Page 75 of Captured Heart

We sit there, quietly staring at the power we now have in our grasp.

“Let’s just give it to him,” Katie suggests, breaking the loaded silence. “If we give it to him, he’ll let me go, and you can disappear. No one will ever know you were involved.”

As tempting as that sounds, I can’t go through with it. We might get out of this, but Victor will still go after her father, and I can’t let that happen. He needs to be stopped.

“If your father wanted you to do that, would he have told you to escape?”

Her expression falters, and she shakes her head.

Exactly. Kenji wouldn’t have told her to get away if he wanted Victor to have this. He knows what’s on this chip, and he knows the kind of man Victor is. Just like I do. I’ve seen enough of Victor’s atrocities to understand why Kenji would take such amassive risk. He doesn’t want Victor to go unpunished, but it doesn’t make sense that he wouldn’t have a backup plan.

“What about copies?” I ask. “Do you think your dad made other copies?”

“I don’t think so. After they broke into his office, he said something about how dangerous it is to keep anything physical. And then, about a week later, he gave me the locket for my birthday. If he had backups, he wouldn’t have kept them anywhere Victor could get to.”

“But what about encrypted drives or cloud storage?”

She bites her lip, looking worried. “I doubt it. My dad loves me, Alex. More than anything. If he had another copy, he wouldn’t let me put myself at risk. He wouldn’t have told me to escape.”

“Well, then...” I exhale a loaded breath. “If your dad wants you to escape, then that’s what you need to do.”

“But how?” Her voice cracks as that thought sinks in, her fear breaking through. “We can’t just walk out of here. What do I do?”

“I don’t know,” I admit, sounding as uncertain as her. “But your dad’s trusting you to figure it out.”

She looks around the room, the task becoming more daunting when she can’t find a single thing to help her. She exhales shakily, her eyes glassy and brimming with tears. “What if I can’t?”

I place the locket back in her hand, my fingers curling over hers. “You can. And you will.”

Our gazes lock, and it feels like the room narrows, the weight of the world pressing down on both of us. We don’t have a plan yet. But we have something now. And that’s a start.

THE SMELL OF GREASEhits me the second I step into the kitchen. Bowman’s hunched over the table, scarfing down a cheeseburger like it’s his first meal in days, a deck of cards splayed out between him and Smith. Smith, as usual, looks like he’s ready to start trouble, that smug grin plastered on his face as he lays down a winning hand.

It's almost ten p.m., the perfect time to scout the area, but I need to get out of here without anyone getting suspicious.

“Got a minute?” I ask Bowman, keeping my tone casual.

He wipes a smear of ketchup off his lip with the back of his hand and glances up. “What’s up?”

“Can you watch her for about an hour?” I hand him the key to her room. “I just need a break.”

Bowman laughs, his shoulders shaking as he shuffles the cards for another round. “Where you gonna go, huh? You’re stuck here just like the rest of us.”

“I’m gonna take the van and go for a drive.” He knows me well enough to buy it. Driving’s always been my way to blow off steam.

He pauses mid-shuffle, squinting at me. “You serious?”

“Yeah. Just an hour. This bitch is driving menuts. She keeps asking for sushi and iced coffee like this is some five-star hotel. And if she’s not demanding stupid shit, she’s crying.” I sigh, as if I’m battling to restrain my annoyance. “I just need some peace and quiet for a while.”

Bowman huffs out a laugh. “Wow, she’s a princess, alright.”

“Yeah. Can you blame me for wanting a break? Smith, keys.” I pause with my hand on the knob as I wait for him to chuck them to me. “Oh, and can you take her something to eat and a cup of coffee?”

“Another one?” Bowman asks, raising an eyebrow. “That’s the fifth time in four hours.”

“Yeah, well, it’s easier to keep her quiet that way.”

“Fine. But don’t come crying to me when she starts thinking you’re her personal room service.”

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