Page 14 of Angel Captive

“For what?” I frowned.

“We’ll tear these to pieces as a representation of everything.” She handed them to me with a smile on her face like she’d given me jewels. “You can use them to show me all the locations of doors, windows, and where the guards are stationed on every floor you know.”

For the next three days,Riley drilled me about the prison, the Roulex and the guards’ rotations as well as mapping out the upper levels I’d seen. I didn’t confess to her that some of the times I’d been nearly unconscious from beatings.

“Some of these are foggy, so be aware that I might not remember something.”

“It’s okay.” She reached out and squeezed my hand. “The fact you know anything beyond these stone walls we're stuck in is amazing.”

The pride in her voice made me glance down at the torn pieces of paper scattered between us. Couldn’t tell her that I thought all of this was a waste of time, but I couldn’t do anything to diminish the hope in her eyes. We had kept all our paper dishes from the two meals served every day, ripping them into pieces. Plates for doors and windows, the cups for guards.

My insides twisted that I was giving her a false sense of security with all of this planning. How she’d expected to be able to escape with a simple charade of knowing where doors, windows, and guards were.

“Riley, don’t count on this. Things change in the prison all the time.” I raked a hand through my hair, willing her to read the warning in my voice. “They could come right now and move us to another cell. One without bars and higher security and more guards.”

“We’ll just have to be ready before then,” she said matter-of-factly.

I couldn’t tell her the truth. How many times I had tried to escape and failed only to be beaten so hard that I was in a healing coma for weeks afterward. How every time I didn’t succeed, a little bit more of the faith everything would work out, died.

9

Riley

“Once more,” Xaden asked me. “How often do the guards switch rotations on this level?”

“Three times... every eight hours. But Charred,” that’s the nickname I'd given the guard with a singed tail, “Does ten hours probably as punishment for whatever happened to him.”

Xaden grunted. “Anything could change. One of the guards gets sick or asks for a night off. We have to prepare for anything.”

I pressed my hands to my temples because it seemed like my head was going to explode memorizing this stuff. But if it meant I could get us out of here, I would. And we’ve been going over these routines for six days straight. I’m beginning to dream of the different floors and guards. Last night, I dreamed of Xaden as a sexy male teacher testing me for a major final wearing a huge top hat over his black horns.

I chuckled.

“This isn’t funny, Riley.”

“I know.” I dropped my hands. “Can we talk about something else for a bit?”

“Like what? Do you wish to go over the upper levels?”

“No.” I leaned my head back against the stone wall. “I need a brain break.”

His dark eyebrows furrowed. “What?”

I shook my head. “When I was at work, I had to take breaks away from the tech a few times a day. Watch a funny sitcom or read an old book. Anything to give my mind a rest and then work would go so much smoother. Right now, I feel like my head is full of cement. I need it more malleable so the information sticks. We’ve been at your drills for days.”

“All right. What do you wish to talk about?”

“I don’t know.” I shrugged. “Tell me something about yourself, about your life before the Roulex came. Maybe something funny.”

He thought for a moment. “Back home, I have a younger brother and sister. Twins. My best guess is that they’d be thirteen by now and they were full of trouble when they were toddlers. Crashing into things, causing mayhem.”

“I can imagine.” I smiled, wrapping my arms around my knees. “What were their names?”

“Jax and Ximena.”

“I bet they're amazing.”

“Sure, if you don’t have to live with them.” He smiled and his face softened. “What about you? Any siblings?”

---