“It helps that most of his men are locked away in their cells.” Jackal grinned. The scar that ran the length of his cheek made him seem even more sinister. She didn’t want to know how scary he would look when he was actually happy.
“Hungry?” Max asked. Ice didn’t seem to care if she ate or not. Max, on the other hand, wanted to make her comfortable and not as afraid.
“Yes,” Grace admitted. She had planned to get something to eat after class, which was two hours ago now.
“I’ll get it.” Max left and Ice took his seat. It only took a few moments before he was back with a soda and a pack of peanut butter crackers for her. She opened them gratefully and bit into one.
“Aren’t you going to eat?”
“No.”
Grace realized that, with them trapped inside, there wouldn’t be much food available. They could get water out of the bathroom sink, but the food was probably limited to a lone vending machine. With thirty men closeted in the room, it wouldn’t last long.
She tore open the package and pushed a cracker toward each of the three men. The men didn’t try to pick it up, just stared at her.
“Eat it,” Grace encouraged. “I’m not that hungry,” she said, taking the last one for herself. She told herself she got the extra cracker because it was their fault she was there.
Each of the men except Ice picked up their cracker, chewing it while they watched the news footage. Grace reached back over and took it back; she didn’t know why she had given the asshole one in the first place.
Grace almost choked on the last bite of the cracker when CeCe’s face filled the screen.
“Ms. Clark, you are a teacher at the college. Are you acquainted with Ms. Andrews?”
“Yes, we both teach in the computer department. Not only that, but we're good friends.” CeCe smiled seductively at the camera.
“Can you tell us how she may be reacting to the dangerous situation she has found herself in?”
“I’m sure she’s very frightened. We all are for her. Her boyfriend’s on his way to the prison.”
“Boyfriend?” the reporter latched onto the new information.
“Yes, Professor Jones. He teaches in the English department. He’s very quiet-natured, but you know what they say about still waters running deep.” She winked at the camera.
“I’m going to kill her,” Grace said through clenched teeth.
“You have a boyfriend?” Ice snapped.
“No! I went out on one date with him last weekend,” Grace explained, not knowing why. It was none of his business.
His angry posture didn’t relax as CeCe kept talking.
“Your friend has a big mouth,” Jackal said, listening as CeCe told everyone the black car in the parking lot the helicopter footage kept showing was Grace’s.
“Do you think they’ll make their escape?” CeCe asked the reporter.
The reporter didn’t know how to answer, turning the microphone away from CeCe, who refused to stay quiet. “If you can hear me, stay strong, Grace. I know you’ll come out alive. Make friends with your captors.” She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.
Grace covered her face with her hands.
“She’s a friend of yours?” Ice asked.
Grace heard the men laughing. “Not anymore.”
Ice shook his head, rising from the table. “Too bad she wasn’t the one sent to teach the class.”
A noise from the hallway had him turning on his heel and running out to see what was happening.
Smoke began coming down the hallway. Men tore their shirts off, stuffing them in the cracks and the bottom of the door.
Ice came to the doorway. “Bring Jackson.”
Jackal immediately jumped to his feet, going to the table at the back of the room where he jerked the guard to his feet. Jackal and Fade both dragged the man into the hallway to the one camera facing the steel door.
Ice took him from Jackal, placing a cord around his neck. “If you don’t stop, I’ll kill him.” Ice began tightening the cord, and Jackson struggled and gasped for breath.
Grace jumped to her feet to run to Jackson, but Max caught her before she could take two steps.
“Stop!” she yelled over the prisoner’s yells of “Do it! Do it!” Ice’s hard face left her no doubt he would kill Jackson. “Stop!”
The smoke stopped and Ice released the gasping guard, letting him fall limply to the floor.
Ice stared into the camera without expression. “Try that again, and next time, it’s the woman.”
Chapter 7
“Come here.”
