Page 63 of Bitter Arrangement

But too late. I open the door and come face to face with a middle-aged man.

He’s tall and broad. His hair’s buzzed, and he’s got on a vaguely cop-like uniform. For a beat, he seems as surprised as I am.

“RUN,” Alexan yells in my ear.

That saves me. I react before the guard does and throw myself forward. He curses and lunges, nearly grabbing me by the hair, but he just barely misses my braids as I jolt down the hall back toward the cube farm.

“STOP,” the guard yells. He hits the wall, grunts, and pounds after me.

My heart’s screaming in fear. I’ve never run so fast in my life. My muscles feel like they’re filled with acid.

“Got an intruder on the second floor heading for the east stairwell. Mack, get your fucking ass up and run!” His voice is way too close.

Alexan’s shouting in my ear. “GO, GO, GO. Don’t you dare slow down!” The car engine turns over and roars to life. “Come on, baby, you can do this!”

I fly across the cube farm. The guard’s coming behind, and he’s gaining. The asshole’s bigger and faster than I am, and he’s going to close the gap any second.

I reach the stairwell and throw myself through the door.

And nearly fall down the steps.

I manage to grab the railing. I teeter and leap, flinging myself wildly, arms careening for balance. I let out a yelp as I land hard on the opposite steps, shoulder and face slamming into the wall. The guard is right behind me, but he’s stuck coming down the steps like a normal human, while I just bypassed half of them with one suicidal leap.

I run again, right on the edge of losing control. My fingers work at the pouch at my waist, and I find a round canister. I hit the bottom of the stairwell and turn toward the outside exit just as the first-floor landing door opens.

Another guard barrels through. He’s heavier than the first one and roars at me to halt. I whirl around and blast him with the canister, spraying mace right into his face.

He screams in shock and starts coughing. His arms windmill wildly, and he nearly hits me right in the face. My mask helps dull some of the effects, but tears stream down my cheeks as I shove the exit door open and sprint into the night.

The guards are right on my ass. I sprint faster than I’ve ever gone before, arms pumping, legs feeling like pure fire, pushing at my absolute limit. My chest burns with exertion. Every inch of my body strains. Adrenaline rips through my system, and I’m at my max effort, dragging in deep breaths, fear ringing through my skin.

If they catch me, if they get me, if they grab onto my ankles and drag me back screaming and crying?—

The fence looms ahead. I risk a look back. The original guard is gaining again, looking determined.

A cold horror washes over me when I look ahead again.

I’m not going to make it.

Oh fuck. Oh my god.

It’s not going to happen.

I’ll reach the fence first, but there’s no way in hell I’ll climb up and get over the Kevlar blanket before that big asshole drags me back down.

I’m trapped.

I’m totally fucked.

Mantis is going to know we tried to break in, and that’ll put all the pieces together. I’ll be dead by morning, and so will Alexan.

I killed us. My stupid, stubborn, impulsive idiocy got us killed.

I roar, throat raw, tears streaming down my face, clawing at the air, but it’s done. We’re finished. I’m fucked.

“Stop!” the guard yells.

Then a sound like splintering metal. It’s a massive crash. I don’t have time to look over, but I flinch anyway and keep flinging myself forward. Faster, faster, toward the fence, toward an impossible freedom on the other side?—

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