Chapter 21
ALEX
Alex paced the floor of his cell, his fingers rubbing the tiny piece of metal that he’d used to wreak havoc on the last laptop.
His heart raced, each beat a reminder of the urgency to escape.
Seeing Ava earlier had only sent him spiraling further into a panic.
Her determined face haunted him, and he worried that, despite her resolve, she’d give in to Sebastian to save him.
His fingers curled and uncurled into fists. “I’ve got to get back to you, Ava. I can’t let that happen.” He spun on his heel, shaking his head. The walls seemed to close in on him, the oppressive silence amplifying his desperation. “But how?”
He collapsed into the chair, sinking his head into his hands. The metal was cold and unyielding, much like his current situation. After two failed escape attempts, could he ever get away from this place?
His fingers found the small piece of metal in his pocket again, and he removed it, staring at it again.
He pressed his fingers against the top, wincing as it cut his skin. He cursed under his breath. “Ouch.”
Before he pressed his injured fingertip to his lips, he stared at the droplet of blood. Could he somehow use this to get out of his cell?
It would have to be in a worse place than his finger. He tugged up his t-shirt and stared at his abdomen. Could he pierce his skin there and get medical attention? His stomach churned at the thought, a cold sweat breaking out across his forehead.
He wrapped his fingers tightly around the metal piece and pressed the tip against his flesh. His features twisted into a deep grimace as the cold metal touched him. His breathing turned ragged, the room spinning around him as he steeled himself.
With a sigh, he tossed the metal on the table. “I can’t do it.”
He hung his head low as he shook it, trying to come up with another plan that didn’t involve piercing his side with a pointy piece of bed spring.
The lock clanked again, and he scrambled to stand while retrieving the small tool and shoving it into his pocket. He may not be able to shove it into his own side but maybe he could use it as a weapon against someone else.
Miranda strode inside, her features unimpressed as she carried the open laptop that he’d broken and tossed it onto the table. “What did you do to it?”
“Nothing!” Alex shouted. “I can’t help it you bought junk. You ought to know better, Miranda. You know the quality checks we have at StoneCorp.”
She rolled her eyes at him. “You broke it on purpose to try to stall.”
“Why would I break it on purpose? And also, how? Look at the crack in the screen. How did I get it like that? If I smashed it onto the side of the desk, it wouldn’t have splintered like that.”
“I don’t know how, but you did something to it on purpose. If you think Ava is going to save you, she’s not. Okay? I know what Sebastian said but you’re ours now. We’re not letting you go no matter what happens with Ava.”
Alex scoffed, leaning back in his chair, a smirk playing on his lips. “Funny, I think the people you sold your soul to are pretty rich, too.”
“Shut up, Alex.” She glared at him.
“In fact, I can’t understand why in the world you’re working for them. Sebastian seems…way worse than me if I can say so myself.”
“You can’t say so. You have no idea—”
“That Sebastian is obviously worse than me? I kind of have an idea. I mean, his behavior at the ball gone bad was really…crazy. He acts like he owns the entire world. And the way he treats you…” Alex scoffed. “Well, you’re definitely his underling, that’s for sure.”
Her nostrils flared, and Alex’s smirk widened.
“Do you know what’s really weird, though?
The really weird bit is that he is super into Ava.
I can tell because I’m also super into Ava.
Oh, you know what else? Chris was into her, too.
Wow, it’s like every guy around you loves Ava.
No matter which way this plays out, Ava is going to be a presence in your life—probably in a rank over you. Gosh, that’s got to burn.”
“You’re really not earning any brownie points right now.”
Alex winced. “No? Well, I’d save the brownie points for sucking up to Ava because…I think you’re going to need it.”
She snatched the broken laptop from the table and tucked it under her arm. “I’ll get you a new laptop, and I expect results.”
“Could you make sure this one has some sort of connectivity? And while you’re at it, transfer the hard drive so I don’t have to start over again?”
“You shouldn’t have broken your laptop if you wanted favors.”
“Well, I could start over, and we’ll be set back a week.”
“You’ll be set back a week. You’ll have to make up the time somehow. Maybe less sleep.” Miranda pulled the door open and hovered in the doorway. “It’s not my problem, Alex. Your deadline remains unchanged.”
His stomach tied into a knot as she stepped into the hall and slammed the door shut behind her. He startled as it echoed off the walls of the tiny cell.
He sucked in a deep breath, scuffing his shoe off the floor. His attempt at creating a scenario to help him had backfired in his face. He’d now have to redo everything he’d done before, and he’d yet to get a new laptop to even attempt contact with the outside world.
