DEATH PLAYBACK

Chapter 8: Breakout

The revelation burned in Jaxon's chest like acid. Marcus was alive. He'd been alive for three years while Jaxon drowned in guilt, while Sarah took Lily and left, while everyone in the department treated him like a leper.

Three years of hell, and it was all based on a lie.

【Okay. Emotional breakdown over. Time to make a plan.】

"I need to get out of here," Jaxon said, his voice steadier than he felt. "Carter's going to kill me before I ever see a courtroom."

【Unless someone breaks you out.】

"Do I look like I have friends in high places?"

【You have a friend in low places. Me. And I know things. Like the fact that Diana Cross is on her way here with a court order for your release.】

Jaxon blinked. "What?"

【Cross isn't stupid. She knows Carter set you up. She's got enough pull to get you out, but it won't matter if Carter gets to you first. You have maybe ten minutes before his people make a "suicide attempt" happen in your cell.】

Jaxon stood up, his mind racing. Ten minutes. Not enough time for a legal escape. Not enough time for anything except...

【The vent. Above your cell. Standard municipal ventilation—cheap aluminum, held in place by four screws. You can break it open. I can guide you through the ventilation system to the exterior wall.】

"You're asking me to escape from prison."

【I'm asking you to not die in a prison cell. Different thing. Much more survivable.】

The lights in the cell flickered. Jaxon's hand shot to the wall, feeling for the vent cover. It was there, just like the system said—cheap aluminum, poorly maintained, probably hadn't been inspected in years.

He braced himself against the wall and kicked. Once. Twice. The third kick caved the vent in with a satisfying screech of metal.

【Nice. Now pull yourself up. The crawlspace is tight but passable. Turn left at the first junction, then right, then follow the main duct to the west wall.】

Jaxon hoisted himself into the vent, the metal groaning under his weight. It was dark. Claustrophobic. But he'd spent years in worse places—the places inside his own head.

【Left. Now. And watch your head.】

He crawled through the darkness, following the system's directions like a lifeline. The ductwork creaked and swayed, but held. Behind him, he heard shouting—the guards had found his empty cell.

"THERE! THE VENT! HE'S IN THE VENTS!"

【Speed it up, champ. No pressure.】

Jaxon moved faster, his elbows and knees scraping against the aluminum. The duct turned, twisted, dropped—and suddenly he was sliding downward, the whole system tilting toward the exterior wall.

【Jump! At the end! The drop is survivable!】

He jumped.

The fall was maybe eight feet, hitting concrete with a force that drove the breath from his lungs. But he was out. Free. Standing in an alley behind the precinct, the cold night air hitting his face like a gift.

【Welcome to freedom. It's temporary, but it's yours.】

Jaxon staggered to his feet, checking his pockets. Empty. No phone. No wallet. No ID. He'd been stripped of everything except the clothes on his back and the knowledge in his head.

A black sedan pulled into the alley, its headlights blinding him. For a moment, Jaxon thought it was Carter's people. Another trap. Another death sentence.

The window rolled down. Diana Cross's gray eyes found him in the darkness.

"Get in," she said. "We've got a lot to discuss."

【Well. Look who came to save your sorry ass.】

Jaxon hesitated only a moment before climbing into the car. He had nowhere else to go. No one else to turn to.

But now he had leverage. Now he had the truth about Marcus.

And he was going to make Carter pay for every second of hell he'd put Jaxon through.

【That's the spirit. Now let's go find your partner.】