She eyed the guard as he proceeded to work on Blunt’s chains. For a second, she contemplated ripping her shoe off and activating the homing beacon while the guard wasn’t looking. But her gaze met Blunt’s, and he nodded subtly.
Be patient, he says.
Alex wanted to growl and hit something. But she knew Blunt’s approach was the one that gave her a better chance at success. One misstep and the man would have her tracking device. And nothing good would come of that.
After the guard freed Blunt, he gestured down toward the food.
“You take and eat,” the guard said.
Blunt nodded and stooped down to collect his plate just before another drop soiled his food even further.
“Thank you,” Alex said as she stuffed her face. “I was hungry.”
“Is good?” the guard asked.
“Yes,” she said with her mouth half full.
Less than a minute later, she was finished. What exactly she had eaten, she wasn’t sure, nor was she interested in finding out. A paisley-colored soup that was thin and bland along with a stone-hard biscuit and a cup of water. But it didn’t matter to Alex. She was simply content to put anything in her stomach.
While Blunt scarfed down his food, the next order of business for Alex was going to the bathroom. The lack of liquids didn’t put her in emergency situation, but she had been holding her pee for longer than she wanted.
The single toilet against the wall was moldy and didn’t appear to have been cleaned in months, if not years. The pungent odor of stale piss permeated the room when she put the lid down to use the restroom.
Forcing a smile, she looked at the guard and turned to take a seat. But the guard didn’t move.
“Do you mind?” Alex said. “I have to pee.”
She gestured with her hand for him to turn around.
“I sorry. I must watch whole time. Orders from boss.”
She sighed. “Really?”
He nodded, almost apologetically.
“Fine,” she said, ripping her pants down and sitting on the toilet seat as quickly as possible, careful not to expose herself so openly.
She glanced over at Blunt, who had turned his back to her in an apparent effort to give her some privacy. Meanwhile, the guard focused all his attention on Alex. Due to the language barrier, he came across as dopey to her, but she could tell he was more creep than dolt. His gaze didn’t move off her for the entire time she was sitting down.
So much for that plan.
For a second, she contemplated leaping off the toilet and shoving the guard backward over Blunt so that the soldier would topple to the ground. But once she considered it fully, she wasn’t sure she’d have the time necessary to remove the tracker and activate it before guards descended upon the cell. And if she failed, there wasn’t going to be a second chance.
“Do you mind?” Alex said as she prepared to stand up.
The guard didn’t flinch. “No. Please.”
She rolled her eyes and shimmied her pants up as quickly as possible to prevent the pervert from seeing anything. He smiled at her.
“Thank you,” he said.
“I swear you better hope we don’t meet outside of this prison.”
“Thank you,” he said again.
She let out an exasperated breath and took one last swig of the water remaining in her cup.
“Remember what I said, Alex,” Blunt said. “Be patient.”
“I know, I know. But I really just want to go ballistic up against the side of this guy’s head.”
“So do I, but we can’t—at least, not right now. Just stay the course.”
The guard glanced at the chains and then back at Alex. She knew what to do. She set the clamp over her wrists and held them up for the guard so he could lock them down. Once the bindings clicked into place, she watched him reattach the chains on Blunt.
I guess this idea is officially tabled for now.
“You need anything?” the guard asked as he moved to the doorway.
“A bigger portion of food and then a map on how to get out of this place.”
The guard smiled. “Tomorrow?”
“Okay,” Alex said, surprised that he even responded, though she was certain he was just going through the routine of asking questions he was trained to ask.
Then the guard did something that surprised her even more: he spoke in perfect English.
“I’m not sure what you are planning, but I suggest you reconsider. Fighting against anything Karif Fazil wants to do is pointless and will only mean a more painful death for you in the end.” He pointed to the camera in the corner of the room. “We will be watching you.”
Alex glared at him. Any warm feelings she’d had toward him vanished the instant he stopped talking. He was creepy and sneaky, which was a repulsive combination to her. His act had fooled Alex and embarrassed her.
The guard placed Blunt back in his chains before collecting the tray and the empty dishes. He whistled as he moved everything outside and locked the door.
“Sweet dreams,” he said before walking down the hall.
After the door shut behind the guard at the end of the hallway, Blunt spoke.
“If it makes you feel any better, Alex, I didn’t see that coming either. We both got duped, I’m afraid.”
“At least we didn’t directly reference the thing.”
“Of course not. I wouldn’t do that, and I hope you wouldn’t either. For all we know, they’re watching and listening to us right now.”
“He made a specific point to say they would be watching us,” Alex said. “He was very particular about all his word choices, so it makes me think that they can only see us.”
“If that’s the case, you’ll have to be discreet,” Blunt said. “But I’m still wondering how you’re going to execute everything.”
“I’ll figure something out.”
Alex spent the next half hour studying the room and thinking up a way to get her shoe off her foot, inch it up to her hands, and remove the device and activate it—all without drawing the
