Page 42 of Queen of Diamonds

I made a break for it, heart in my chest.

If I could get the door shut and locked in time?—

A strangled sound of shock tore from my chest as Knight’s huge fist closed on my hair. I reacted on instinct, knife whipping out, and he snarled in pain as I caught him on the forearm with a shallow cut, but didn’t let me go.

“Glade—!”

Fuck him. I shoved the open cuffs between my teeth to free my hand and threw myself to the side, using the back of the van for purchase with my foot and launched myself behind him. My free arm circled his neck as I swung around, ending up on his back. My movement forced his wrist at such an angle that I could rip my hair free. He staggered back, reaching for me with a growl, but I shifted, pulse thready, and managed to secure the knife at his neck.

He froze, fist trying to close around my wrist until I dug the knife deeper.

“You’re going to let me go,” I hissed through the metal between my teeth.

“I can’t do that. Zed’s orders.”

I tried to lower myself down, to get my feet on the ground and have more control. I reached out with my foot and found nothing but air. He was so cursedly tall. If I dropped to the ground, I’d lose my advantage. I could hold the knife to his neck at the front, sure, but that might leave me toe to toe with his strength, and I couldn’t match that.

“Crouch!” I demanded.

“No.”

“Knight.” My voice was a warning.

“You aren’t going to—” He cut off with a hiss of pain as, in a flash of movement, I shifted the blade, cutting it across his shoulder. I returned it to his neck in a second.

He had to let me go.

None of them understood. I let the cuffs drop, able to reach them with the hand not holding the knife. They hadn’t locked shut, thank god.

“Go to the wall,” I said instead.

“What?”

“The dumpster.” I tried to use my elbow to direct him to the dumpster that was just around the corner of the dead end. “Now.” I pressed the knife harder and he tensed.

“Okay. All right . I’m going.”

He took a tentative step toward it, and I could practically see the cogs turning in his mind as he tried to find a way out. He flinched, and I dug the knife in harder.

“Don’t try anything,” I snarled.

He did as I said, closing the gap to the dumpster, if slowly.

“Okay. Give me your wrist.”

“What?”

“Now.”

He lifted his arm, and I hooked the cuff around his wrist. “Secure it to the bar.”

“No way?—”

“Do it, Knight!” I failed to keep the tremor from my voice, which probably made me sound more crazy, because he did what I said and lowered his arm. Wasn’t this what I wanted… To leave them?

Again?

I was shaking; the blade pressed so hard against his flesh I worried I was already drawing blood. “Try anything…” Fuck, I was almost sobbing. “I swear to God?—”

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