“Cross,”I say.“Did you call for air support?”
“Yes. ETA four minutes.”
“Stay here,” I tell Declan, because he’s truly in no shape to back me up, no matter how many objections he raises. “I’ll send Tana out after I free her. You’ll need to drive her to the pickup.”
“What about you?”
“I’ll find my own way. There isn’t room for three on that bike, and she’s my priority.”
I swear I glimpse a glimmer of respect in his eyes. “Be careful, Darlington.”
Sliding my rifle off my shoulder, I lift the weapon and creep along the side of the gray concrete building. The entire area is eerily silent and cloaked in shadows. Teriq’s team had blown out all the floodlights for their extraction.
“Dove,”Cross says.“There’s usually one guard posted inside and another on the exterior, but I pulled them both off.”
“Thank you,”I say, emotion clogging my throat.
Despite his report, I’m cautious as I turn the corner. There’s no one outside. I exhale a breath, then hurry inside to find a small holding area where the other guard would be posted but isn’t.
The tiny prison has four cells, each one offering a small window slit that allows me to see inside. The first two are empty. When I peer into the third, I catch a flash of dark skin and hair as someone paces by the window.
I bang my fist against the door while trying to link with her. She’s been ignoring me all night, so I’m not surprised when she doesn’t respond right away. It isn’t until I shout her name that she abruptly accepts the link.
“Wren?”She sounds shocked.
“I’m outside your cell. I’m getting you out.”
“What the hell is happening out there? There was so much gunfire.”
“The network rescued all the Mods that were going to be relocated tomorrow.”
“Relocated?”
“I’ll tell you later.”
I find a keypad at the cell door. Fuck. If I shoot it, there’s no guarantee that will release the lock. I quickly reach out to Cross again.
“Thumb scan at the cell door. Is there an override code I can input before I start trying to shoot out the hinges?”
“There’s a code. Air support ETA—three minutes.”
Cross rattles off a series of numbers. I punch them into the keypad, relieved when the door buzzes open and Tana’s brown eyes collide with mine. She seems unharmed, clad in a gray linen combo I assume is the prisoner’s uniform here at Ice Canyon.
“Come on,” I say urgently. “We don’t have much time.”
She’s stepping out of the cell when Cross checks in again.
“I’m at the rear entrance. Don’t shoot me when I come in.”
My heart speeds up. He’s here?
“Wait. Hang back,”I tell him.“Let Tana come out first. I don’t want her to see you.”
I push my friend toward the holding area. “Go. Declan is around the corner on a bullet bike. He’ll take you to the pickup.”
Tana hesitates, her eyes flicking between me and the exit. “What about you?”
“I’m right behind you. I just need to set a charge,” I lie.
