She folds her arms across her chest. “Are we really ranking whose lies are worse?”
“Why not?” I throw my hands out to my side. “You ranked our kisses.”
“That’s a completely separate topic for another time.”
“Not really. Everything about our relationship is relevant right now. You’ve blurred all the lines. Muddied the waters. I don’t know what to believe anymore. I just know I can’t trust you.”
“Oh, please!” She scoffs. “I didn’t throw this big of a tantrum when I found out you were a government operative who kills people.”
“You didn’t need to throw a tantrum. If you’re really Sienna Prime, then you knew all along who I was!” I shout.
“Shh! Are you trying to alert everyone that I’m breaking you out of here?”
“No way.” I look up at the ceiling vent. “I’m breakingmyselfout of here.”
“How? You don’t even have the tools. Besides, I’m already in the middle of my rescue mission. You can’t take over from here.”
I drop my chin, looking at her. “Maybe I don’t want to be rescued by you.”
She purses her lips, giving me a pointed stare. “Do you really think you’re in a good position to pick and choose who rescues you? Especially when a bomb is about to go off?”
My eyes flip to the box. 2:52, 2:51, 2:50. Then they switch back to Lacee.
Her brows are raised high on her forehead, holding there forthisspecific moment when she can give methisspecific look. “Is it okay with you if I continue my rescue mission now?”
“Fine. How are we getting out of here?”
“Don’t you worry.” She smirks at me, and I hate to admit it, but I’m so relieved to see that charming smile of hers, even if I have no clue who it actually belongs to. “I have everything planned out.” She uses a small gadget to shoot a cable up to the venting system. She holds the slack out for me to wrap my foot around and pulls my body close to hers. I feel the hot whispers of her words tickle my neck. “You better hold on tight.”
Holding on tight is all I’ve been doing since the moment I met Lacee Warren.
Or should I say, Sienna Prime?
THIRTY-NINE
LACEE
I army crawl—again—throughthe tiny air duct with Park right behind me. “We’ve got to get out of the vent system before the bomb goes off. I’m betting it’s chemical.”
“You think?” Park mutters.
His attitude toward me is warranted.I guess. But if he’s this upset now, I’m scared to see how he’ll react when I tell him the full story.
“According to the timer on my watch, we have forty-seven seconds.” I shine my flashlight up ahead. “I’ll see if I can find a closer vent for us to come out of. If not, put your head down and close your eyes to prevent damage to your sight. And make sure you put your hands under your body until the heat and chemical waves have passed.”
“You know this isn’t the first time I’ve been around a bomb?” he snaps. “I am a pretty successful CIA operative.”
“Is that why you needed me to rescue you?” I say under my breath.
“What was that?” His voice is laced with irritation.
“Nothing. I didn’t say a word.”
“I don’t believe you. Just like I won’t believe anything you say from here on out.”
I choose to ignore Park’s bitterness, staying focused on the job. The light on my body suit shines in front of me toward a vent ten feet away. It’s not the one I’d plan on escaping out of, but it may be our only choice. I glance at my watch. Thirty-three seconds left. I inch my body toward it and unbolt the screws.
“I don’t know where this will drop out, but we only have eighteen seconds. Close the lid behind you so the chemical doesn’t seep out.” I pull up on the cover, opening it. I glance down. Everything is dark. I don’t know what’s below, but there’s no time to waste. I maneuver my body so I can jump out feet first. Then I go for it falling through the air. My feet hit something hard, breaking through it completely. I crash to the ground, landing on my back in a soft pile of hay.
