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He frowned. “What are you doing?”

“You have to promise on your pinky.”

“My pinky…”

“Yes.” She rolled her eyes. “Winnie taught me. Pinky promises are supposed to be unbreakable. If you don’t follow through, the world will end, or something like that, and I’ll haunt your dreams for eternity.”

Takeshi assessed her carefully. She thought he heard him grumble, “That already happens.”

“What?”

“Nothing, Kanes.” He leaned forward and intertwined his pinky with hers. “You have a deal.”

They shook their hands up and down, and their pinkies remained locked together, much longer than necessary.

Takeshi was the first to pull away, and they retreated to the opposite sides of the cell. Khalani rested her head on the crook of her elbow.

Before closing her eyes, her gaze pivoted to Takeshi, whose legs were spread out in front of him as he leaned back against the wall. He stared at the hallway, his hooded eyes and alluring face etched in shadows.

But her gaze drifted to his hands.

His fingers absently rubbed the pinky that had held hers.

***

The next few days passed in a chaotic whirlwind.

The guards continued to push their bodies to the breaking point in the tunnels, and Dr. Strauss’ demeanor grew more irritable as he chose prisoners to take to his secretive building each morning. And every single one of them wailed the entire way.

Yesterday, Khalani could’ve sworn she heard God-awful shrieks permeate through the walls of her cell.

Or maybe they escaped from her nightmares.

She couldn’t quite tell the difference anymore.

All she could focus on was counting down the days until their breakout and avoiding eye contact with Dr. Strauss at all costs.

Two days left.

That’s all they had.

When they were given short-lived reprieves from the mines to eat, Khalani and Takeshi ate with Elise and her cryptic, barelycoherent father, because Jack didn’t want to draw too much attention to them.

Khalani’s eyes were heavy, and she fought to keep her head from drooping into the bowl as Elise rambled absently about the food she’d devour the second they made it back to Hermes.

Ifthey ever made it back to Hermes.

A strong urge tugged at her soul to share their escape plans with Elise.

Elise was the first one in camp to help them without expecting anything in return, and there was something about her that Khalani instinctivelytrusted.But she ignored her instincts and obeyed Jack’s instructions to keep their plan secret.

Ryder strolled by, heading toward the fighting area. He cocked his head to Takeshi, staring at him intently. Takeshi narrowed his gaze, his disdain clear as he murmured to Khalani, “I’ll be right back.”

He rose to his full height and joined Ryder, who spoke to him in hushed whispers.

Khalani found herself staring at the black building, a bad habit she couldn’t shake, when a group of male prisoners walked close by.

Khalani didn’t recognize them.