Page 8 of Omega Alliance

And the sadistic idiots fall like dominoes. Almost too easy, which makes me a touch suspicious. I'll have to remain alert.

I pivot back to Sin, who hasn’t moved an inch since receiving Dani's command to run. Her eyes are wide and her dress is bunched at her feet, her trembling hands clearly conveying her fear of this situation. Of me.

I want to speak, to assure her that I’m here to help, but that's not part of the plan. I attempt to convey some encouragement with my eyes, but just as her gaze lifts to meet mine, the lights cut out and the door behind me slides open with a soft pop.

That means Sin's door has opened too. Means it's time for her to run.

And it’s time for me to follow.

four

SIN

The background hum of the cameras and other ubiquitous whirring sounds fall silent so abruptly it feels as though I've been sucked through a black hole. Darkness fills the room, enveloping me in its cold embrace.

"Sin! Sin, are you still with me?" Dani's voice cuts through the quiet, and I grope about until I have the blue dress in my hands.

"I'm here," I say, but my voice sounds unfamiliar even to my own ears.

"We're going to get you out of there. Just follow my directions precisely,” she hisses.

"And quickly," a male voice adds, causing me to shiver. "We don't have much time."

"I have Jax with me.” It’s Dani’s voice again. “He's the one who made your dress, and I need you to take that dress right now and put it back on. Can you do that for me, Sin?"

I nod, but then realize she can't see me. Nobody can. The cameras are off, and the room is dark. In this small way, I am already free.

"Yes," I manage to say aloud as I pull the scratchy garment back over my head, and then, "Okay."

"The skirt has two layers. Rip the outer layer and use it to cover your head," Jax instructs. "Pull the sleeves down over your hands too. We want you completely covered."

I set to work on that while Dani explains, "The fabric of that dress will prevent you from being recorded now that we’ve activated that feature. It will dampen the sound of your movements as well. We want to keep you safe and undetected just in case the lights come back on before you’re able to gain clearance."

"It also allows us to track you while you make your way through the complex,” the male voice adds. Jax.

But why is he talking about a complex? I thought I just lived in a house. They would know better than me, I suppose, and I know better than to ask questions when I should be running.

"All set," I say once I'm certain I have all of my skin shielded by the ripped-up gown.

"Okay, from now on, just listen to us. Don't speak. We need to get you out of there quickly and quietly," Dani says. "The door should have unlocked when the lights cut. Push it open. Once you're in the hall, move left."

"We have a man on the inside in case you run into trouble, but we're hoping it won't come to that. Another is waiting just outside, and Dani and I will be with you on the comms the whole way," Jax assures me.

I know he’s helping me, but still I cringe each time I hear his voice instead of Dani's. For years, my only contact with the male sex has been in that glass room. The deep timber of their words always brings shame, fear.

But if Dani trusts him, then so can I.

"You're nearing the end of the hallway," Dani announces. “Once there, you need to turn left."

I keep moving swiftly, trailing my fingers along the wall, both for balance and to guide me. This path I know. I've taken it a million times to get to and from the private meeting room. But normally I'd turn right to go back to my quarters.

Not this time.

I reach the fork that Dani identified for me and turn sharply to the left. Many times I've wondered what lay down this way, but I've never been brave enough to check it out. Someone was always watching, waiting for me to screw up.

My handlers can't be far. Nor can the directors. They must have rushed toward the glass room to collect me the moment the lights went out.

"Feel along the right wall for a door. It should be the only one you find before reaching another dead end," Dani instructs in a hurry.

---