Chapter 18
Day needed to get out of here. Now.
No longer interested in biding his time, Day slipped out of the ropes binding him. When the guard stood to rebind him, a few precise hits were all it took before the large man was groaning on the ground. One more, and he went quiet.
Day searched the unconscious man until he found a few keys on a ring and an ID card, along with a knife and taser. Figuring they might come in handy, Day stuffed everything in his own pockets before cautiously opening the door to the outside.
Another guard was stationed at the exit—this one was even easier to incapacitate. It was almost disappointing how lax security was. The only real difficulty was the matter of his leg, but even that pain could be pushed down far enough it hardly mattered.
Day's surroundings were entirely unfamiliar. This was a good sign; maybe he had been deluding himself. She wasn't here at all. Whoever kidnapped him probably knew nothing about him—likely one of Wen's rivals pulling a poorly planned stunt.
That was fine then. Still, he couldn't leave before checking. He just needed to be sure. Once he was, an escape would be simple; he would be out in time to pick something up to bring home for dinner. Stir fry, maybe.
He was clearly in some kind of warehouse, likely abandoned judging by the graffiti on the concrete walls and the trash littered around. It was only dimly lit in sections by industrial lighting swinging overhead. Day's first instinct was the head toward the darkness, the place his captors were least likely to be. After that, he would find a staircase or a ladder. The higher he was the better he could see.
He made it two passageways in his direction before he noticed something moving in the shadows in front of him. Stopping in his tracks he waited, until a familiar figure strode out in front of him. A light golden braid twisted down her shoulder, the same scowl on her still chubby face.
"Oh my god, you are here." Day felt his face split into a smile, too delighted to realize the girl's angry expression remained unchanged.
"I thought it was you, but I wasn't sure!" Day took a step forward and reached out a hand to pull her close, but the girl took a flinching step back.
Day's smile faded, but only minutely. "Listen, I know I look different. In fact, you might not know who I am. But I need you to trust me. I can get you out of here, we can both leave. Where's Ori? We need to go fast."
The girl's expression hardened. Before Day could register what was happening, she kicked in his left leg and grabbed him by his hair as his body crumbled.
"I know who you are," she seethed, using all of her weight to step on Day's twisted leg, "and Ori is dead. You killed her."
She shoved Day's head harder and slammed it into the cement wall until the image of her faded and Day was enveloped in darkness.