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You need a weapon, John’s voice whispered in my head. No chance without one.

I cast around me and my eyes fell on a heavy-looking bronze statue sitting on a side table. I picked it up, putting as much distance between myself and the guards as possible.

Julius’s high, cruel laugh curdled my blood. “What on earth do you hope to do with that? There’s no way out of this, Claire. We have the power, and we take what we want.”

“The language of rapists and fascists,” I shot back.

He rolled his eyes. “So very dramatic. If you’d accept my offer, none of this would be necessary.”

One of the guards lunged for me, but I was ready. I swung the statue at his head and caught him in the jaw. There was an unpleasant crunching sound, and he bellowed out in pain, grabbing his face.

Instantly, the other guards drew long metal rods from sheaths at their backs. There was a handle with several buttons, and they both depressed it. A low hum started, and instinct told me those rods were incredibly dangerous.

“What—” I gasped out, backing away and hitting the overstuffed sofa. “I—”

I didn’t have time to react before the guard on the left stepped forward and tapped me lightly with the rod. He didn’t swing it, or hit me with it, and in the next second, I knew why: the rod was electrified. My whole body seized up painfully, and I dropped to the floor, the bronze statue tumbling beside me. Despite trying, I couldn’t move; my muscles were paralyzed. I couldn’t even struggle when the guards scooped me up and dragged me from the room.

“Enjoy your stay, Ms. Ainsley!” Julius called on the way out. “I hope to speak again soon.”

The pain consumed my every thought, and I passed out, my screams only existing inside my mind.

Present day

The sound of locks disengaging on the heavy steel door of my white prison was my only cue that my stay was over. I stood on shaky legs from my bed. Tears streamed down my cheeks. I was angry with myself for giving in, but I couldn’t stand another moment inside what Julius called the White Room.

When Major Hamilton appeared in the doorway, I nearly broke down into desperate sobs. Just having contact with another human being felt overwhelming. The isolation, the loneliness, the soul-crushing boredom was too much. I wanted to hug a man I’d barely even met for no reason except that he was another person. It felt like I’d been stuck on a deserted island for a stretch of time I couldn’t even define. Time had lost all meaning in there.

“Come with me,” Hamilton said, keeping his voice even. “I’ll get you set up at the Mayor’s old house, at the Sire’s suggestion.”

I froze, worried. “Does Julius live there? Because there’s no way I’m living with him.”

“You won’t be,” he agreed. “The Mayor and his family were executed, so no one lives there right now. Besides, the Sire has a large suite on the Pyramid’s lower levels that he prefers for security reasons. The house is empty except for staff.”

I was in no position to argue. I needed to get out of this cell now, and as long as Julius was nowhere near my living quarters, I didn’t care where I went.

“Is this how the Sire,” I injected as much venom into the word as I could, “treats all his captives?”

For once, Hamilton looked slightly rattled. “I don’t agree with the use of the White Room, ma’am. But my thoughts don’t matter any more than yours do. I follow orders.”

I didn’t even have the strength to give him a dressing down, to tell him exactly what I thought of his orders. Instead, I asked him the only question that currently mattered to me.

“How long was I down here?” My voice was suddenly a thin thread, stretched to breaking.

He shifted uncomfortably. “About two weeks, give or take. It’s the longest anyone’s ever lasted, to my knowledge.”

More tears slid down my filthy cheeks. My clothes were disgusting after two weeks of captivity. I thought of John and knew he’d be horrified by the sight of me. I missed him so much that it felt like a physical ache in my chest, like a void that couldn’t be filled. When I spoke to him in the White Room, I’d begged him to find me. To bring me home. I’d told him I loved him, and that if the price of knowing him had been living out the rest of my days in that airless room, it had been worth it.

In one way, it had been easier here. I could deny the reality that awaited me on the surface. But now, that time was over; I wasn’t doing any good to anyone, trapped down here on my own. If briefly giving them what they wanted kept me free, I would do it until I had a plan for my escape.

“Lead the way,” I said to Hamilton, swiping at my tears. “I’m ready.”

Chapter 6

John

Aday after spotting the explosions inside the Delta, I was back in the woods, scouting the outer perimeter of the massive compound for the hundredth time. I had nothing to go on, and my frustration was starting to boil over. Again.

I’d left Kimmy back at the camp again because someone had to stay with the horses, and I couldn’t handle just sitting around. I needed to be moving, to feel like I was doing something, even if it wasn’t getting me results.