Total pages in book: 154
Estimated words: 148220 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 741(@200wpm)___ 593(@250wpm)___ 494(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 148220 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 741(@200wpm)___ 593(@250wpm)___ 494(@300wpm)
“You think it’s for you?” It’s not. Not all for her. “I promised Crash that I’d do this.”
And the days are going by so fucking fast, I’m running out of time to keep it.
18
I didn’t want to do this alone. But Matt isn’t back yet. And I’m out of time.
Either I kill someone tonight…or Stone dies tomorrow. Whether he manages to save me and kill Tusk doesn’t matter. If he attacks Tusk, the guards will shoot him. I might survive a rape. But Stone won’t survive a barrage of bullets.
I tried to save him once, and failed. I can’t fail again.
I won’t fail again.
But oh my god, Matt was right. All the horrible things I’ve done so far are nothing compared to psyching myself up so that I can murder a man. I’m not even sure who is on duty tonight. But I’ve got to crawl across the top of the stalls, persuade him that I’m terrified and want to lose my virginity before Tusk rapes me, then while we’re making out…slice his throat.
A part of me knows that it’s not wrong. Not right, but not wrong. In some ways, it’s no different than the men in the Cage—and I don’t blame any of them for killing someone to save their families or to survive. I’ve been tossed into a cage, and killing someone else is my only way out, the only way I can save people I care about.
So I slide out of bed around midnight and change into my nurse’s uniform, complete with stockings and heels—partly because I need to look sexy and partly because I might end up walking across the desert tonight. But I can’t stop gagging on the vomit that climbs up my throat. My hands won’t stop shaking. I don’t know how I’m going to look sexy and lure the guard in. Instead I feel like I’m dissolving into bloody chunks from the inside out.
But I can’t wait any longer.
Carefully, I clamp the handle of the scalpel between my teeth. When I’m at the control booth, I’ll hide the scalpel in my dress, but don’t dare crawl around with a razor-sharp blade against my skin.
Standing on the bed, I jump up and catch the bar overhead—and my hands are so clammy, I slide right off. I barely muffle my scream before hitting the mattress and knocking the wind from my chest.
Oh god, that hurts. Oh god.
At least I didn’t land on the scalpel. Because it would be just my luck to have another plan go to shit and accidentally stab my own face.
Trying not to laugh hysterically, I lie there until I can breathe again. This time I wipe my hands on my skirt first.
I wince as my heels click against the bars when I swing my feet up. Heart pounding, I listen for any reaction. Nothing.
As silently as I can, I wriggle my way through the bars and lie flat across them. None of the guards are walking the aisle, though ever since Lissa was killed, three are assigned to night duty instead of two. But I don’t see any of them. Light spills from the control booth and onto the opposite wall—which means the door’s open. Maybe all three of them are in there. Or maybe two are in the break room.
I hope two are in the break room. If not, I’ll be begging for a threesome.
But I bet they’re in the break room. Victor returns tomorrow. And since he’s been gone, Charlie’s been in charge. None of the other guards respect his authority as much, and the continual grumblings from the ones who didn’t go home over the holiday have sowed tension between them all since the others came back.
Crossing over to Matt’s stall is old hat by now. But as soon as I’m there, I hesitate. Soft snoring comes from up ahead.
If the fighters are all sleeping, and aren’t ready to rush the remaining two guards when I open the doors, this might all be for nothing.
One of the new guys is in the next stall, where Flack used to be. I don’t know him well. As it is, I’m a little freaked out that this plan will fall apart when I try to cross his cell. I think he’s the one I hear snoring, though. Airbag’s in the next stall after that, and I’ll be okay with him. But he’s injured, so he can’t be the one to lead the charge against the guards.
I need to get Stone’s attention. I can do that from the stall across from his. Another new guy is in there. But when I went to check on Stone’s head injury earlier tonight, the new fighter was already asleep. Hopefully he still is.
On my hands and knees, I carefully move forward. I’m just about to reach the new guy’s cell when a distant thunk freezes me in place.