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Dex doubled over, finally letting go of my hair. Quickly, I climbed to my feet just as he sliced out at me with my knife. It caught the back of my leg, and I felt the sting of pain as I kept moving. I couldn’t focus on it. I had to get to safety.
The question was… which way was that? He’d gotten me further into the building than I’d realized. My comm had fallen out at some point, so I tapped my watch, hoping the guys were still there. I kept moving, too afraid to go back toward psycho-douche.
“Asa? Milo?” I squeaked, my voice not wanting to work. My throat felt raw, and I wondered if I’d been screaming and not even realizing it.
“Fin!” someone shouted. It was too hard to hear on the tiny speaker on my wrist who it was. “Fuck, babe, you scared us. Are you okay?”
“Um, I don’t know.” I glanced back, sighing a little when I didn’t see anyone following me. I’d taken too many turns to know where I was. “I got away, but now I’m lost in his building.”
“Shit, okay. I’ll use your watch’s location and blueprints to see where you are.”
I took another turn, hearing a door shut, so I ducked into a room, looking for a window or something. “Someone was coming, so I’m in a room,” I whispered. There was one window, but there was no way of opening it that I could see. It was one solid pane of glass. “I need to hide or find another way out,” I said, looking around the room in a panic.
There were boxes in a corner, but otherwise, it was mostly empty. There were no real places to hide. I looked for a closet or any vents in the ceiling, but it didn’t seem like I was that lucky. Moving over to the boxes, I opened one, curious about what could be in them.
“No, freaking way,” I breathed, staring at the cans of gas. The next box had a gas mask, so I pulled it out, hoping they weren’t a hoax. But what were the odds that I’d end up in this room? No, these were to be used at some point by MKG, and I just happened to get to them first. Grabbing as many as possible, I secured the mask and walked to the door.
“I’m heading out. Let me know when you have an exit route. Any word on the others?” I asked.
“Silence on that end. Just get out, Fin. We can make a new plan together. But if you're taken too, there’s nothing for them to hope for, and I don’t know what Asa and I would do,” Milo said.
“Okay. I promise. I won’t be a hero.”
Opening the door, I peeked out, checking for anyone, but it was once again vacant. This place freaked me out, and I was ready to get out of there.
“If you go to your left, there should be an exit door if he hasn’t remodeled or blocked it.”
Sucking in a breath, I blew it out, forgetting about the mask. It fogged up as I took a step, and I cursed myself. Keeping my breath even, I took a few more steps, using my ears to listen while I waited to see.
“Hey! You’re not supposed to be here.”
I froze, then remembered the cans in my arms. Pulling the ring from the top, I turned and rolled the can before sprinting in the opposite direction. I didn’t know what this gas did, but I knew it couldn’t be good. I couldn’t think about the effects it might have, or I wouldn’t be able to go through with it. It might be foolish, but for the moment, I had to see everyone here as the enemy, or I’d never get out of here alive.
“You’re coming up to it,” the voice said, barely audible above my heartbeat pounding in my ears.
My heels clicked against the floor, and I once again wished I’d chosen different footwear. No one who wore stilettos expected to be running for their life.
“Turn to your right.”
Following the command, I felt the elation begin to course through me at being so close to freedom. So when I smacked into a chest, I wasn’t expecting it. The cans dropped from my arms, and I stood, frozen. Arms circled around me, pulling me to a chest, and I deflated, knowing this was it. I’d lost. I only had one move left, the last can held tightly in my grasp. Looking up, I met the eyes of my captor just as I tugged the ring free.
Twenty-One
FINLEY
Samson’s handclamped down on the pin, taking it from my hand. He held it steady before meeting my eyes.
“How you doing, kiddo?” He smiled, and my whole body sagged with relief. I wanted to weep joyfully, but I knew this wasn’t the time. I pulled the mask from my face, pushing it onto my head so I could speak to him.
“I’m so glad to see you. When he said the backup had been intercepted, I got worried,” I whispered, moving toward the door I’d been running toward. Samson followed, shoving his hand out the door and throwing the canister before closing it quickly.
He braced against the door, and I grimaced, realizing he thought it was a bomb. “Um, sorry, I think it’s just knock-out gas.”
“Oh, yeah, I knew that.” Samson straightened, and I wanted to giggle, the emotion feeling nice after fearing for my life. The realization sobered me, and I remembered I was still in danger.
“So, what’s the plan?” I asked.
Samson looked down at me, and I could tell he wanted to yell at me to run to safety, and yeah, that had been my plan mere seconds ago, but now that there was backup, it felt foolish to run away. I was trained and ready for this. I steeled my spine, giving him my no-nonsense look. If he thought his daughter was sassy, wait until he realized where she learned it from.
