Page 67 of Asphyxia
Alistair Drake did one thing right when he established his underground SWAT division. He gave every one of his members full access to the prison and its inmates—too bad he didn’t account for someone like me impersonating one of them for nefarious reasons.
It took me several weeks to procure everything I needed to gain access to Adrian: an Alpha-Six uniform—or something thatlooked as close as possible to it—the ID card, an accurate facility map to study the prison’s layout, and Adrian’s current cell number and location so I would know exactly where I would need to go and which checkpoints I would hit along the way.
The officer on gate duty didn’t even bat an eye at the black and gold card I held, already knowing what status it represented here.
A satisfying smirk pulled at my glossy red-painted lips as the gate opened, allowing me inside.
I drove across the prison grounds, bypassing the main visitor lot and parking around the back of the massive building where the employee entrance was located.
The stolen ID belonged to Heather Pierce. Fortunately, she was blonde, just like me; however, Heather’s hair was much shorter, so I pulled mine back into a low, messy bun to conceal some of its length and avoid suspicion.
I preferred to wear tight skinny jeans or leggings over these horrible dress slacks. Nonetheless, I had to play and fit the role if I were to do this right, so sucking up my pride, I topped my thrown-together ensemble off with a pair of black, polarized aviator sunglasses to round out the arrogant asshole officer aesthetic.
This was my one chance at taking what I was owed after so long, and I couldn’t fuck it up. The single opportunity I needed to make up for years of pent-up rage and damage that motherfucker had caused me.
Redemption, retribution, and revenge were at my fingertips.
After passing through the doors, I reached the first of what I assumed would be many security checkpoints throughout thefacility. There were at least fifteen from what I had previously counted on the map.
It would be a long and slow process to get my ass in front of Adrian, but if I did this right, I could make it through every single one of them without issue or triggering an alarm.
“Keep keys, phones, and all metal in the provided tray. Ensure your ID is visible and unobstructed the entire time you are inside the facility. If you are carrying a firearm, please bring it forward for inspection on your way through.”
The officer’s tone was bored, as if he had done nothing more than read lines off a script all day.
Fuck I’d hate to have his job.
I reluctantly brought a handgun with me, knowing full well that Adrian deserved far more than a single bullet to the head for everything he had done.
I wouldn’t make my revenge quick and dirty—fuck no—I was going to take my time with him. Make sure he felt every single drop of pain he put me through.
Always his good fucked up girl.
Following the guard’s instructions, I removed every detectable piece of metal from my person and placed it into the provided tray. I discreetly held my breath as I handed off the gun for inspection and passed through the scanner, praying I wouldn’t set it off with the scalpel I had concealed within the lining of my jacket.
“Thank you, Officer Pierce.” Another guard spoke as they returned my badge and belongings from the tray.
I nodded in silent response, collecting the rest of my items before navigating to the next checkpoint. The less contact I had with any of the working Alpha-Six-sanctioned guards, the better.
I was positive that more than one guard here knew Heather, and I’d be entirely fucked if they caught me red-handed impersonating her.
This prison was massive compared to how it looked on the outside. When I memorized the layout, I knew it would take at least thirty to forty-five minutes to reach the cell block where Adrian was contained.
It was late. The sun had already set by the time I entered the prison, and due to the delay in passing through each security checkpoint, it was almost eleven by the time I reached the final one.
The last time I reviewed his cell assignment, he was alone. Eli Wilder had previously been designated as his roommate, but it seemed as though that arrangement had dissolved within a matter of hours after it was decided.
Eli was now being held in solitary for god knows what—my best guess was protection from Adrian—him and every other piece of shit in here he owned.
I was no stranger to the lives Adrian had manipulated and destroyed.
This prison wasn’t a punishment for him; if anything, for what he had planned, it was just a minor setback in the grand scheme of things. Adrian had far too many connections to be held herefor longer than a couple of months, so I needed to act before he disappeared without a trace again.
I expected myself to feel nervous once I had reached Adrian’s cell, but in reality, I was more than ready to bite the hand that fed me all those dirty, fucked up lies.
I had him right where I wanted him.
Adrian’s cell block didn’t have open bars as I had initially predicted—which worked out in my favor, making his execution a far more private and intimate endeavor.
