“Wrists, now,” the guard scolded, his voice rising in volume.
“It’s all right, Gemstone,” Nadine said, now outside her own cell. “Just let him do it.”
Thwack. “Shut it, bitch,” a guard from beyond Gemma’s line of sight said.
“Ooh, hit me again. That was fun,” Nadine said, voice too perky.
Thwack.
The guard in Gemma’s cell snatched her wrists, hard. She couldn’t help but yelp in pain as the cuffs were locked in place. The magnetic lock beeped when secured.
Roughly, the guard yanked Gemma into the hall, and a traitorous tear rolled down her cheek. They had to have done something to Christian for him not to come for her.Stars, please let him be okay.
Gemma stared at her sister, who winked before being led down the hall.
It happened so fast Gemma had almost missed it. What did it mean? Was this part of the plan?
Hope reignited in Gemma’s chest like a star in formation.
Seven guards, all armed, escorted the Proctor sisters through the corridors of Zion. Gemma counted twelve turns before they reached the stairwell and summited the never-ending staircases toward the hangar at the top of the building.
The guards didn’t speak or break formation. Everything about their movements was surgical, controlled. Doubt started to fester in Gemma’s heart again. But she’d seen Nadine wink at her.
Hadn’t she?
They were on the seventh flight when the ultralights in the stairwell flickered. One guard looked up. Their squad leader reached for his comms—
The ever-present hum of Zion’s technology was extinguished as the stairwell plummeted into darkness. The guards froze and hit the small torchlights on their vests.
Gemma’s pulse raced, the violet tattoo on her left forearm burning brighter.
The lead guard spoke into his comm. “Command, I need a status—”
A sickening crack split the dark as the front of the man’s helmet shattered, and his body crumpled against the rail.
The six remaining guards whipped their rifles into place against their shoulders. Red beams swept in blind arcs.
Another guard started to speak. “Command, we—”
Chaos broke open around her. Gemma dropped instinctively, her cuffed hands raised to shield her head. Bullets screamed past, each shot breaking apart in waterfalls of sparks upon impact with revarium steel walls.
A shape vaulted over the rail above, landing in a crouch behind one the guards, weapon already swinging. The guard fell hard.
In the next flash of light, Christian’s ferocious gaze met Gemma’s, locking onto her like she was the only thing anchoring him to the floor.
Her heart skipped a beat.
From below, Hawk charged up the stairs, colliding with a guard and driving her back. The soldier screamed as Hawk forced her over the railing.
Nadine twisted toward her escort and slammed her shoulder into his chest, knocking him off balance. She kicked his weapon down the stairwell before ducking and rolling, snagging his sidearm as she moved. A shot to his head, and he fell limp.
Hawk tripped another guard, sending him tumbling down the stairs. Christian’s blade took out the knee of the soldier standing between him and Gemma. A grunt from Nadine and the fading of a scream told Gemma the last guard had gone over the railing.
Christian sprinted to Gemma’s side and dropped to one knee. “Hold still.” He jammed some sort of glowing blade into the cuffs, and it cut through the magnetic locks in one swipe. Her arms fell free.
“I didn’t think you were coming,” she choked.
He cupped the side of her face for half a second. “Such little faith. Let’s go.”