Grace rose unsteadily to her feet. She had been sitting so long she was stiff. She had been trying to get comfortable for the last hour, and she must have dozed off while sitting up because she hadn’t heard Ice approach. She hadn’t looked at him since he had threatened to kill her. He took her arm and led her to the back of the room.
She didn’t know what she was staring at. Several chairs had been placed in a row with others turned over, sitting on top. A long, blue mat had been laid on the floor.
“Lay down,” Ice ordered, breaking into her confusion. That woke her up quickly.
She jerked away from his restraining hold, but he jerked her back toward him until her breasts were pressed flat against his chest.
“I have to get a couple of hours’ sleep. My men are going to keep watch. Now, lie down.”
His hard voice brought frightened tears to her eyes, but she lay down on the thin mat next to the wall. Lying down next to her, Ice placed his arm over his eyes. “Go to sleep.”
She didn’t know how he expected her to go to sleep with him lying next to her. She lay there rigidly, listening to his breathing slow down, staring at the ceiling as she thought about her parents and brother.
“Go to sleep.”
“I can’t.” Her voice trembled, despite trying to clear her throat several times.
“Fuck.” Ice rolled over, taking her in his arms and pillowing her head on his shoulder. “I’m not going to touch you; I prefer women begging me to fuck them not cringing in fear.” His low voice comforted her, even though his words were crude and he was the one responsible for her being trapped inside the prison.
Grace, unable to control her fears any longer, let her tears escape. Her body shook as she cried. Ice pulled her closer, soothing her by running a hand up and down her back until the storm had passed and she lay quietly exhausted next to him.
“Better?”
“Yes, thank you.”
She felt his chest shake against her.
She raised her head, looking questioningly at him. “What’s so funny?”
“You are. You’ve kept it cool all day.”
“I didn’t want to cry in front of everyone.”
“But it’s okay to cry in front of me?” Grace felt the sudden tension between them at his question.
She pulled away slightly, relaxing her head back on his shoulder. “I trust you,” she admitted softly.
“Why?”
“I don’t know. Maybe because of Church, and because you gave me that note telling me to stay away. You tried to warn me, didn’t you?”
“Yeah.”
“Hungry?” Max asked. Ice didn’t seem to care if she ate or not. Max, on the other hand, wanted to make her comfortable and not as afraid.
“Yes,” Grace admitted. She had planned to get something to eat after class, which was two hours ago now.
“I’ll get it.” Max left and Ice took his seat. It only took a few moments before he was back with a soda and a pack of peanut butter crackers for her. She opened them gratefully and bit into one.
“Aren’t you going to eat?”
“No.”
Grace realized that, with them trapped inside, there wouldn’t be much food available. They could get water out of the bathroom sink, but the food was probably limited to a lone vending machine. With thirty men closeted in the room, it wouldn’t last long.
She tore open the package and pushed a cracker toward each of the three men. The men didn’t try to pick it up, just stared at her.
“Eat it,” Grace encouraged. “I’m not that hungry,” she said, taking the last one for herself. She told herself she got the extra cracker because it was their fault she was there.
Each of the men except Ice picked up their cracker, chewing it while they watched the news footage. Grace reached back over and took it back; she didn’t know why she had given the asshole one in the first place.
Grace almost choked on the last bite of the cracker when CeCe’s face filled the screen.
“Ms. Clark, you are a teacher at the college. Are you acquainted with Ms. Andrews?”
“Yes, we both teach in the computer department. Not only that, but we're good friends.” CeCe smiled seductively at the camera.
“Can you tell us how she may be reacting to the dangerous situation she has found herself in?”
“I’m sure she’s very frightened. We all are for her. Her boyfriend’s on his way to the prison.”
“Boyfriend?” the reporter latched onto the new information.
“Yes, Professor Jones. He teaches in the English department. He’s very quiet-natured, but you know what they say about still waters running deep.” She winked at the camera.
“I’m going to kill her,” Grace said through clenched teeth.
“You have a boyfriend?” Ice snapped.
