Slide

2

As the man stepped back to leave, Ember took a chance on eliciting some sympathy.

“Could I get some ice for my wrist?”

The man was still wearing a mask and turned to face her. She tried to read his expression by watching his mouth, but it remained stretched thin and still.

She wondered if he perhaps did not speak English.

“Kan ik wat ijs voor mijn pols krijgen?” she asked in Dutch.

The man continued to give her a blank stare. It was possible he didn’t speak Dutch. It was the main language of the country but not the only one spoken.

He merely shook his head and then swished out the flap of the tent door.

Ember was finally alone, but it wasn’t the solace she had envisioned. The reality of her father’s death had yet to completely hit her. She tried to think about her people from the embassy, who were probably terrified and were gathered in tents somewhere nearby.

As she tried to formulate a plan, another man walked through the tent’s opening, this time with his mask removed.

He was smiling ear-to-ear and immediately moved his eyes up and down her body as if she were a piece of meat in a butcher shop.

Ember, being a woman, had seen that look before. She was wearing black slacks and a turquoise-colored blouse, but that didn’t matter to predatory men like him.

“Can I get some ice?” Ember re-iterated.

The man met her eyes, then opened his mouth to reveal stained teeth. He came toward her, then knelt and began touching her feet.

Acting on a survival impulse, Ember kicked the man’s face. She heard and felt the wet slap as he flew backward, eyes widening in surprise.

Her heart thundered in her ears, her breath moving through her like lightning.

There was no way she was going to give in to anyone that quickly ... especially a man willing to assault her.

“Don’t even f*****g think about it,” Ember said through gritted teeth.

The man went to his feet, then pointed a long finger in her direction.

“You’re going to regret that,” he said.

He left, and Ember felt a wash of relief move through her entire body. It was quickly replaced by a desperate and dire need to be saved.

She thought about her mother, who had left for the United States to visit family a few days prior. If she could somehow send help, there was a possibility that Ember could keep the rest of her co-workers safe until then.

Ember closed her eyes and focused on her breathing.

SLIDE

Slide Jamison was used to the stench of his sweat. He was a physical man, always willing and able to take things on that most people would run from. It wasn’t just because he was a lion shifter. Even in the Supermax prison, the release was a wave to ride when his grief overwhelmed him so much that he thought he would burst.

It seemed like a natural assignment for him to work in the forestry section of the prison. Inmates were assigned to certain areas near the building to cut down trees and carve out lumber to deliver to other organizations.

It was a lot of work, but Slide looked forward to it. It drove him to get up every day instead of letting the dark thoughts of a noose around his neck overtake him. Sometimes the thoughts were harder to ignore than others, but he’d managed to avoid that rope around his throat ever since he'd been imprisoned.

Slide was getting dressed at five in the morning while the sun rose slowly like a large flaming orb. As he tightened his belt, he noticed his waist had thinned again, and he attempted to ignore it.

It was one thing to have lost his capabilities as a shifter and another to feel the strength he was losing as a person. At least the forestry position kept his muscles lean, as well as the pace of his stamina.

If he stayed strong until the day he got out of this wretched place, he could finally exact his revenge on the man who got him locked up in here.

Slide stared into the mirror. His hazel eyes were swirling with pinpoints of yellow at their center. As usual, he thought, they were participating in his violent fantasies.

He had his cabin, which was watched 24/7, and he shared it with two other forestry workers. He was trusted, and Slide used this trust to think about ways that he would eventually manage to escape. But that day would be different.

He was unaware that his world was about to change irrevocably.

A guard knocked on his door, and Slide mumbled as he placed on his inmate-assigned jacket. “Almost finished, Norm.”

Norm opened the door, and Slide glanced up into the mirror. He had grown to know the guards who watched over them ... their names, their families, and their status. He didn’t care much for them, but he knew that he would have an advantage if it seemed like he cared about them.

“General Nydia wants to meet with you,” Norm said, holding the door open with one hand and a rifle in the other.

Slide frowned, then turned to Norm.

“I’ve got a few more inmates to train this morning,” he remarked. “Are you sure she wants to meet now?”

Norm nodded. “You won’t need to be worrying about that anymore,” Norm said.

Slide maintained his confused expression as he buttoned up his shirt, then followed the guard into the main building. He was curious as to what Norm meant but decided to save his inquiries for the General.

He was led through a few hallways that required keycards and approval from the additional guards. General Nydia’s office was far away from any of the inmate's cells. Slide always knew why. It was in case there was ever a jailbreak. She would be able to get quite a head start in front of them to get away.