Page 101 of Iris' Lying Eyes

Chuckling, I lean my head against the bars. “Now who’s being stupid?”

“I know my fate, Iris. Testify or don’t, they’ll drop me eventually, and someone will be waiting. My dad. Another monster. I’ll never get away with it.”

Taken aback, I nod. It’s the way of this world, and maybe she’s not so innocent anymore.

“Do you trust them?” she asks, waving her arm around.

“I do,” I say. It’s not a lie. I just don’t think, at the end of the day, they’ll ever be able to say the same about me.

She sets my phone on the floor and hands me the key through the bars before grabbing my hand. “Don’t come back.”

“Okay,” I say heavily. I suspect my path will always lead back here, but I’ll say what I can to free the guys for now.

Outrunning these fucks will be a full-time job after that.

She squeezes my hand and backs away. When she’s at the door, I say softly, “Libby?”

She hates the nickname, which usually amuses me but not today. Facing the door, she pauses, and I say, “I have a feeling you’re never going to see a courtroom.”

Dropping her head, she whispers, “I know.”

“You should come with us.”

Shaking her head, she grabs the door jamb, and my heart thumps at the white-knuckled hold. She’s as terrified as I am. “I can’t. Go. Don’t come back.”

She’s gone before I can comment, and exhaling heavily, I bang my head against the bars. Maybe I should do more, but what? Nothing until I have resources, and I’m sorely lacking those at the moment.

Shrugging it off, I unlock my door while the guys watch me silently.

The bitchy part of me wants to make them sweat, but to what end? We have to leave before someone notices.

Time is of the essence.

Once Cyn is free, I hand him the key and step to the door while the soft clink of metal sounds behind me. Just because I’m freeing them doesn’t mean we’re buddies.

I know it’s B by his height when he looms at my back and asks, “You’ve been here before?”

Nodding, I step away from him as he says gruffly, “What’s the best way to get out without sounding an alarm?”

I contain my surprise at his inclusion of me in their plans and whisper, “The bathroom next door has a window. But there might be guards outside.”

“We’ll worry about that next,” Cyn says.

I peek my head out the door and stumble when a blood-curdling scream rents the air.

I turn to B with wide eyes.

The sound of boots follows, and Bastion pushes me forward. “Go.”

I step around the door and into the next room with my heart in my throat. The guys follow one by one until we’re crammed into the tiny space like sardines.

It would be comical if my pulse wasn’t pounding a beat of panic in my head. Jig steps past me, and I drop to my ass on the toilet as he whips back the shower curtain and grabs for the window.

Since it’s above the shower, it’s most definitely out of my reach, and once again, I contain my shock when Jig steps back and Bastion kneels in the tub, gesturing to me.

Scrabbling onto his back, I grab the sill and pull, grunting when his hands land on my ass and he helps me through the window. Unfortunately, it’s a long way down, and I tumble through the hole, hitting the damn wall on the way before landing on my face.

With a grunt, Jig follows, and then Cyn. Once I’ve gained my feet, I stare at the window, waiting for Bastion to appear.

---