Martin lay in the pitch-black cell. With no distraction and the darkness, his senses sharpened, and the file played in front of his eyes. He pictured each photograph, starting at the top of the chain—Todd Duran and Brynn Hackman.Brynn Hackman, #1.He repeated every conversation they shared, going back to the first time they met.
He was at Quantico with Zach, attending the FBI's national academy for the latest techniques in the law enforcement industry. He had completed the infamous Yellow Brick Road, a grueling almost-three-kilometer run. His ego would not let him return to the Chase offices without the actual yellow brick one received as a symbol of completion. Brynn was there on other business and found her way into his room while he was changing. He remembered how uncomfortable she made him. The memory dissolved into a stream of self-recrimination. His tattoo—Troy had the same words on his chest.Oh, God. I'm so sorry, Troy.
He cycled his breathing until his heart rate slowed.Corrections’ Clay Jenner, #2, and Thibodaux Spooner, #3.Jenner going to Chicago was no coincidence in Martin's mind. His brain pixelated the picture of Jenner. His irises were dark and empty. He’d seen that evil before. As he made the connection, his cell door swung open, and he was blinded by bright flashlights.
Patrick knocked and entered the bedroom around four a.m., finding Pete watching Elizabeth from a chair. "She fell out fast." Patrick handed Pete the results of her lab tests. "Hmm. I'll hang another liter of saline and repeat the tests.”
"Keep reading."
When Pete flipped to the fourth page, his usual enigmatic expression dissipated. He pointed to the door. Both men stepped into the hall. "Those numbers have to predate the poison. If we use the time around Austin's shooting as the date of conception, and today is the seventeenth, we’re looking at over a month max. How are we going to tell her?"
"We tell her what we can, which isn’t much."
Julian approached them. "How is she?"
"Asleep," Pete said. "Troy's surgeries set her back. She's dehydrated, so we’ll give her some fluids. Everyone needs to stay vigilant to make sure she eats enough. Any word on Martin?"
"No, Wes is trying to make contact. Cordelia Snow is working on the release, but these charges are real. We can't just extract him. She needs to submit the evidence to the court."
"How's Troy?" Julian asked.
Patrick swiped his hands over his face. "Pray."
Julian nodded. "Let me know when Elizabeth wakes up. Kieran wants to tell her."
Hearing various warnings and commands, Martin counted four men. A shield pressed him against the back wall. Unable to move, he was shackled with ease. A hood was dragged over his head, and he was yanked along on his heels.
Relying on his Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape training, Martin reminded himself of three of its tenets:I will never surrender of my own free will. If I am captured, I will continue to resist by all means available. I will make every effort to escape.
Martin smelled the sweat of his guards and could hear the strain of their breathing. His only tactical advantage was that his hands were secured in front of him. The guard on his left was having a harder time than the one on the right. He shifted his hands and planted his foot enough to throw them off balance, almost crashing them to the ground. In the brief chaos, he flipped the hood off and got his hands around the neck of one of them. They all wore tactical gear and were unidentifiable.
"All right, everybody back off, or I snap his neck like a twig."
The three others retreated as footsteps approached from the other end of the corridor. Martin swiveled to put his back against the wall, but he was one beat too slow. The taser darts hit him and dropped him, squiggling to the floor.
Elizabeth awoke feeling less sick around eight a.m. "Hi.” She smiled.
"How ya doing, honey?" Pete sat beside her.
"Better."
Patrick sat unnoticed on the other side of the room.
Elizabeth jumped. "Troy?" She didn't have to keep the charade up with them.
"Rough night. Beth, we don't want to throw any more at you, but we need to talk. We ran some bloodwork."
Elizabeth read each page of results. "This is a mistake. They told me I couldn't. Oh my. Um...who knows?"
"Just us," Pete said.
"It stays this way. We’ll repeat the level every two days. No puppy eyes, either of you." Elizabeth got up. "I need a shower and fresh clothes." Everything was moving too fast for her to process.
She was eating breakfast under Pete's watchful eye when Kieran walked in. "Beth, we’re working on a plan for Marty's release. Thanks to you finding the tapes, we have proof Martin did not kill your father. His attorney is going to court this morning."
"And the rest of the case?" Elizabeth needed to know Marty and Troy would be safe. She kept her tone light with a false bravado.
"We will find another way. We’re all here for you, Beth. Today will be a long day. First, we’ll stop by your dad's home. After we stop at the house, we’ll escort you to the visitation." Kieran took her hand. "We consider you family."
