Page 22 of Wild Escape

"What's the matter?" she asked with a sassy hip shake. "Don't you think you can handle me?"

"Oh, I can handle you alright.”

"I bet you can," she said with a wink.

"Do you two need to get a room?" the corrections officer snarked.

I sneered at him, grabbed Daphne’s arm, and escorted her toward the sally port.

"Good luck with that one," the officer called after us.

Another guard buzzed us into the buffer zone, and we left intake. Another buzz got us into the garage, and I escorted Daphne to the Porsche.

She lifted an impressed eyebrow. "Nice car.”

I opened the door for her, pulled the seat forward, and helped her in the back seat, if you could call it that. It was tiny, but Daphne could fit back there better than I could.

"Want to tell me how you can afford a car like this on a county salary?" she asked.

“We volunteer,” Jack said with a grin.

He cranked up the engine.

"You two are totally on the take. That's okay. I like dirty cops."

Jack put it into gear and pulled away. The garage door opened, and we drove out.

Daphne breathed in the fresh air and looked relieved. She leaned back, soaking up the afternoon sun. "I can't tell you how good this feels."

"Start talking," I said. "Where would Dane and Brock go?”

12

“You know, I’m kind of hungry,” Daphne said. “The food in that place sucks. You should talk to somebody about that.”

“It’s not the Seven Seas,” I replied.

She chuckled. “No doubt. I could use a drink, too.”

I laughed. “Keep dreaming.”

“A change of clothes might be nice. How about we swing by my apartment?”

“Don’t forget why you’re on temporary release?”

“Refresh my memory.”

I craned my neck toward her. “We can spin around and go right back.”

That changed her tune. “I can think of a few people we should talk to.”

“Who?”

“You know, I’d really like to change clothes and get something to eat,” she sang again.

“Prove to me this wasn’t a mistake.”

“Honey, this will be the best decision you ever made.”