Page 162 of Chemistry: The Chemist

“Who?”

The thought of Jack losing his life in the line of duty crossed my mind. My heart hurt at the thought of it.

“Jack?”

“No. No. Not Jack. Jack is on his way in.”

“Then, wh–”

“The Chemist.”

I held onto my chest. My lungs deflated along with it. The wind had been knocked right out of me.

“Bradfor—”

“He escaped, Johanson. During the 4:00 a.m. count, they discovered he was not in his cell. Guard charged in, searching for him and there was no sign of him. Neither was there any indication of how he’d escaped, when, or where to. It’s a fucking island. It is the most secure facility in the country. There’s no way he’ll survive the sea even if he succeeds. No one can. That’s why the prison was built there.”

“Air or sea.”

“Sea.”

“Sea?”

“I have arms and legs. I don’t have wings.”

The conversation I’d had with him not long after we’d met replayed in my head. It was a shame just how many layers of Chem the agency hadn’t pulled back. There was so much more to the man they’d captured. They wouldn’t begin to understand even if I wrote it all down for them to study.

He’s a swimmer, Bradford. A damn good one.

“If they don’t find him in the facility, then maybe one day his body will turn up in the water. It’s deadly out there. To know he’d rather face that than be confined just blows my fucking mind. Essentially, he’s suicidal. His mother comm–”

Don’t. Don’t bring her into his.

“Bradford, do you think he would attempt an escape if he didn’t have a complete plan in place? Does that sound like the man we hunted for two years?”

He paused, taking a second to think.

“Do you need an officer to come sit outside your home?”

That’s more logical.

“Johanson. Do you need us to have someone come out?”

“Save yourself, Bradford.”

The hunters had become the hunted. The tables had turned. And unlike the agency, it wouldn’t take two years to scratch the surface.

“I’ve made my bed, Bradford. I’m prepared for whatever Chemistry brings my way.”

With my heart in shackles, I ended the call. The moment I’d been dreading had come. I wrapped my fingers around the handle of the drawer on the side of my bed. At the sight of an empty drawer, my brows furrowed on my forehead.

The unknown became clear. They were searching miles and miles away for a man who was so close I could feel the potency of his presence.

Oh shit.

I tightened my robe around my body and marched through the hallway. My footsteps sounded off like grenades in a field. Anxiously, I pushed open the door that was only two doors down from mine. The simple layout of the new home made the journey a swift one. Yet, it seemed to take forever to reach the knob.

Slowly, carefully, I stepped inside. Fear disabled me. Paralyzed me. Planted my feet and toyed with my feelings. Dressed in a tailored suit and resembling a man who hadn’t spent a day behind bars, there Chemistry sat.

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