She started to fake cry.
“Don’t cry. It will be ok, you’ll see. I’ll tell them you had nothing to do with it. Maybe they’ll let you go.”
They should be back soon. I nodded toward her. Be ready.
Panic played across her face. I guess she realized that if they couldn’t get me to tell them where the drive was, they’d try to use her against me. It must not have been a very appealing idea to her.
I looked at her. Really looked at her. I couldn’t see any signs of physical punishment.
Hurt you? You okay? I blinked.
Fine. She rubbed her left arm.
They had hurt her. I would have to make them pay. I looked up at the ceiling and saw the hole that Summer had been talking about. It was near the far wall of the cell, which worked to my advantage. The cameras most likely wouldn’t be able to see me. I had to get that thing plugged up. I took off one of my shoes and then a sock. I blinked out a plea for Summer to do something at the bars to distract anyone looking at the camera feeds just in case there was another camera that could see something. She took hold of the bars and started pulling and moaning. I wondered if she’d done that earlier.
I moved to the back corner of the cell and took a step-step-leap and reached for the hole. I missed. I tried again. Another miss. On the third try, the sock stuck in the hole. I jumped again and pushed it in further. That would give us a few extra, precious seconds. I slid my shoe back on. I took hold of the bars and screamed for them to let me out while Summer removed her own sock and plugged the pipe in her cell. She was taller than I was and was able to get the sock in the hole on her first try. She gave me a smug look. Even in grave danger, she had to screw with me.
Immediately after she got the sock in there, I heard the latch lift on the door to the prison from the garage. I repositioned the gun, pretending to scratch my back. This was it. I glanced at Summer to let her know it was on.
I heard footfalls coming toward me. “Look, I have no idea what you’re talking about. That kid wasn’t my accomplice, he really stole my bag. It’s him you want to find.” I had both hands on the bars and pushed my face between them.
“It’s a nice try,” Adolphe said, the six-inch serrated knife in his bulky hand. “But we know you’re the mastermind of this little gang. Just tell us what you did with the drive, and all this will go away.”
I stepped back, jerking my hands behind me. One hand cradled the handle of the gun.
“Come on,” I spoke with a thick Portuguese accent. “You’ve got it all wrong. I have no idea where that drive is.” At least that much was true.
“Eva, this is your last chance. I want us to play nice. I think we could get along very well, you and I.” He flicked his tongue out at me.
I couldn’t help but gag.
He laughed out loud, sharp and awful. “All right, if you want to play it that way. I suppose I’ll just have to come in there and be a little more encouraging.” He started to move toward my cell. I tensed, but didn’t pull out the gun just yet. I needed him to open my cell first. He stopped short. “Of course, you do seem to be a bit of a hero type. You’d put up quite the fight, wouldn’t you? Yes, I can tell that about you.” He took a step back. “I think I’ll start with your friend instead. Once you see what happens to her, I think you’ll be much more willing to chat with me.”
Summer shifted to the back of her cell.
He tilted his head to the side and then raised his eyebrows. He looked toward Summer and then back to me. It wasn’t supposed to happen this way. He had to come into my cell.
I’d never forgive myself if he hurt Summer. Josh’s square face flashed through my mind. He’d died because of me. Because of what I’d seen. I couldn’t be quasi-responsible for Summer’s death, too. Summer had been right. I did put others in jeopardy. I had been such a fool. I had to save Summer.
I had to keep reminding myself that Summer was a trained agent and was sure to have driven them mad when they took her. They were probably ruing the day they chose to kidnap her. Such thoughts were the only way to soothe myself and not fall into a pit of despair. I focused on the task at hand. I had to get him to come in my cell.
Adolphe turned, about to take a step toward her, and this loud voice seemed to speak to me in my head, “Get the keys.”
I didn’t hesitate, just lunged forward, sliding my hand expertly through the bars and, in my best pickpocket fashion, I relieved him of the keys that were in his back pocket. My hand brushed his cotton button-up shirt as he shifted right toward Summer’s cell. He spun back to me.
I did two things at once, faster than I’d thought possible. I palmed the keys into my back pocket and screamed, “No!” then moved my body to make it look like I’d just flung myself at the bars.
He reached for my right hand. I flung it open before pulling it back. It had to register that my hand was empty. I did the same with my left hand. The whole thing deceived him into re-thinking what he thought he’d felt. His eyes told him there was no way I had touched him.
He glanced at his side.
I now had two options for escape.
He narrowed
