Avenged (Altered #2)(6)

Go left. Nick’s voice drifted into her mind. She nodded.

Even when he wasn’t in the lead, Nick didn’t follow well.

They hurried through the halls, weaving their way until she had completely lost track of where they were going. She moved as fast as she could, as quietly as she could. A few minutes later, a shout drifted from the holding unit.

They knew.

She hazarded a glance at Nick and nodded.

We have to go faster, came his immediate thought. It’s a left ahead, then two doors on the right.

She slid around the corner, running outright, not caring how much noise they made. Her heart beat loudly in her ears and the exertion made her pant, gasping for air. She hadn’t run anywhere in months. As they pounded down the last hallway, the alarms sounded. The siren wailed and blue lights flashed from two different points in the corridor. She skidded to a stop, covering her ears.

Don’t stop. Nick grabbed her on his way by, throwing open the door to their destination, a janitor’s closet. He pushed her inside and closed the door.

“Anyone coming?” he asked, as he jumped on top of an overturned utility bucket that had been positioned in the center of the tiny space.

“They’re figuring it out.” She closed her eyes and pressed her fingers to her temples, trying to expel the ache there as she sifted through dozens of thoughts in the immediate area. “But they’re going to watch the security cameras. They’ll know where we went soon.” She dropped her hands. “We might have five minutes.”

“Then up we go.” He removed the grate that covered the duct opening above their heads, setting it aside. Hopping down, he placed his hands on her waist, preparing to hoist her up and into the vent.

She covered his hands with hers, stopping him. “Whoa. Wait.”

Above her, there was only darkness. Even here, in this tiny closet, the walls began to press in on her. She’d never experienced claustrophobia before being taken hostage, but after months of being stuck in a cell, the prospect of crawling through metal tunnels barely wide enough to fit her body…well, it wasn’t appealing.

She met Nick’s impatient gaze. “I…I can’t…” She swallowed. “I mean, it’s…” She glanced helplessly at the ceiling. Her eyes stung.

Oh goodness. She wasn’t going to cry, was she? Just when she thought nothing would make this more mortifying.

He studied her face. His thoughts were quiet, his face unreadable. Finally, he reached around her. Standing this close, he was once again pressed against her. She closed her eyes, her head dropping.

“Here. You’ll need this.” He pressed something into her hand. “This is the only way out.”

She opened her palm to find a tiny flashlight. He got it. He knew. Whatever mess was going on in her mind, he seemed to understand. Her head jerked up. But he was studying her waist again, trying to get a good grip on her jumpsuit.

Her fingers tightened around the light as if it held oxygen and she couldn’t breathe. Thanks caught on the tip of her tongue.

“When you get up there, go that way.” He pointed to the left. Then he lifted her from a bent-knee press and unceremoniously tossed her up into the opening.

Definitely too thin. Thank God I brought food.

With that, the gratitude she felt a moment ago diminished slightly.

She caught the edge of the duct and pulled herself up. Awkwardly, she shimmied the rest of the way into the cool metal tube that ran through the ceiling. She was panting by the time she reoriented onto her hands and knees. Creeping forward, she ducked her head, watching under her armpit as Nick hoist himself up and into the opening behind her.

As he rearranged his big body with more grace than she would have thought possible in such a tight space, he didn’t appear to be winded at all.

Darn him and his incredibly fit body.

That way. Past two openings on the right and then take the third.

She shifted the flashlight in her fist, pointing its narrow beam forward. It didn’t do much to illuminate their path, but it was better than crawling around in the dark.

They crept through the ductwork. Every creak and groan of the metal made her cringe. Her heart pounded loudly in her ears. They would be discovered, she was certain. She waited, barely breathing, for someone beneath them to stop and put it together. But so far, the guards below scurried around, making enough noise to conceal her and Nick’s escape.

Still, her pulse quickened every time some screech or thud they made was too loud.

They’d been going nearly fifteen minutes before a voice below stopped her.

“What do you mean that corridor doesn’t have cameras?” It had been weeks since she’d seen Dr. Fields, but his voice left her hands clammy and her stomach quivering.

His conversation with the other man, a security higher-up, was muffled by sirens and shouts from throughout the complex, but Kitty could hear it.

Lucky her.

“We have cameras in the high security wings, and we have cameras in the research and development laboratories.” Whatever security person Fields was speaking to, he didn’t like being reprimanded by the doctor. Not in the least. “There is broader surveillance throughout the remainder of the complex. But whoever did this knew where the remaining cameras were.”

“An inside job?”

“Perhaps. Or someone with very good intel.”