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Prologue
The lights blink around me, power flickering as a storm rages outside. With bated breath, I wait for the power to cut out completely, knowing I will have only seconds before the generator kicks on. When it finally happens, the small concrete room plunges into darkness, and I hear the electric door lock release. I turn the handle just as the power revs and the lights come back on.
The little red light on the camera mounted in the hallway isn't blinking, so I take it as a good sign and slip out of my cell. In case I need to come back, I fit a piece of fabric in the door latch so it can't lock behind me, and then tiptoe quickly down the corridor.
Footsteps echo off the concrete walls and floor before I make it around the next corner. I flatten myself against the wall, holding my breath and listening as the steps move closer. It sounds like only one set of footsteps, so I crouch down and get ready. When I hear the footsteps round the corner, I launch myself at the guard.
He doesn't expect me, giving me the opportunity to heave myself onto his back and lock my arm around his throat. He struggles and tries to grab the stun gun at his belt, but I kick at his hands and lean into the choke hold. The guard throws his back against the wall, trying to dislodge my hold, but I squeeze with every bit of strength I have in me until the guard collapses.
Looking down, I recognize the guard. My lip curls as I detach his stun gun from the holster at his waist and press it to his temple. All the different times this sadistic asshole has abused me in the past flash through my brain as I flick the safety and press down on the trigger until it fully releases the charge. The weapon falls from my shaking hands and I give myself exactly two seconds to pull myself together, my body trembling with adrenaline and fear.
There's no time to panic or hesitate.
I have to escape.
The guard's clothes and boots are far too large for me, but I pick his pockets and strip off his jacket and dark grey beanie before I haul ass to the next door. Peeking gingerly through the cut out windows in each set of heavy metal doors, I use the guard's badge to make my way through the corridors, trying to remember all the twists and turns as I make my way to where I believe the entrance of the building will be.
Finally, I spot the door. Two guards are in the security room behind the front desk. They are distracted, working to get the camera system back online. I duck below the cutout window and edge up to the door. Taking a deep breath, I raise my arm above my head, swiping the badge to unlock the door.
The door buzzes loudly and I momentarily freeze, but the guards are too busy dealing with their current problem to notice the door opening. Quickly, I slip out into the night, a heavy rainstorm raging around me. The hurricane ravaging the East Coast has been my saving grace, the near constant power outages giving me my opportunity to escape the lab that I was born in and would eventually die in.
Fumbling with the keys that I stole from the guard, my fingers press the buttons on a key fob to locate whatever vehicle they belong to. The raging storm makes it impossible to hear anything, but there are lights flashing at the back of the parking lot. I run, bare feet splashing through puddles, straight to a dark blue pickup and dive inside.
Out of the many things I have learned and been on in the last year's intelligence experimentations, driving is not one of them. My breaths are heavy, my heart beating wildly, as I look around the console and try to figure things out. The engine roars to life as I put the key in the ignition slot and turn it. I look around to make sure no one heard, but the storm is still providing blessed cover as I play with the instruments and pedals at my feet.
Through the heavy sheets of rain, I see two guards run out of the gate booth as the entire building illuminates with flashing red lights, an alarm sounding so loudly that I can hear it clearly over the sounds of the turbulent weather. A heavily barricaded gate starts to close off the entrance and I panic.
The truck lurches forward as I figure out how to put the truck in drive, hitting another vehicle before I find the brake. My face hits the steering wheel, blood spurts from my nose, and my eyes water. There are car alarms flashing everywhere, setting off a chain reaction as I reverse and then maneuver the vehicle through the parking lot as carefully as I can.
A drenched guard hits the side of the truck as I stomp on the gas pedal, tearing through the gate arm as the back window shatters and what sounds like bullets hit the back of the truck. I scream as the security gate closes and I barely make it through the opening, the sides of the vehicle scraping against metal and concrete. The blaring alarms and flashing red lights fall into the distance as I speed through the night. Rain is hitting the windshield in heavy sheets, making it almost impossible to see anything in front of or behind me.
Following the road until a larger highway appears ahead in the distance, I nearly turn the vehicle over as I hydroplane through the exit ramp.
Six
Jerking awake, the rumble of the road beneath me is a reminder of my fleeting dream. My heart is racing. My eyes blink back flashes of heavy rain and even heavier fear, opening to a wall of disheveled black fabric. Disoriented, my eyes trace the lines of the rumpled cotton.
My gaze follows the wrinkles up to a firm chest, the v of the shirt neck showing off tendrils of dark ink that climb all the way up to a strong jaw and soft lips, turned down in a slight frown. Dark green eyes look down at me with concern.
Luis' hand pushes hair from my forehead and I feel, rather than hear, the rumble of his voice as he asks if I'm okay. Still unsettled from my fading dream, all I can do is nod, the denim of his jeans rough against my cheek. I push my face into the abrasive material, the sensation of it dragging across my skin bringing me back into the present.
It takes me a moment to realize I'm literally nuzzling into Luis' crotch, which becomes apparent when a ridge along his thigh hardens. My eyes widen and Luis clears his throat, reaching down to help me sit up, although I would be perfectly fine right where I am. Thank you very much.
My eyes meet Luis' and he's either very concerned or trying to deflect from his predicament.
“You alright, pretty girl?”
“Is it just me, or do you ask me that a lot?” I deadpan.
He ignores my sass. “Do you remember what you were dreaming about?”
“No. I had flashes of it, but I couldn't hold on to anything. Was I talking again?”
“You didn't say anything really, just made some sounds and moved around a lot.”
“Ugh, sorry. What time is it?” The sky is darkening outside. I must have slept much longer than I realized.
“No need to be sorry. I didn't mind.” I raise my eyebrow, a sarcastic smirk on my face. He rolls his eyes with a small chuckle. “It's almost seven.”
