Escape

Chapter Twenty

Bryna's P.O.V

True to his word, Adam shows up with a flashlight and two hip holsters with pistols in either of them later at night. 

My bag is already on my back, and my arm is newly wrapped, courtesy of a silent Aaron. 

"You two ready?" Adam asks softly. 

"As ever," I reply. I make sure my pistol is loaded, tucking it into my belt and hiding it under my shirt. 

Aaron nods, staying quiet. I had taken the time between when Adam left earlier and now to alter my plan slightly, so that if this ends up being a trap, I have a plan to get Aaron and I out of here as quickly as possible.

"Right. Stay as silent as possible. Keep your weapons on hand at all times," he instructs. "If you somehow catch something I don't, tug on my bag."

Aaron and I nod.

He jerks his head to the door and motions for us to follow.

The area around us is pretty much dark, except for the beam of Adam's flashlight. We walk in a single-file line, Adam leading, me in the middle, and Aaron behind me, still completely silent.

My hand rests on the hilt of my knife, the more silent of my weapons, as voices start up somewhere in front of us. Adam pauses, before ushering us into the shadows while he turns off his flashlight.

A group of men pass by, talking about none other than me.

"The bitch should just give up if she knows what's good for her," one man says.

Another man scoffs. "There's a reason most of the Escapees are guys. Women don't know when to submit."

"Well, she made it this far," a third man points out.

"Yeah. Only because she had others to back her up," the first man retorts.

"Still. She didn't die. That's more than can be said for others," the third man points out.

"Meh. She's good for some things. With her attitude, I wouldn't be surprised if she paid for her safety in more than one way."

I bristle at the last comment. 

Okay. So, I'm used to people talking about me like I'm trash. It's supposed to be a tactic to make me angry. But insinuating that I... use my body to pay for safe passage... That's just plain insulting.

Aaron taps my shoulder, knowing all too well that their comments are beyond insulting. He shakes his head, giving me a knowing look. I smile thinly, turning back around. The men walk past us, still talking and completely oblivious. I resist the urge to roll my eyes at them as Adam motions for us to continue on.

We continue walking, and I take note of exactly where we are, so if Aaron and I have to backtrack, we know where to go.

After a moment of sneaking through the dark areas, Adam pulls us to a stop and we duck behind a vacant tent.

"You see those vehicles over there?" he whispers. "The Jeeps?"

The Jeeps in question are across the lot we're in, surrounded by chain-link fence and guarded by two men with snipers of some sort. 

Aaron and I nod our consent. 

"Those are where we're heading. There's only one entrance that we can get through, and the other exit we can only get through if we have a car to leave. It's the only proper exit around here."

"So we have to sneak all the way over there, take out the guards, steal a Jeep, hotwire it, and then get through the exit without setting out an alarm?" I ask.