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“She was a wolf. She was death, devourer of the worlds.” ― Sarah J. Maas, Queen of Shadows

Gwen

Watching Dolly’s software download, one thing has become clear. She cannot allow me to leave this lab alive. After a quick prayer that Axel someday finds a woman to care for him and my daughter, I focus.

How the hell do I prevent a missile from destroying the U.S.A. when I can’t even think straight? My wrist throbs, it hurts when I inhale, and my headache has turned into a migraine.

“Can I go to the cafeteria to make a cup of coffee?” Hoping for a break in my luck, I point down the aisle between the cubes. “It’s right there.”

“Caffeine sounds perfect. I’ll come with you.” The evil bitch points her gun while sliding behind me.

Hmm . Before I create a list of next steps, I must picture a successful outcome. In addition to locating the weapons, I want DeClaire to remain imprisoned forever. Oh yeah, I would prefer to live a long, happy life with Axel and my sweet Abbie.

After I snatch a painkiller in the first aid kit, I linger over the coffee pod selection. The pills swallowed, I press the brew button, and stroll to the refrigerator. Sniffing the milk, I consider how to proceed. No doubt, secret-agent-lady employed a host of overseas programmers to upload the data dot. They also must revert the decrypted code to make the authentication compatible.

Where is the FBI? Why aren’t they stopping Dolly’s shit show? By now, my boss, Callie, should’ve locked everyone out, including me. What am I missing?

Back at my computer, the spook pulls the plastic box from her left pocket. “Take a magnified picture and send it to me.”

Crap. I can’t believe this is happening. Axel, babe, where are you? Perhaps his wound was worse than I thought. Maybe he’s in the hospital. More determined than ever to foil her plans, I pretend to have trouble using my phone. It doesn’t take long for her to notice I’m stalling.

Lips in a tight grim line, her brows furrow. “I could kill you, then do it myself.”

For some reason, she needs me alive, but why?

The progress bar on my computer screen reads 80%. Once it’s complete, some unknown bad actors will have access to the high-security code and destroy everything containing electronic components for miles.

Eureka! I know what I must do. However, I only have seconds to implement it. I blame exhaustion for not seeing it before.

A sudden loud thump near the front door causes Dolly to twist toward the unlit area of cubes. Gasping, I inhale Axel’s subtle woodsy scent—my heart races. Thank the Lord, my hubby is here.

Although I try not to show the excitement on my face, the spook senses it. “Stay here. If I see you move, I will find your daughter, then sell her as a sex slave.”

My inner Beyoncé goes ballistic. You did not just say that. Nuh-uh.

When my captor disappears behind the desks, I log into the old code base, change it, and save it. We’ll see who has the upper hand now, bitch.

The blue circle reads 85%. The countdown is running out, but I no longer care. Wait until those coders figure out what I did. They’re going to shit their pants.

Swiveling toward the footsteps, I raise my volume. “Hey, Dolly, it’s taking an awful long time to download your program. You sure your hackers know what they’re doing?”

God, I hope Axel is out there listening in.

“Shut up.” Her terse response makes me smile.

I hit a nerve. Interesting. Perhaps I can use her fear to my advantage. “ I bet whoever you hired won’t be able to pull this off. You should probably keep me around in case they fuck shit up.”

With the seed of doubt planted, I need only wait for the sprouts to grow. Hopefully, Axel has the FBI on standby. We’ll have to act fast to implement my plan.

Crossing my arms, I lean back in my chair and turn to the woman who I used to consider a friend. “Can I ask what cities you intend to destroy?”

“LA, Houston, DC, Chicago. Why? Does it matter?” As the woman steps from the dark to stand behind me, the download reads 90%.

My hands shake so badly I sit on them. “My daughter lives near here. I’d like to send her away before you set off the pulse.”

“Goodbye, Gwen.” She raises her gun.

After her shot rings out, I take a deep breath.

How long do you suppose it takes the brain to register it’s dead?