Running a shaky hand through his hair, he paced the floor again, his thoughts returning to Ava.
“Oh, Avs, as much as I loved shoving Miranda’s face into how wanted you are, I hate it. Please don’t agree to anything with Sebastian. I’m trying to work on a plan here.”
His mind whirled, spinning in a thousand directions at once. Had Sebastian let Ava go or was she being held captive? Would she break out and try to save him?
Would he get a new laptop, and could he use it to reach out?
He slapped a palm against his forehead before the door opened again. A guard trudged in and tossed a laptop onto the desk. “Boss said to deliver that. She wants you to be caught up by tomorrow.”
“By tomorrow? No, wait, I can’t do that.”
The guard shrugged. “Not my problem. Talk to Ms. Vale tomorrow.”
The man left him behind, slamming the door closed behind him. With a curse under his breath, he slumped into the chair and tugged the machine closer.
“Come on, baby, give me something to work with.”
His finger traced the trackpad as he searched for options to connect to the outside world. With a shake of his head, he found nothing obvious.
He wrote a quick piece of code designed to search for any way to access the internet. He shook his head as he realized this laptop had fewer features than the last one.
“You’ve got to be kidding me. How am I supposed to do anything with this piece of junk?”
He let his head fall into his hands before he shook his head.
He needed to make some sort of progress on the program if he had any chance of staying alive until he could find a solution.
With a deep breath, he set his fingers on the keyboard and rewrote the code he lost from breaking the laptop.
He rushed to rewrite much of the code before he switched over to recreate the secret program designed to reach Ava.
He finished that program before returning to the other, staring at the screen rather than working as his original doubts resurfaced. He couldn’t let The Board have a program this dangerous.
With a groan, he let his head slam onto the table. He lifted his head and scrubbed his face before he removed the metal piece from his pocket again and stared at it.
“I’m going to have to do it.”
He chewed his lower lip as he worked up to it. With his eyes squeezed closed, he pressed the point against his abdomen again.
He pressed his lips together, a muffled groan escaping him as he pushed the metal into his skin. He gripped the edge of the table as he shoved it as far as he thought was safe.
With a whimper, he sucked in several breaths before he closed his laptop and rose with the metal still stuck in his side. After easing onto the cot, he let out the scream he’d been holding back.
“Help! HELP!”
The effort to scream made his side ache more.
The door swung open, and the guard, his weapon drawn, raced inside. “What’s your problem now?”
“I went to lie down and got stabbed!” Alex poked a finger at the metal in his side. “I need medical attention.”
The guard growled under his breath. “Wait here.”
The door closed again, and Alex waited, his heart in his throat to see if his plan would work.
After what felt like an eternity, the door opened again and the guard plowed inside, followed by Miranda. “You’re hurt?”
She didn’t sound like she believed him, but he lifted his shirt, poking a finger at the metal. “Yep. I am. I went to lay on this ridiculously uncomfortable bed and got stabbed.”
Miranda arched an eyebrow. “Stand up.”
Alex pushed himself up to stand, wincing.
Miranda leaned closer to him, and for an instant, he thought about grabbing hold of her and using her to fight his way out of this place.
She reached toward him and yanked the metal from his side. “Are you serious? This is superficial. I can’t believe you’re screaming about this.”
“I need medical attention, I was skewered.”
“You need a bandage, nothing more. You’ll be fine.”
“I could have hit an organ.”
“Sorry, nope, it barely broke skin. You’re fine. Stop stalling, Alex, and get my program done.” Miranda spun on a heel and stalked to the door.
“But–”
“Do it, Alex,” she said before she and the guard stepped out, and she slammed the door closed.
He plopped into the chair, wincing again as his wound pinched. “Can’t I catch a break?”
He sat back, the laptop still lifeless on the table. His heart sank, despair washing over him. What more could he do? His mind drifted to Ava again, imagining her determination, her will to find him. He needed to match that strength.
Suddenly, the lights in the cell flickered, dimming momentarily before stabilizing. Alex’s brow furrowed. “What now?”
A loud noise stopped his heart. Alarm klaxons blared, screaming loudly as they announced some form of imminent danger. The piercing sound reverberated through the small cell, shaking the walls. Alex’s stomach twisted into a tight knot. His pulse raced, each second feeling like an eternity.
He glanced around the room, eyes wide with panic. “What’s happening?”
His mind raced with possibilities. Had Ava done something? Was there an attack on the facility? The uncertainty gnawed at him, each blaring alarm a reminder of the danger closing in. What now?