Page 16 of Capture of Capricorn

The relic was here, and knowing Adam planned to use it meant no more pretending to be weak. Capricorn had been playing those keeping him captive. Faking the fact their sleeping agents wore off more quickly than they expected. Letting them strap him down, even as he knew he could snap the restraints.

The door, inset in concrete, did prove problematic, and when Zora challenged him to escape, he smiled, because he had a plan.

“Prepare to be free, Beauty.”

She arched a brow. “Got some C4 packed in your prison wallet?”

It took him a moment to understand her reference, and then he laughed. “Not quite, but I like the way you think. Stand back while I handle the watching eyes and listening ears.” The moment she stepped away from Capricorn, he leaped into the air and punched up with a close fist. It took three solid shots before the camera broke. That should cause some panic in their monitoring room.

“Damn. That was some impressive jumping,” Zora exclaimed. “You ever play basketball?”

“Not really. Wasn’t really popular when I was growing up.” In his day, a stick and a hoop were all the rage.

“Not sure what that accomplished, though. I doubt you can pummel your way through the door.”

“You’re right. I can’t, but having taken out their spying device guarantees they’ll send someone to check on us.”

“Your plan is to piss them off so they’ll come and smack you around?”

“Who says they’ll be doing the smacking?”

“Because you’ll be jiggling like a bug on a hot plate. Or did you think your new bracelets were just for show?”

He glanced at the snug bands around his wrists. “I’ll be fine. I’m tougher than I look.”

“Tough won’t stop a bullet.”

“They won’t shoot me.” Spoken with confidence. He doubted Adam would want his prize to die.

“Hope they don’t, because I ain’t wasting my daily cup of water rinsing off blood splatter,” she grumbled.

Her dark humor almost had him laughing again, but he held in his mirth, hearing the thump of boots in the hall.

“They’re coming. You might want to give me some space, Beauty.” A nickname that rolled from his lips easily because, when she’d lain on the floor, her expression soft in repose, those lips begging for a kiss, he’d, for some reason, been reminded of the fairytale princess. Although he doubted Sleeping Beauty cussed as much, not something that bothered him. Capricorn loved the word “fuck.” Adjective, verb, noun, act. It was multipurpose.

Zora moved to the farthest corner and crouched, muttering, “Don’t be crying later when you’re pissing blood.”

Such sweet concern but for naught. He wouldn’t be the one bleeding.

Capricorn stood by the door, waiting. When it opened, he dove through before anyone on the other side could react. A guy in uniform grunted as Capricorn slammed into his midsection and took them to the floor. He quickly grabbed the guard by the head and slammed it against the ground as the other men shouted and aimed Tasers at him.

The electrical current tingled, and his tattoo pulsed. “Thanks for the tickle, boys,” Capricorn said as he rose and gave them a grin.

Thrown off-kilter by his reaction, they fumbled to unholster the weapons strapped to their hips. One shouted into a walkie. “The Tasers didn’t take him down.”

“Who’s next?” Capricorn asked, even as he lunged for the next target, wrestling away the gun. Might have had a chance to use it, too, if his wrists didn’t suddenly go numb. The muscles in his hands stopped working, and he dropped the weapon.

What the fuck? He had no injury to account for the sudden paralysis, but the bracelets at his wrist did vibrate. Well, damn.

The soldiers regrouped a few paces away and kept their weapons pointed. Interesting how they didn’t shoot. It indicated they had orders to keep him alive.

“Anyone here bowl?” Capricorn quipped before rushing them, intent on being the ball that knocked down like pins. His shoulder took the brunt of the hit, plowing into a midsection that took down the man. Amidst the yelling and zapping and his headbutting, since his hands still refused to work, a new sound arose.

A siren wailed, accompanied by a red strobing light in the hall.

The provided distraction allowed Capricorn to roll and tangle himself in some legs, dropping some more guards. As one of those still standing shouted, “Fuck this, I’m shooting the bastard,” his hands tingled as feeling returned.

Hell yeah. Capricorn kicked his feet and knocked aside the barrel of the gun, causing it to shoot the wall, the slug spraying cement chunks. He sprang to an upright position and delivered an uppercut that knocked the guy out before he could fire again. A sound from behind had him whirling in time to see Zora swinging her hands, the pair of them linked together like a club, at the last guard standing, about to shoot.

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