Page 77 of Diamond in the Rough

“They won’t be able to trace it back to me?” Keiron asked.

“The second bookcase is in the camera’s blind spot,” Gavin said. “Frank just needs to distract the guards. They’re not gonna be able to prove who it was, and we all know they’ll blame me first.”

Maddox turned to Gavin. “But you’ll be in here.”

He pouted. “Sucks.”

“If it’s big enough, I’m sure you’ll get to see your handiwork.”

Gavin grinned. “It’ll be big enough. Some of the books will go off like fireworks.”

“What?”

“Call it creative expression. I had some powders smuggled in for a special occasion, was gonna wait for bonfire night, but what the hell?”

“The idea is they can’t link it back to you.”

Gavin shrugged. “They’ll burn too fast to leave any evidence. You asked for big and smoky, and I’ll deliver.”

“I hope so.”

Keiron waved his hand for Maddox’s attention. “So me and Frank get out of there, go back to the wing, then what?”

“Don’t look all panicked like that for a start. Act normal. The fire takes hold, and the guards perform protocol 101.”

“And we create chaos,” Gavin whispered.

Maddox nodded. “We need to stall enough for the wing to fill with smoke.”

“Then they’ll get us all out in the yard, try to count us up,” Frank said.

Maddox flared his nostrils. “You need to make it impossible. They can’t know I’m missing. This all relies on panic, fear—”

“And stupidity,” Ernie added. He hobbled closer and heaved two oxygen tanks onto the table.

“You got it.”

“I told them I was almost out.” Ernie eased himself into his chair and winced. “When you said you needed a tank, I thought you were going for a bomb.”

“A bomb would get me through a few gates, not all of them.”

“This plan, Maddox…if it goes wrong…”

“It’s not going to.”

“But if it does, you’ll die.”

“It’s a risk I’m willing to take, and for the first time in weeks, I’m actually feeling good about something.” Maddox looked at each of them, then grinned.

“Now that, that’s a nice smile,” Frank whispered.

“Ready?” Maddox asked.

Keiron pulled the book towards him. “As I’ll ever be.”

“Good luck.”

Keiron took the book and placed it on top of the trolley.

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