Page 64 of Enemy of the State

A wild, unrestrained smile takes over my face. I know exactly what he intends, and I can’t say I blame him. And now that he’s mentioned it, I have a vindictive vow of my own I need to uphold.

“Speaking of, do you know which cell Carlos belongs to?” I ask, swiveling my head down the hallway in the direction of the other cells.

“Cell Two. Make it hurt.”

“Always.”

I spin, taking a few steps toward the second cell. When I get to the entrance, I turn back toward him. “If I see Viktor first, I’ll let him know you’re here.”

He nods solemnly, telling me that he’ll do the same, because let’s face it, Viktor is going to be the first call either of us make—for entirely different reasons. Kazi disappears down the corridor just as I step into Cell Two and sneer at the sniveling, broken man in the corner.

“Hello, Carlos.” I don’t have the time to do this the way I want, but I’m a woman of my word so I approach the man cowered in the corner, gripping his oily dark brown hair and jerking his head up to look at me. “It’s time to learn to be quiet.”

Wordlessly, I move to clutch his chin and squeeze his cheeks until his mouth pops open. With my other hand, I grab hold of his tongue. Stepping to the side of his body, out of themajorityof the spray, I slice through his tongue with the dead guard’s blade. Crimson mist showers the air, the black fabric of my uniform absorbing most of the scarlet dots littering my body.

His sobs are so loud that they out-pitch the siren as I wipe the blade on his soiled uniform before darting from his cell. He’ll either bleed out or he’ll live without a tongue—either result I can live with.

In the hallway, I snatch the Glock from one of the dead guards, slinging one of a rifle over my shoulder and heading for the exit—wherever the hell that is.

Sean

I stare at the blinking red light that’s been flashing green as long as I’ve been stationed here, now indicating that the system is down.

Closing my eyes for a moment, I focus on breathing to the rhythmic cadence of the siren wailing through the prison.

Breathe in for four counts, breathe out for four counts.

Inhale. Exhale.

I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve told myself that this is the right thing to do—for Lou, anyway. I’ve accepted the risks. There’s a possibility of peril for myself, for Jace—even for Louhi—and I’m positive that a lot of the fuckheads residing behind their own bars will meet their end tonight. While I’m more settled about the inmates’ deaths, it’s putting the guys who work for me at risk that leaves a sour, acrid taste in my mouth.

Most of them don’t deserve the chaos landing in their laps. I couldn’t warn them, couldn’t tell them to make sure they’re armed more heavily than usual. They’re on their own.

Not that they’d take anything I said into consideration anyway—not now.

I’ve betrayed each of them, committed treason against my country. I’ve broken the code and smashed through it with a battleax.

“I thought you were going to meet me at the rear exit.” I whip around to see Jace in the doorway, his chest heaving like he just ran here, before adding, “We’ve got to get to the boat.”

Dammit, I must be running later than I thought. As I stared at that switch, my fingers hovering over the plastic that would unlock the cells, I swear every one of my senses was alive with the ticking of the clock. All I needed to do was flip the lever.

But while flipping the switch meant Louhi’s freedom, it also meant lives lost. It meant putting nearly forty prisoners and even more of my men in Death’s grasp. That’s a heavy weight to bear, even if parts of this place and job don’t bother me nearly as much as they should.

Clearly, as evidenced by Jace’s presence, I’ve lingered a bit too long before eventually shutting off the power.

Nodding, I scan the control room once more before taking a step in his direction. “Did you unlock all the exits?”

He snorts. “Yes, Dad,” he replies derisively, rolling his wheat-colored irises, and though I can’t see the rest of his face through his mask, I know he’s grinning.

It’s not a foolproof plan, by any means, but it was the best we could do with a few hours’ notice. Jace was to unlock the exits while I shut off the power, and we both pray that Lou steals someone’s mask and uniform, allowing her to get her fine ass to the other side of the island.

Our plan hinges on Lou’s ingenuity and craftiness, but we’ve laid the groundwork for her, opening all the doors—metaphorically and literally—for her to escape. I’ve never seen the assassin at work before, but Jace reminded me that if she was a shitty hitman, she would’ve ended up here far sooner. If it’s to be believed that she’s flown under the radar after killing one hundred and seventy-three people, then she should have no problem escaping this place.

Right?

The pressure of the situation is so thick that it threatens to choke us out, so I grasp at levity with sweaty palms, retorting, “Last time I checked, you didn’t have a dad.”

Jace laughs openly. “Well, neither do you, asshole,” he remarks as we approach the doorway, needed to get thefuckout of here.

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