Page 38 of Nuclear Option (Owens Protective Services)

He watched me curiously, leaning back in his chair. “What exactly is it you think we’re going to do?”

“I have no idea. I don’t know if you’re working for him or if you’re just in this for personal gain. And that puts me in a really hard spot. You say you’re going to keep me here, but you won’t tell me for how long or if you’ll ever let me go.”

“Ms. James, we have no intention of allowing the governor to get away with what he’s done. By the same token, this isn’t something we can just go take care of with the snap of our fingers. After all, he’s a governor, not an average citizen. There are all sorts of political repercussions from accusing a governor of working with drug dealers and using state money to fund his operation.”

What he was saying made sense. Part of me wanted to help him, but there was something dishonest in the way he looked at me. I had the feeling that if I told him anything, I would soon regret it. Whether that meant he would kill me or things would come back to bite me, I really wasn’t sure. But I was here, and it wasn’t like I had a choice. I could start by telling him what I had already told Cash. There was nothing new there, and hopefully I’d find a way out of here before I had to tell him more than that.

“Where would you like me to begin?”

“How about we start at the beginning?”

I took a deep breath, ready to divulge the information that would either set me free or keep me locked in a cage. “I was driving—”

A loud blaring sound filled the room and I instantly cringed, wishing I could cover both my ears.

“What is going on?” he asked, shoving back from his seat. He stormed over to the door and I took my chance, jumping out of my seat and pulling the metal piece from my sling. I didn’t hesitate as I ran toward him, driving the metal right into his neck before he could reach the door. He grasped at his neck as he sank to the floor, his eyes wide as he stared up at me. Blood spurted across the floor as the life slowly drained from his face.

I tore my gaze from his, unable to look at the man I just killed any longer. I peeked out the window and saw men running down the hall. What the hell was going on?

13

CASH

I lookedup from where I rested on the bench as the sirens blasted around us. I chuckled to myself, knowing the team was sending these guys into a frenzy. They had no clue what was waiting for them, but I did, and I was going to enjoy every second of this.

I pushed to my feet, stretching wide. “Well, that’s our cue. Are you up for this, New Guy?”

“Right as rum,” he answered with a grin, then frowned as he looked at the ground. “That’s not right.”

“Looks like that electric shock did more damage than you thought,” Rae retorted, walking over to her cell door.

We all stood in front of them, waiting for something to happen. Then the door to this level swung open and three guards walked inside, checking on us.

“What’s going on?” I asked.

They all held up their guns, ready to fire. “Don’t move.”

“We’re behind bars,” I said, stating the obvious.

As I stepped forward, one of them shifted. Sweat beaded on his forehead as he watched my every move. Rafe must have told him just how dangerous I was. “You know what the problem with this scenario is?” I asked him.

“I don’t see a problem.”

“That’s because you can’t see what’s really going on here. Why do you think they sent you down?”

“To guard you,” he snapped.

“Yes,” I nodded, “and why would you need to guard three people behind bars?”

His brows furrowed just as the locks on the bars disengaged and slowly started to swing open.

“Ah, I bet you weren’t expecting that,” I laughed, then kicked at the door, slamming it into his face. I grabbed the rifle from his hands, slamming it down onto his face. Rae and New Guy were out of their cells, fighting the other two guards. I slung the rifle over my shoulder and searched the guard for a key card, finding one attached to his hip.

I grabbed it and ran for the door, swiping the card through the reader. Shoving the door open, the three of us ran down the hallway, skidding to a stop at the end as a loud explosion shook the entire structure. Concrete chips and dust floated down around us as we took cover.

“Who is that?” New Guy asked.

“Our team,” I said over my shoulder, continuing down another corridor.

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