“No! I went out on one date with him last weekend,” Grace explained, not knowing why. It was none of his business.
His angry posture didn’t relax as CeCe kept talking.
“Your friend has a big mouth,” Jackal said, listening as CeCe told everyone the black car in the parking lot the helicopter footage kept showing was Grace’s.
“Do you think they’ll make their escape?” CeCe asked the reporter.
The reporter didn’t know how to answer, turning the microphone away from CeCe, who refused to stay quiet. “If you can hear me, stay strong, Grace. I know you’ll come out alive. Make friends with your captors.” She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.
Grace covered her face with her hands.
“She’s a friend of yours?” Ice asked.
Grace heard the men laughing. “Not anymore.”
Ice shook his head, rising from the table. “Too bad she wasn’t the one sent to teach the class.”
A noise from the hallway had him turning on his heel and running out to see what was happening.
Smoke began coming down the hallway. Men tore their shirts off, stuffing them in the cracks and the bottom of the door.
Ice came to the doorway. “Bring Jackson.”
Jackal immediately jumped to his feet, going to the table at the back of the room where he jerked the guard to his feet. Jackal and Fade both dragged the man into the hallway to the one camera facing the steel door.
Ice took him from Jackal, placing a cord around his neck. “If you don’t stop, I’ll kill him.” Ice began tightening the cord, and Jackson struggled and gasped for breath.
Grace jumped to her feet to run to Jackson, but Max caught her before she could take two steps.
“Stop!” she yelled over the prisoner’s yells of “Do it! Do it!” Ice’s hard face left her no doubt he would kill Jackson. “Stop!”
The smoke stopped and Ice released the gasping guard, letting him fall limply to the floor.
Ice stared into the camera without expression. “Try that again, and next time, it’s the woman.”
Chapter 7
“Come here.”
Grace rose unsteadily to her feet. She had been sitting so long she was stiff. She had been trying to get comfortable for the last hour, and she must have dozed off while sitting up because she hadn’t heard Ice approach. She hadn’t looked at him since he had threatened to kill her. He took her arm and led her to the back of the room.
She didn’t know what she was staring at. Several chairs had been placed in a row with others turned over, sitting on top. A long, blue mat had been laid on the floor.
“Lay down,” Ice ordered, breaking into her confusion. That woke her up quickly.
She jerked away from his restraining hold, but he jerked her back toward him until her breasts were pressed flat against his chest.
“I have to get a couple of hours’ sleep. My men are going to keep watch. Now, lie down.”
His hard voice brought frightened tears to her eyes, but she lay down on the thin mat next to the wall. Lying down next to her, Ice placed his arm over his eyes. “Go to sleep.”
She didn’t know how he expected her to go to sleep with him lying next to her. She lay there rigidly, listening to his breathing slow down, staring at the ceiling as she thought about her parents and brother.
“Go to sleep.”
“I can’t.” Her voice trembled, despite trying to clear her throat several times.
“Fuck.” Ice rolled over, taking her in his arms and pillowing her head on his shoulder. “I’m not going to touch you; I prefer women begging me to fuck them not cringing in fear.” His low voice comforted her, even though his words were crude and he was the one responsible for her being trapped inside the prison.
Grace, unable to control her fears any longer, let her tears escape. Her body shook as she cried. Ice pulled her closer, soothing her by running a hand up and down her back until the storm had passed and she lay quietly exhausted next to him.
“Better?”
“Yes, thank you.”
She felt his chest shake against her.
She raised her head, looking questioningly at him. “What’s so funny?”
“You are. You’ve kept it cool all day.”
“I didn’t want to cry in front of everyone.”
“But it’s okay to cry in front of me?” Grace felt the sudden tension between them at his question.
She pulled away slightly, relaxing her head back on his shoulder. “I trust you,” she admitted softly.
“Why?”
“I don’t know. Maybe because of Church, and because you gave me that note telling me to stay away. You tried to warn me, didn’t you?”
“Yeah.”
