“Pee,” he said, shoving her inside.
The stench hit her first, but she gulped down her disgust, and did her thing, squatting like a sumo wrestler in the hopes that she touched nothing.While she washed her hands, she stared at the window, trying to assess whether she could fit her ass through it.Her height was an issue, and she didn’t know what awaited her outside.It could be a sheer drop or two ravenous guard autodogs who would see her as their next meal.Did they even eat flesh?
She shook her head.Wrong thinking.
Then again, what awaited her inside the glass cell?The loss of her fingers?Her kneecaps shot off?Worse, if they gave her some of those blue pills.Certain death for sure.
Almost disbelieving what she was about to do, she tipped the trashcan over then climbed on top of it.Not a simple feat as short as she was.Balanced on her toes, the can wobbling beneath her, she unlatched the window to peer out.
Nothing but a staff parking lot meant she could slip out and make a run for it.No fences hindered her bolt for freedom, no security guards either.She squeezed her eyes shut, grittiness from lack of sleep taking effect.
Up she lifted herself, then with a grunt, she wiggled through only to realize the error of her ways.Headfirst meant landing on her face.With her ass on the sill, she gripped the window’s metal frame.
“Are you done yet?”Warren called.
She swallowed a squeak and pulled her feet through, then the strength in her arms gave out, dropping her.Hitting the ground on her back sucked the air out of her lungs.She gasped but couldn’t exhale.The back of her head throbbed where she must have bounced it off the tarmac.Pain pulsed outward, worsening her headache and the nausea in her gut.She flipped onto her stomach, pushed herself to her feet, then threw up in a nearby discarded box.
Nausea coiled, bile rose, and the horrendous tang of it coated her tongue.She swallowed hard, willing her body to realize the situation.No way would she get recaptured just because she had to spill her guts.That would be all kinds of foolish.
While wiping her mouth, she eyed the window, half-expecting Warren to be watching her.When he wasn’t, she sprinted along the parked vehicles, keeping them between the bathroom and the road.Her feet were stinging.The sunlight blinded her hangover-sensitive eyes, setting them on fire.Not that she dared to close them, needing to navigate the roads of an industrial area she’d never visited.
Activating her phone implant in her palm, she called the police.Tears slipped free willy-nilly, burning her cool cheeks.What she wanted to do was find a dark corner and huddle.Instead, she marched toward the city’s center and prayed she’d come across a patrolling police vehicle.
“What’s your emergency?”an AI droned.
“Hello?”she blurted.“I was kidnapped, am now free, and don’t know where the hell I am.Please…”
“One moment, please,” the AI said with saccharine sweetness.
“Ma’am, we are tracking you,” an officer said a second later.
She almost cried, so great was the relief bowing her shoulders.“Please.Hurry.”
“Tinika,” someone yelled.
She swiveled, a sob escaping her at the sight of Warren sprinting toward her.Reacting on instinct, she bolted, crossing the streets without checking, veering around loitering homeless people or leaping over bodies she hoped still breathed.Panic drove her to use all her energy to pump her arms, while ignoring her aching feet, her throbbing headache, and her blurred vision.
She wasn’t going back.A square with carved paving stones carried more foot traffic than she’d encountered this morning.She stopped at the courtyard’s center and spun, trying to decide where to go next.Away from Warren, duh.So she took the straight path in the opposite direction.People in corporate wear, their palms to their ears, didn’t notice her or her pursuer.
When he crossed the distance between them, she veered into a building skirting the square.The cool interior offered her some relief.Warren hesitated, glowered, and still approached.
“Um, hi,” she said to the security guard behind the reception counter.“Could I wait here until the police find me?”
The skinny dude glanced at her then outside.His eyes widened when he spotted Warren.
“No, not without clearance.”He nudged his pointy chin at the door.
She gaped, her thoughts reeling.A peek confirmed Warren waiting for her to leave.A glance over her other shoulder showed the path she needed to take—up a small hill to the park beyond.She could hide there, maybe?
“Asshole,” she snapped at the guard.
Without another word, she sidled to the door, slipped through it, then ducked.Air brushing her head told her how close Warren had come to grabbing her.She broke into a sprint.At this time of the morning, the park grounds were empty except for two cyclists, a woman with her stroller, and a few joggers.A crowd would’ve been helpful.
Everything ached, from her leg muscles to her chest, tight from her ragged breaths.Sweat pooled at the base of her spine and between her breasts.
“Tiny, come on,” Warren called.
She faced him while walking backward.“No, I won’t be used as a pawn.Kill my brother, do what you want with him, but leave me out of whatever this is.”She swiveled and slammed into someone.With a cry, she teetered, her arms flying wide.
