
A tap on my shoulder stills me, and when I glance back, Sly points to the side. I squint, trying to figure out what he’s pointing at, but my night vision is shit, and I shake my head, not understanding.
He motions for us to follow him along the back of the building until he holds up a hand to halt us. After thirty seconds of waiting, he points to the back fence, then starts dropping his fingers one at a time.
He’s doing a countdown.
Once he closes his hand, he starts to run toward the back, and the rest of us follow, trying to step as quietly as we can while still moving quickly.
When we reach the fence, we squat down and survey the yard, finding it quiet with no one else in sight.
“Plan?” I whisper to Sly, who led us in this direction.
“I think we have to dig, unless any of you know of a better way?”
“There’s the gate to the outer section just that way,” Dex points to his left. “It’ll be locked, but maybe you can pick it?” He turns to me in question.
“Beats digging,” I say with a shrug before we all start creeping toward it.
“Where are the guards?” Sly asks after a couple of minutes.
“What? Our company not good enough for you?” I ask with a grin.
He ignores my comment. “This can’t be normal for thenight shift. There should be guards constantly roaming this area.”
“Hell if I know the guards' schedule,” I say as we reach the gate and I take a look at the lock.
“You should,” he says, but I ignore him as I stare at our death sentence.
“It’s digital,” I tell them, my hands clenching into fists.
“What does that mean?” Dex asks, looking over my shoulder.
