The bastards hit her. They fucking hit her. Pretty hard, too, based on the crusted-over blood and bruising that’s already forming. Her knees are pulled up to her chest and I can only imagine what’s going through her mind right now.
More gunfire erupts, this time closer than I expected. They must be breaching a new part of the wall, and probably are inside by now. I quickly move back into the hall and then come up against Riley’s cell door.
I try the handle but it’s locked. I get out my key, but it doesn’t work on this door.
I look up and down the hallway.
“Riley,” I yell. “Get away from the door.”
“Logan?” I can just barely hear her.
“Get away from the door. I’m going to break it open.”
“Okay,” she calls out.
I bring up the rifle and unload on the lock. It tears through the door to the point where I can kick the door in with my boot. It bursts forward, falling off its hinges, and dust billows up into the air.
I sling the rifle over my shoulder and step into the room. Riley stands up in the corner, staring at me, and I smile.
“There you are,” I say.
She runs to me and throws her arms around my neck. I grab her and pull her against me, hugging her as hard as I can.
She sobs against me and tries to say something, but I can’t understand her. “It’s okay,” I say to her, stroking her hair. “It’s okay. I’m here now. We’re going to get out of here.”
“I thought you were dead!” she finally manages to say. “Anton said you were ...he said you were dead ...“
“He was wrong,” I say simply. I pull back and take her face in my hands. “It’s pretty fucking hard to kill me. I’ll never leave you, Riley.”
“Logan.” Tears stream down her face. “I love you,” she says. “God, I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry.”
“You’re not sorry for anything. I love you too.” I kiss her hard, lips melting against hers.
It’s the moment I’ve been waiting for. I can finally name the feeling that’s been growing inside of me all this time. It’s love, it always has been love. It must be. I don’t know it by anything else. I’m willing to sacrifice so much for her, and I can’t imagine letting her down.
I love her. I fell in love with Riley and now I have to figure out what to do about it.
My commanders are coming for us, and they’re going to want to give her back to her father. Anton is probably going to realize that I’m here sooner rather than later, and that won’t be good, either.
There’s only one obvious choice, but it’s not a good one. I pull back and look at Riley, anger coming and going in waves.
“What?” she whispers.
“Do you want to go home?” I ask her.
“Not if that means going back to my father,” she says.
I smile. “Good. I’m glad you said that.”
“Is that what they’re going to do with me?”
“Probably,” I say. “They’ll release the other girls. But you’ll go right to your father.”
“I can’t,” she says, shaking her head. “Logan, I can’t go back to him. I won’t.”
“I won’t let you,” I say. “I promise. No matter what happens now, I won’t let your father have you. I won’t let Anton have you.” I pull her against me again. “You’re mine, Riley.”
She nods against my chest. “I trust you,” she says.
“Good.” I pull her back and take her hand. “Come on.”
We step back out of her cell and into the hallway. I look both ways and it’s mercifully empty. We head back the way I came but only make it down to the next door before four men turn the corner down at the far end.
We stop short as they see us and raise their weapons. “Riley, run,” I say, turning back toward her.
But there’s nowhere to run. At the other end of the hall, three more men, rifles raised, are walking slowly toward us.
And then I hear him, his fucking laughter ringing through the space, somehow coming through atop the deafening gunshots coming from the firefight outside.
“Anton,” I say, and we turn around to face him.
He cackles like a witch and steps between the three guards, their rifles still pointing at me.
“Caught you, sneaky bitch,” he says, grinning huge. “Put down the gun, Logan. It’s over now.”
Slowly I put the rifle on the floor and raise my hands high over my head. I nod at Riley and she does the same.
The guards close in on us from behind and in front. This time, we’re trapped, and I have no clue how we’re going to get out of it.