BECKETT
“Stop!” Imogen held her hand up to block Jack from knocking out Finn for a third time.
Finn was just starting to stir again.
“I can’t take it anymore,” Imogen said. “Let me just try to talk to him or something.”
Imogen had tied my shirt and Jack’s around Finn’s wrists and ankles. It kept him contained, but every time Finn regained consciousness, he started screeching at us.
“Can’t you see it in his eyes?” Imogen said. “He’s only acting like this because he’s scared out of his mind, and he’s in pain. He looks desperate. It’s like he wants to be finished, put out of his misery. Can’t you tell he’s sad? He knows his sister isn’t here any longer.”
Jack leaned back against the wall and crossed his arms, at least willing to let Imogen give it a try. “Since when did you get so sensitive?” he said, but below the comment, I sensed his relief.
Imogen ignored Jack and started talking to Finn. His eyes opened, and they looked just as she described: terrified and consumed with pain.
I had to turn away.
“She’s not here, mate.” Imogen held up her hands as a signal of good will. “They took her, and we’ve got to get her back. Can you help us? We’re going to find a way to get your sister.”
Finn responded by lunging toward her and snapping his teeth at her hands. She jumped back.
Jack moved in to help, but Imogen held up a hand for him to stop.
She squatted down again, not getting so close this time. “I know what it feels like.” She swallowed. “After they killed my mom, I felt trapped inside myself, and there was no one on my side.” Finn lunged at her again, and she jumped out of the way.
She sighed and looked at Jack. “We’ve got to get out of here.”
“I’m thinking on it,” Jack said.
“We’ve got to do more than think about it,” I snapped, frustration coating my voice.
I hadn’t spoken since Jack arrived in the cell. The anger threatened to boil over inside of me each time Jack knocked out Finn, every time Finn woke up and shrieked out in despair.
“We’ve been sitting in here for an hour, just ‘thinking.’ We’ve got to do something. Dad’s probably already halfway to headquarters by now, and we’re—”
“I said let me think!”
Finn growled at Jack’s voice, his attention pulled from Imogen. He made eye contact with me for just a moment, the gaze blank and feral. It was all too much. Seeing Finn so animal, so not himself, and knowing he was likely going to die. More anger than I’ve ever felt for Jack came rushing out of me. I couldn’t even trace its source.
I punched the wall. “No! No more thinking! We’ve got to DO SOMETHING!” I shouted.
There was a second of silence, all eyes on me, even Finn frozen in place.
As if in answer, the lock on the door clicked, and the door swung open. It was the same guard who’d punched Jack in the face an hour before.
“Change of plans. It’s time to go. Cunningham is coming for you after all.”
We all stared at the guard, except for Finn, who thrashed on the floor, pulling at his bindings.
“You work with Cunningham?” I said skeptically.
“I’m letting you go, aren’t I?” He scowled at me. “Trust me, I wouldn’t be doing this if I didn’t have orders from him.”
Arms still crossed, Jack lifted away from the wall with a press of his shoulders. He stared the guard down, his eyes penetrating and suspicious.
“The whole time Cunningham has been working with us, he never once mentioned anything about you.”
The guard snorted like he didn’t care one way or another.
“Look, there’s a boat for you out in the water, just offshore on the east beach. You can go or stay, makes no difference to me. I’m sure your father would be happy if you kept your butts here until he could summon you. But, if you’d like to go to Kansas City and meet Dr. Cunningham, take the boat straight east to the island five miles away. Cunningham’s helicopter will be waiting for you there. I’ve cleared the southeast halls. You have five minutes to make it out of the building.”
The guard tossed several tranquilizer darts in through the half-open door and walked away. One of the darts rolled to a stop in the center of the cell.
Jack stared at the door, frowning.
Imogen stood up. “Well, they don’t have to tell me twice.” She picked up a tranquilizer dart and jammed it into Finn’s thigh. “Sorry, mate, it’s time to go.”
Finn dove toward her. His fight didn’t last long. In thirty seconds, he went still.
Jack stared at the door, still contemplating. I stared at Jack, wondering why he hesitated.
Imogen slipped her arms under Finn’s torso and looked at us both like she couldn’t believe we were still just standing there.
She rolled her eyes and let out an exaggerated sigh. “Well? What are we waiting for?”