Lanie Running with two babies strapped to my chest and feet four sizes bigger than | was used to was harder than Iâd thought it would be. | caught myself as | stumbled, muttering a curse, and my heart pounded at the thought of what would happen if | dropped the twins.
My shoulder hit the wall, and | spun in a half-circle. Alaina shifted against my chest, letting out a mu ffled yelp.
âShh, shh,â | soothed. If she started crying, this was going to get that much harder.
Light shone into the corridor that didnât look like it came from overhead fluorescents, and when | turned the corner, | let out a small yelp of my own at the sight of a door to the outside. | mumbled more thanks to all the g ods above. Nobody was standing guard. | ran for it. | was never going to make it through the front door without getting caught.
| wasnât going to get out this door, either.
Just as | passed one of the many closed doors lining the corridor, one flew open. A guard came out, looking as startled as | felt when | screamed. Philipsâs mouth let out a high-pitched and shrill shriek that would've had me busting into hysterical laughter under any other circumstances.
The guard reeled back for a moment before getting himself under control. âThe f uck?â
âOut of my way!â | shouted with as much authority as | could. âThereâs been a breach in security! You gotta get...f uck!â
| kicked the door shut in his face. From behind it came a shout, but | didnât stop. | kept running toward thé door, and freedom. Behind me, | heard half a dozen voices and the heavy clomp of boots as more guards spilled out of the doorway. Shouting like thunder. The floor, rumbling.
âThey found me,â | sent to Zane. âWhere are you? | need you!â
| did my best to send him a m ental picture of where I'd be exiting the building, but | couldnât tell if he would understand. Against my chest, the babies screamed and wriggled in the sling. My arms ached from holding them both up, my shoulder hurt from hitting it against the wall, and | was only steps ahead of the other guards.
âPhilips, what the f uck are you doing?â
âBreach!â | shouted over my shoulder. âThe coup! They're coming! You need to get to the armory!â
| had no f ucking clue what | was saying, but the raised voices told me they were all confused. When | was just a few feet from the door, alarms started drowning out the screaming infants.
My heart seized. Sheer terror threatened to overtake me, but there was no way | was going to let any one of those mot herf u ckers catch me and take away the twins again. Iâd fight them all to death if | had to.
| didnât have time to think about that feeling, because the guards behind me weren't going to stop. Wheezing, doing my best to haul Philipsâs big body, | kept heading for that door.
âZane, please! Iâm almost to the door! Where are you?â
â...edge of the fence...cut a hole...â
His voice broke up but gave me fresh determination. flew out the door, banging it open so hard it bounced off the wall and came back, almost knocking me over, | sta ggered, holding the babies tight with one arm while the other grabbed the railing to the short flight of concrete steps.
From behind me, a voice shouted, âNo, idiot! Donât shoot him! heâs got those kids with him!â
| didnât dare close my eyes, even though | wanted to freeze, tense with expecting to feel a bullet between my shoulder blades. | leaped off the steps, hitting the pavement beyond and rolling my ankle. | went to one knee, shredding Philipsâs uniform pants, but | kept the babies safe against me.
I could see the fence in the distance. There were a few vehicles between me and it. The alarms blared.
Other doors were opening with more guards appearing.
I All | could do was run as fast as | could. My legs pumped. My breath seared my throat, sharp as thorns, and | was sure my next step would be my last.
| had to keep my feet. Had to keep running. | had to make it to that fence.
â| see you!â Zane said through the mind link. âKeep coming, love! Iâm here!â
âThey're right behind me! Theyâre going to catch us!â
More than words came through the link. Zaneâs strength, his love, support and confidence in me all urged me to run faster. |
could see the hole in the fence, a familiar shape just beyond. Searchlights swept the area as | reached the chain links, and Zaneâs strong hands grabbed me by the front of Philipsâs jacket. He pulled me through.
Wheezing and gasping, | almost fell, but he caught me. He would always catch me, | thought a little deliriously as Zane stepped between me and the fence.
He held up a leather pouch and tugged open the top. He pulled out a handful of dust and blew it into the air all around us.
The babies went instantly, eerily silent.
Everything. | realized, was quiet.
âWhat the f uck?â | managed to say as four guards made it to the fence and pushed through the hole...and kept on running right past us as though we didnât even exist.