Firebreak (Jackson's Hollow #2)

Chapter 6

Jo fiddled with the new cuffs on her wrists, trying to see if she could pop one of them off even though it was hard to see the seam. They were thick and made of some silvery-white metal. While these weren't connected in the middle, the guy who had put them on had explained in a bored tone that they could give her an electrical shock at any point. Still, she couldn't help but attempt to get them off.

The processing experience had been quick but thorough. They had sent her to a small lab with a few scientist-looking types in white coats and a woman she was certain was a powered guard. It was cold and sterile with a faint smell of bleach. She had to change into a set of gray scrubs before they started to poke and prod her, taking down any information they could use to track her down later. They had also given her the fancy new power-dampening handcuffs.

Apparently they didn't exactly trust her yet.

After the scientists were finished with her, the guard had marched her out of the room and into a holding cell. Tiny and even colder than the lab, the holding cell didn't have a chair or a table or anything in it. Four cameras, one in each corner. The walls were a uniform beige, as was the door.

Jo leaned against the wall across from the door and tried to dig her thumbnail into the seam of her left handcuff. A yelp escaped her when a shock went through both her wrists. She glared at one of the cameras. Okay, so she'd been expecting that, but it hurt. It could probably get worse.

Great.

Sighing, Jo tapped her fingers against the concrete blocks, her back against the wall as she watched the door. Exhaustion was creeping in, brought on by all of the stress of the day, but she wanted to be prepared. She had no idea who was coming through that door.

Or what. Werewolves were a thing, after all, so who knew what else was out there or what these people had.

A long time passed. Without any way to tell time, it could've been hours. The chill in the room was creeping up her legs. The scrubs they had left her in did little to beat back the cold. They had probably made the room cold on purpose, seeing how she had fire powers.

Jo crossed her arms over her chest. She could wait. She wasn't totally impatient. Even if having absolutely nothing to do besides think was driving her a bit crazy. It was hard to not try calling out to Ryker, just to see how far away he was. The idea of having him come get her was almost irresistible, but the nightmare of him getting caught here was enough to keep her quiet.

When the door finally opened, Jo jerked, her chin lifting. The man who stepped in was about six feet tall, with close-cropped dark brown hair and a five o'clock shadow. He was wearing military-looking charcoal pants and black combat boots with a black t-shirt. His skin was light brown with a warm golden tan glow, like he spent a lot of time outside. He was probably in his mid-twenties?

"You go by Jo, right?" he asked, sounding tired. The door closed behind him and clicked as it locked.

Did she act rebellious or go along with all this? "Yeah." For now, she would try to suss things out.

"I'm Diego," he said. He stood in front of the door, an imposing presence. "If you decide to cooperate, the higher-ups have put you on my team. If you don't want to cooperate, that's fine. There's a facility not too far from here where they can ship you and put you to use as a research subject."

"And that won't happen here. I'll be a weapon instead?"

"Mostly," he said, shrugging. "There are still some tests." His eyes narrowed at her. "And we have to assess your abilities for the field and whether you're a good fit for the program." A frown creased his forehead. "You have a track record for recklessness."