Firebreak (Jackson's Hollow #2)

Chapter 20

A blaring alarm woke Ryker up with a start. He would have jumped out of bed and got ready for danger, but Jo was halfway sprawled across him, reminding him that it was probably a wake-up alarm for the base.. When Jo had fallen asleep in his arms while they were sitting on the floor, he had switched both of them to the bed. It was a very tight fit on the tiny twin bed and when he stretched out his feet hung off the end, but he didn't want to let go of Jo.

She lifted her head from his chest, messy dark hair falling in her face. "Wake-ups here suck, by the way," she said, close enough to him to be heard through the noise.

Ryker winced. His enhanced hearing was going to hate it here. "No kidding," he said, pulling her closer. He buried his head in the crook of her neck.

"We have to get up."

"Or what," Ryker mumbled. The alarms were going to give him a headache, but having Jo in his arms was worth it. He would suffer the alarms for a little longer.

"Or someone will start beating down the door." She wriggled in his arms and pressed a kiss to his jaw. "Come on."

"No."

"I'm serious," Jo said, struggling harder now, attempting to squeeze one arm out of his grasp. "Plus, if we don't get up, we don't get breakfast, and I bet you're hungry."

She had him there. He hadn't been given anything to eat except a protein bar and water since he had been captured. The idea of breakfast, even if it was an awful one, was enough to get him moving. He kissed Jo and smoothed her hair back from her face before he finally let her get up.

"That's what I thought," she said teasingly, pecking him on the cheek before sliding out of bed. She stretched while he took a better look around the room. It was small and bare with no decorations. Calling it a bedroom instead of a cell was being generous.

They needed a solid escape plan, but he knew better than to talk about it in here. He didn't want anyone listening in on their conversation.

Jo was still in her clothes from yesterday, and all he had to do was pull on the shirt the other guy had given him. As Jo tugged at her shirt, pulling a wrinkle straight, he frowned down at her. "What are all their names again?"

"Diego, Wes, Cal, and Malachi," she said, guessing correctly that he meant the team. Didn't even need to speak telepathically for her to understand him. "You probably should've been better introduced yesterday, but the whole fight thing..."

"Yeah, we should avoid those."

Jo snorted, a smirk curling the corner of her mouth. "Okay, I'm going to remind you that you said that when you attack someone."

Ryker rolled his eyes and reached out to squeeze her elbow. "You started the last fight."

"But now you're here. And we know how you are."

Ryker growled–nothing threatening, just playful, and Jo smacked at his chest in response. But she was smiling, which was all that really mattered. "Ryker..."

"I only fight when the other person deserves it."

Jo rolled her eyes. "Convenient excuse," she muttered, even as she sank against him, letting him hug her. But as she looked up, her expression much more serious. "But really Ryker, please don't. The punishments here..." she shook her head. "It's not worth it."

Ryker ran his hand through her still sleep-mussed hair, taking advantage of the fact she hadn't put in a ponytail or braid yet, which she often tended to do when training. "I'll do anything to make sure we're not separated again," he said, "so I'll do my best, ok?"