A door opens suddenly ahead.
Guard stepping out.
His eyes widen.
I fire once.
Suppressed shot muffles through the hallway while he crumples before he can shout.
No slowing down.
At the end of the corridor—
Metal door.
Locked.
Of course it is.
I don’t waste time checking it.
Don’t pause.
I hit it hard with my shoulder.
Metal screams against the frame as the lock snaps apart and the door slams inward.
And there she is.
Tied to a chair beneath weak overhead light.
Bruised.
Exhausted.
Alive.
Everything inside me stops for one violent second.
Then starts again all at once.
27
Olivia
The explosion of the door jerks me upright so fast pain tears through my ribs.
For one disoriented second, all I see is shadows and flying splinters.
Then him.
Russ fills the doorway with his weapon raised and eyes locked directly on mine.
And suddenly I can breathe again.
Relief crashes through me so hard it almost hurts.
He came.
