“Do I need a reason?” she countered, sounding annoyed. “Now get your hybrid butt moving, unless you like it here?”
I ignored her sharp tongue and the need to lash back. “I don’t understand.” Why the hell was I arguing? Just go with it, a part of me said. The other part didn’t trust Emma. She was more likely to stab me in the back than rescue me.
She huffed. “Look mutant. I don’t have time for this. We only have one shot here, and we are losing precious time arguing. Later we can play the fifty questions game, after we get out of here. Capiche?”
I nodded, tongue-tied and in shock.
I was afraid to believe this was real and not another trick. “You better not be shitting me,” I warned, finding my tongue. It never left me for long.
She had her head out the door peering down the hallway. Looking over her shoulder at me, she placed a finger on her lips, signally that I should shut my trap.
Done.
With my breath held, I wiped my sweaty palms on my dingy jeans and waited for her next move, not knowing what it would be. I half expected her dad to coming charging into the room and yell gotcha. So when she stepped outside the door and motioned for me to go, I was swarmed with relief.
“Move your ass!” Emma demanded, with no lost love, or sympathy for that matter. I got the message loud and clear. It just wasn’t my butt on the line. It was hers as well. She was after all going behind her wacked-out-of-his-mind father’s back and helping me escape this hellhole.
I screwed up my face at her. “You are the worst rescuer ever,” I muttered. I tried to keep reminding myself that she was sticking her neck out, risking being beheaded, but her attitude was making it difficult.
Though really, I shouldn’t talk.
My boldness was quickly replaced with fear. I was so scared, I thought I would hurl. It didn’t help that I was weak, malnourished and running on pure adrenaline. I was surviving on a thin thread of hope and seeing Chase’s striking face one more time. He was gorgeous in a way that made girl’s do stupid things. After that I didn’t care what happened, actually I was pretty sure I would crumble at his feet and hit the ground like a dead horse.
Letting Emma take the led, I ran behind her. We barreled through a set of double doors at the end of one hallway only to open up to another endless corridor. Racing for my freedom never looked so far away. I ran like I was running for the last copy of Black Ops III.
She often glanced over her shoulder to make sure I was still there. My heart pounded in my ears, and my breathing was ragged with excursion. This was the most exercised I’d had in days and my body wasn’t up to par, but I pushed on. There was no other choice, yet that didn’t mean I did so gracefully.
Stumbling, my knees hit the concrete as I face planted the floor.
Shit. Shit. Shit.
The pain radiated through my entire body, stinging my eyes. It knocked the wind out of me for a few prolonged seconds, making it hard to inhale and exhale. A pair of strong, sturdy arms lifted me to my feet. Emma kept an arm under me, supporting most of my weight. I leaned heavily on her. “Thanks,” I said winded.
Her eyes caught mine. “You can thank me after I get us out of here. You okay?”
I nodded, feeling our window of opportunity swiftly closing behind us.
Without wasting anymore time, we took off together down the maze of never ending hallways. Since this was the first time I’d really been out of my room, I noticed how huge this place was. Some kind of headquarters was my guess. There were what looked to be offices and more closed doors that I was afraid to ask what was behind them.
When we reached yet another set of doors, Emma punched in a code and kicked it opened. I didn’t really want to admit it, but Emma was sort of kickass.
Blinded by sunlight, I squinted, trying to clear my vision unsuccessfully. Somehow I’d expected it to be after midnight, not in the middle of the day. A brisk wind tore through the air as I took my first steps outside. Shaking inside and out, the breeze rushed over my cheeks and the clean air burned my nose, in a good way. My eyes strained against such brightness and white orbs shined behind my eyes.
I didn’t get to enjoy my first seconds of freedom long. Emma was right there nagging me relentlessly in her pushy voice. “Hurry. We need to bust ass. We aren’t home free yet princess.”
It was unbelievable how she had the ability to rile me even as she was helping me – an uncanny talent. Wobbling as fast as possible across the parking lot, I winced with each step, my bruised and battered knees screaming at me. I sighed in sweet relief when a few short feet later we turned the corner of the white brick building and stopped.
I stared our getaway, the same midnight blue SUV that had tried to run Lexi and me off the road. I gave a short laugh. Of course. What irony.
“I don’t know what you find so hilarious, but I swear if you are losing your mind now, I’ll smack you,” Emma growled.