Page 65

M atias leaned over the cliff, took my forearm, and pulled me up over the edge. Once I was up, he drew me into a quick embrace.

“I’m so happy you’re okay.” It was quick, just a whisper in my ear.

I gave him a weak smile, my heart still racing from the exhilaration of it all as I took solace in his warmth.

My eyes shifted, and then I saw Wes. He’d already taken off his goggles, revealing a frown and pained expression.

I hastily pulled away from Matias, clearing my throat as Wes gave me his back.

I blew out a breath as I peeled my goggles off and took in the Bellfire Tower.

It was a massive, concrete structure, easily ten stories high.

A tall cylinder with a gigantic light at the very top that glowed yellow and orange, like a colossal torch burning in the night, and suddenly I understood why it was called the Bellfire Tower.

For as big as the building was, it had few windows, but huge flood lights lit the surrounding grounds like a prison yard, which made total sense given that it was, in fact, a prison.

A chain-link fence encased the entire property, rising twelve feet from the ground with a nasty coil of razor wire at the top, effectively keeping unwanted visitors out and unruly inmates in.

Thankfully, whoever designed the place didn’t think to light up the measly patch of dirt on the ocean-side of the fence, leaving us under the cover of darkness.

We still had to hurry. There was nothing to hide behind, and despite the darkness, we were still sitting ducks.

Jim pulled out his wire cutters and began snipping the links in the fence one by one, while Wes looked at his tab and began tapping the screen.

“Target’s located in Cellblock C on the fifth floor,” Wes reminded us.

“The service entrance we need is on the west side of the tower. As soon as Harper’s finished cutting this open, we need to hustle across the yard to the building.

From there, we’re heading west to service entrance F28.

Once inside, we’ll use the stairs to get up to the fifth floor.

Stay low and stay quiet. Minimize verbal communication. ”

I watched as Wes gave off his orders, watched the serious lines of his face, the fluctuations of his lips, and the molten gold of his hazel eyes.

I wanted so badly to kiss him. Just one last kiss before we ran into this nightmare, before I disappeared forever.

But I shook my head, pushing the desire to hold him one last time deep within me.

And then I nodded as Wes gave his final orders.

“We’re in,” Jim said, pulling back the fencing to create a hole. He slipped through it.

“Move out,” Wes whispered, and then ducked through after Jim.

Matias went next, and then I turned to face Blondie who simply raised a manicured brow and said, “After you, Telvian.”

With a deep breath, I unclipped my stunner on my hip, raised the weapon, and slipped through the chain-link.

Keeping my knees bent and stunner ready, I hustled across the exposed yard, catching up to the others.

All three men were lined up, backs pressed against the wall, staying in the shadows as much as possible.

I came up next to Matias, who looked at me and winked, effectively placing another smile on my face.

Once Blondie joined us, Wes took the lead, followed by Matias, Jim, myself, and Calista. We took careful, rushed steps, following the wall as it curved along, passing several doors as we went.

F50…

F49…

F48…

How insanely big was this building? How many service entrances did a damn prison need?

F41…

F40…

F39…

F38…

“Jesus,” I heard Blondie mutter under her breath. I didn’t blame her. We were damn lucky that we hadn’t run into a guard yet. And every second that passed was an increased risk that we were going to find ourselves some company.

F32…

F31…

F30…

Oh god, please let this be easy.

F29…

F28…

Wes halted us, turning to face the door and a black device installed on the wall next to the handle.

Jim pulled forward, getting on the other side of Wes to serve as the lookout while he examined the key fob for a few seconds before swinging his bag around, opening it, and then pulling out a device that looked like a small tablet.

He pulled out a keycard that was attached to a coiled wire.

Grabbing the loose end of the wire, he connected it to his tablet, and then shoved the keycard into the key fob.

I looked around, making sure no one was coming behind us while my heart pattered in my chest.

“Shit,” Wes grumbled.

“What’s wrong?” Matias muttered.

Wes remained quiet, typing into the tablet again. No sooner he was done, the fob blinked yellow twice, and then it blinked red. “Fuck,” he whisper-yelled. “It’s not taking the damn code.”

“Are you serious?” Calista grumbled behind me.

“Try it again,” Jim whispered over his shoulder.

Wes gritted his teeth, typing into the tablet a third time. The black device blinked yellow twice, and then it blinked red. “Shit,” Wes growled through gritted teeth as he smacked the fob hard.

This was definitely not good. “Is it possible that we’re at the wrong service entrance?” I whispered.

Wes mumbled a few more choice words, ignoring my question.

“Incoming,” Jim whispered-yelled.

A guard rounded the building, and no sooner than he did he was pulling out his weapon to fire as he lifted a radio to his lips.

But before he could utter a single word, Jim fired his stunner, and the man dropped to the ground.

Matias ran forward into the light, and Jim followed him while I stepped forward to serve as lookout, aiming my stunner high, ready to fire at the first sign of trouble.

Matias bent down on the left side of the guard, grabbing the fabric on the man’s left shoulder while Jim grabbed the right.

Together, they pulled his body out of the light and into the shadows where we were.

Matias quickly searched his body, rummaging through pockets until he pulled out a keycard.

“See if this one works,” he said as he handed it to Wes.

Wes snagged it from Matias’s hand, reached forward, and flashed the card at the fob. The black box blinked yellow twice, and then it blinked green.

“Bingo,” Jim uttered, a sly smile consuming his lips. “Time to enter the belly of the beast.”