Page 2 of Unchained

A sharp, piercing pain shot through him. His body jolted. He let go of Jose and caught the tree for balance. Jose’s unconscious form fell to the earth. Slowly, Brooks turned. Andy stood there, his shaking hand holding a stun gun on an extended rod.

“Hands up, thirty-six!”

Dark forms raced through the trees. No. Six men closed in on them. But Brooks wouldn’t go without a fight. He lunged forward, grabbed the rod, and jabbed it through Andy’s neck. His eyes snapped open in shock, and his face went as pale as the whites of his eyes. He grabbed the rod as pain-filled gasps gurgled through his lips.

Whap, whap, whap, whap

Rubber bullets hailed down on Brooks, stinging his skin. He charged for the men. The pinch of a tranquilizer dart entered his side. His legs trembled. He fell to his knees. The cool mud soaked through the thin material of the cotton hospital pants he wore. His muscles tingled, falling asleep. He stared at the men who’d take him back to hell.

He’d get them all. Every last fucking one.

And then he’d satisfy the revenge that ravaged him. The only name he’d been able to commit to memory, the only name he’d fight not to forget. A dark cloud rolled over his mind, and his eyes lifted to the sky. He sunk to the mud and muttered the name he said every time they knocked him out . . .

“Conrad Hornick.”

* * *

Weird.

Camryn stared at the building. It looked out of place smack-dab on Timber’s Terrain in Utah’s West Desert. She pulled the keys out of the ignition, and a little ball of nervousness formed in her belly. A new job always came with a bit of anxiety, but the interview process for this one had been extensive. As a registered nurse, she should be in a hospital or a doctor’s office. But right now, she needed something temporary for her temporary life.

And pulling round-the-clock shifts in the ER would only deplete her if she needed to run again. Not to mention more people would see her face.

She couldn’t have that.

She checked the rearview mirror, and the sight of her foreign blonde locks gave her a start. She’d get used to it. That’s what her mom had said. She climbed out of the car and made her way to the single-level pop-up laboratory. Rather than walk up a concrete walkway, as she’d done at all her previous nursing jobs, she stumbled over rocks and dirt.

Overhead, an eagle called. Camryn lifted her chin and inhaled a deep breath of the dusty air. At least there was some greenery in this area of Utah. The sun was low on the horizon, and the brilliant oranges and pinks were just filling the sky. She hated working night shifts, but the interviewer she’d spoken to had said she’d need to work two weeks of nights to fill the previous RN’s position. Then she’d go on days.

As she approached the structure from the west, she had a view of the grounds to the side of the building and a partial view of the grounds behind it. A chain-link fence with barbed wire stretched out toward a forest. She crinkled her forehead in confusion. If the job hadn’t required such a rigorous background check and interview process, she’d be certain there was something sketchy about the place. She pulled open the front door. The familiar scent of antiseptic struck her nostrils as she approached the desk where a receptionist waited.

Glasses perched on the woman’s nose, and her droll face lifted in acknowledgment. “Hello, dear. What can I do you for?”

“Camryn Bay—” She cleared her throat. God, she’d never get accustomed to the fictitious last name. “I mean Royse. Camryn Royse. I’m here for the RN position under Dr. Leonetti. It’s my first day.” She sent her gaze to the darkening sky outside the window. “Night, I guess.”

“Ah, welcome. I see you didn’t have trouble finding us way out here.” The woman’s warm smile calmed Camryn’s jittering nerves. She gestured to a whiteboard beside the desk. “Stand here and I’ll get your picture for your ID.”

Camryn slid her purse into a nearby chair and then stood in front of the whiteboard. As she smiled, a bright flash blasted her eyes. The woman at the desk clipped papers together, reached into a drawer, and grabbed a metal piece and a lanyard. A few minutes later, she stretched her arm across the desk. “Here’s your photo ID. You’ll need it to access certain areas of the lab.” She flipped the card to reveal a magnetic strip. “Just swipe. I hope you’re okay with the photo. No retakes.”

Camryn glanced down at the picture of herself—blonde yet again. At least in the grainy, instant photo it didn’t look so strange. She fit the lanyard over her neck and picked up her purse, waiting for more directions.

The woman held out a metal key on a ring. “For the elevator. I suggest you put this on your keychain, or somewhere you won’t lose it. We won’t dole out another.” She flashed her a tight smile. “Elevators are at the end of the hall to your left. You’ve been assigned to the seventh floor.”

Camryn fingered the circular key. Then she froze. Seventh floor? The building was only a single story. Her heart pattered in her chest as she tried to figure out the puzzle. The receptionist kept her back to the front of the desk as she bent over a filing cabinet.

“Um, I’m sorry. I’m confused—seventh floor? There’s only one floor.”

The woman turned. Her eyes peeked over the rim of her glasses. She chuckled and pointed at the ground. “Basement, sweetheart. The main floor is for the lab. Dr. Leonetti’s work is below.”

Camryn nodded and turned away. The key burned a hole in her palm. She made her way down the hall, but her feet lagged as if she’d strapped ankle weights to them, which she did three times a week for her workouts.

What was so unusual about there being a basement? Every hospital had a basement. Her abdomen clenched. Patients weren’t kept in basements. She closed her fingers around the key.

Stop being paranoid, Cam. Just because your nephew tried to kill you and your mom doesn’t mean everyone’s out to get you.

Besides, she’d found the job on Utah’s medical services dashboard. Not Craigslist for goodness’ sake. She reached the elevator bank and jabbed the button. The door dinged. Inside, she turned to press the button for the seventh floor and her hand stopped midway. Her stomach plunged. There were twelve floors.

Good grief.

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