Total pages in book: 120
Estimated words: 116263 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 581(@200wpm)___ 465(@250wpm)___ 388(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 116263 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 581(@200wpm)___ 465(@250wpm)___ 388(@300wpm)
“Motherfucker,” Pax spat before his attention whipped both directions, his jaw set tight as he realized the only way we could go was deeper into the facility.
“This way.” He tugged at my hand, quick to step over the man. Bile burned in my throat as I hopped over him.
I struggled to keep up with Pax, who started to run, hauling me along behind him as the staff began to chase us.
My bare feet smacked against the cold, hard floor, and blood barreled through my veins. A thunder that raged and a chaos that trounced through me in a violent, hammering storm.
“I have you,” Pax promised in the same rough voice I recognized all the way down to my soul.
Together, we raced down the hall with his hand firmly wrapped around mine. It was something we’d done so many times before, only this time, we were the ones being hunted and not the other way around.
“Stop!” The single word wobbled from the guard, the command ignored as Pax drove us faster.
My heart hammered.
Confusion, hope, and horror clanged with each erratic beat.
“Stop. Both of you. There is no way you’re getting out of here, so don’t make this harder than it has to be.” The guard’s voice was in the distance but growing nearer, and I could hear the clatter of multiple footsteps as the rest followed.
A crush of adrenaline and desperation hurtled down the hall and pressed at the walls.
“Aria Rialta, you must end this. You have no chance of getting out of here. You’re only going to make it worse for yourself.” The unfamiliar woman’s voice carried, hooks that threatened to impale.
Other patients had begun to emerge from their rooms, and they stood gawking in their open doors, still half-asleep as they peered out into the commotion.
Their confusion turned into shouts, some of them cheering on the mayhem, while others shrank back into the safety of their rooms.
“Don’t slow, Aria,” Pax murmured quietly. Harsh with the plea.
We came up to the end of the hall, and Pax took a sharp right. We spilled into the open space of the cafeteria.
Here, it was darker, shadows filling the large area and crawling over the tables.
“This way.” Pax tugged my hand as he started in the direction of the swinging door far across the room—until an orderly pushed out through it, obstructing our path.
We skidded to a stop, and the enormous man widened his stance and curled his hands into fists. His demeanor was hard, a threat ticking his muscles in aggression.
“No.” Despair pitched in my chest. “Pax.”
“I have you.” Pax’s words scraped low, and he shifted to face the direction we’d come, just as the guard came around the corner to fully box us in.
He edged forward, trembling as he cautiously encroached. The same group of three women were huddled behind him, peeking out from his sides.
“Do not move.” The demand quivered from the guard’s tongue. “Stay right there.”
“I don’t want to hurt you,” Pax responded instead. His words cut through the tension like blades, a grim warning as he moved to stand in front of me. He kept the gun slack at his side, though I knew it was the one thing that kept the men from rushing for us.
Gulping, the guard inched forward. His voice cracked as he said, “Drop the gun to the ground, put up your hands, and get onto your knees. Slowly.” The Taser trembled as he tried to hold it steady. “Right now. This is your last chance.”
There was a sudden flurry of movement, a blur of pink before the guard’s wrist was slammed into the sharp corner of the wall. He shouted in a wail of shock and pain, and the Taser toppled to the ground and slid across the floor.
Confusion bounded, and I blinked through the disorder.
Jill.
It was Jill.
Her eyes were wide with urgency as she shouted, “This way!”
She darted into the short hall to her left. The one that led to the door that opened to the fenced-in area where we had recess each morning.
Hope bloomed, and Pax didn’t waver. He darted after her, and I raced to keep up.
“Jill, what are you doing? You’ll lose your license for this,” the older woman shouted.
The threat didn’t sway Jill. She swiped her card and the door buzzed and unlatched. She tossed it open, and the three of us ran out into the frigid night.
Rain fell from the sky, icy darts that pelted my overheated skin, the cold instantly freezing my bare feet and shocking up my legs.
I refused to let it slow me.
We ran for the large metal gate that sat on the left.
Jill whirled toward us when we got to it.
Her expression toiled through a thousand emotions.
Dread.
Terror.
Conviction.
She looked to Pax as if she recognized him. “Promise me you will protect her.”
“With my life.” His answer was harsh.