Page 65 of One Step Sideways

“No big deal. I’ve had much worse.”

Unfortunately, with what Danny had endured, that might be true. I knew what it cost Danny to walk and I went as slowly as I dared. We shot each other a look when we saw both security gates were open. I’d expected the others, but to the enhanced cells

“Good,” he said. “My card lets me exit but entry is only possible by standing by the door and having the guys on the cameras see you and let you through.”

“Can it be overridden?”Had I gotten the term correct?

Danny smiled despite the pain so I guessed I must have. “It must have been. Lockdown procedure means exactly that. No opening.”

“But we saw how many people were watching the cameras,” I pointed out. Just where the fuck was everyone?

I looked up after glancing once more at Danny as we got to my cell and I scanned the area. Then I saw something and stiffened. There was a cell five down from mine with one of the enhanced I didn’t recognize simply standing at the entrance, his hand on the door.

There were also about eight bodies littering the ground in front of the cell. As far as I could tell, they were all prisoners from the other side. Behind him were all the enhanced kids I knew, plus fucking O’Connell of all people.

“Get behind me,” I ordered, considering picking Danny up and hauling ass.

“What is it?” But then he stepped to the side of me and saw the enhanced. He couldn’t see inside the cell, obviously. Danny smiled, even as exhaustion made him wobble a little and I took his arm. Fuck it. I would kill them all.

“It’s Callum, right? My name’s Danny. I’m the new medic. Are you okay?”

Callum looked behind him and Cherry stood up nodding vigorously, so Callum beckoned us forward. Danny stumbled as moved and I’d seen enough and simply picked him up, striding forward. “Don’t touch him,” Danny whispered, but Callum stepped well out of the way as we drew near. I glanced at the bodies on the ground—all inmates—and looked at Mark for some kind of explanation.

“Don’t touch Callum,” Mark warned. “They were trying to kill us, and he just fried them.”

My eyebrows rose and I eyed Callum. “Good job,” and I saw his cheeks pink. I drew level with the door and walked in. Cherry and Blaze made a space for Danny to lie down on the bed and very gently I lowered him.

Cherry and Blaze clustered around him asking questions. I went to the door to speak to Callum and gave him a quick rundown, making sure everyone couldhear. “Have you seen any other C.O.s?” I meant Ringo but didn’t want to blow his cover.

“There was one who opened our cells,” Mark said. “He said his name was Ringo, but he went looking for a new guy called Shae.”

I nodded. Made sense. “Wish we had a cell phone,” I joked.

“You have one, in a way,” Mark said and stood up.

I didn’t think there was much that could surprise me, but his quiet confidence did. “Meaning?”

“I know it was you saying my name earlier, so you know I can hear pretty good. It doesn’t make any difference whispering, either, once I can pinpoint you, but I have to be careful.”

“So you know who I am.” I said quietly, knowing he’d heard everything, and I caught O’Connell sitting up straighter. Shit. I didn’t need him to hear this. “Let’s step outside.”

We moved past Callum, who was standing sentry, and a little way down nearer the next cell. “If you tell me a name I can talk to them.”

“You canwhat?” I said, because that made no sense. Zero. But then, neither did my vision.

“I can talk to them. No one knows.”

Taking him at his word, I thought. “Diesel Rawlings.”

Mark frowned. “There’s…eleven of them.”

“He’s a Ranger. He served with Danny Sullivan and Gray—” What the hell was his last name?

“Got him,” Mark said and closed his eyes and whispered. “Diesel Rawlings. I have a message for you from Kane—” He opened his eyes.

“Diaz.”

“Kane Diaz,” he confirmed.

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