Traitorous Attraction (16 page)

“Anyone else?” Connor asked. He hoped showing himself to be aggressive would put off more advances. It wouldn’t be easy to protect Kate against the other people in the room.

Someone hurled a chair at the glass window high above the altar. It bounced off, slamming back into the crowd. A second chair flew through the air, piercing the window. Glass rained down. Others pounded at the door until it finally bent open under the assault.

A far-off chant grew louder. “Power to the people. Power to the people.” Once the men in the room caught the words, they joined in. Groupthink was taking over and the air vibrated with fear and violence. The inmates shoved the table on the altar to the wall beneath the window and climbed on each other in a bloody, frantic scramble to get out of the room through the window.

It wouldn’t lead outside the gates, but it was one step closer.

Connor was alone in the room with the guards, Father Luca, Kate and the man who had come to confession. The lone remaining inmate was sitting quietly on the floor by the confessional.

“I didn’t know you could fight,” Father Luca said to Connor. “Thank God you were here.”

“I told you I’d worked in a prison before,” Connor said. He didn’t want to raise suspicions about who he really was.

He knelt on the ground where one guard was unconscious. He was breathing and his heartbeat was strong. “I think he’ll be okay. We need to get him help,” Connor said.

“Where?” Kate asked. “You heard Father Luca. The prison is on lockdown.”

“We’ll put him in the confessional to hide him. We’ll drape him in our priest robes so if any inmates come through here, they’ll think he’s a minister and not a guard. Our black shirts and white collars will have to be enough for us.” It wasn’t a foolproof plan, but it might buy them some time and safety, and it was the best chance they had. Connor couldn’t quickly search for an exit while carrying two hundred pounds of deadweight. Connor and Father Luca removed their robes. Working together, Connor, Father Luca and Kate dressed the unconscious guard in one of the ceremonial robes and carried him to the confessional. The other guard pulled the second robe over his uniform.

“Aren’t you planning to run?” the remaining guard asked the inmate sitting on the floor as he wiped at his bloody, bruised face.

“Nope,” the man said. “Won’t get over the fence. Snipers’ll get anyone who tries. What’s the point?”

Aiden.
Connor’s body tightened. If their intel was correct, his brother was somewhere inside this prison. He could be hurt, bleeding, broken or shot and Connor wouldn’t know.

“Tell me who started this riot,” Connor said to the prisoner.

“I told you already. Cellblock D. They’ve got leaders from the AR in there, spouting about freedom and ruling by the people. Got everybody stirred up.”

The AR. If Aiden was with them, how was he involved? Connor’s chest tightened thinking of his brother needing him.

The inmate crossed his legs and waited. “I have no plans to run. Put that on my record. No plans to run.”

A commotion in the hallway drew Connor’s attention. Connor flipped the table on its side and shoved Kate and the guard behind it. He took the one remaining billy club and slid it through his belt.

“Father Luca, pray with me.”

The two men knelt in front of the table. An angry mob of prisoners waited at the door. They scanned the room.

Connor turned. “Welcome. Father Luca and I are praying for you all.”

The men seemed confused. The leader of the group looked at the holy men and growled. “Get out of here. You’re not part of this. I don’t want to kill no man of God.”

“We are compassionate allies,” Connor said.

The men lost interest. A chapel with two priests and an inmate didn’t add fuel to their fire and they moved on down the hallway. Connor had gotten lucky with the ploy. With the rage and adrenaline surging through this prison, their luck wouldn’t hold. He needed to get his Kate somewhere safe and hunker down.

His beautiful Kate. His. The possessive thought caught him unaware. It wasn’t the first time he’d had those feelings for her, but they were stronger than before. She was his and he would protect her.

When the hall was clear, Connor spoke to Kate. “We need to get you out of here.”

“How’s that possible? It’s more locked down in here than usual. Where will we go?” Kate asked.

Connor jammed a hand through his hair. He turned to the guard. “You must know a way out.”

The guard was badly shaken, beaten and scared. “They took our radios. We can’t call for help. There are a few entry points throughout the prison. If we don’t get to them before someone finds us, we’ll be killed.”

Connor knew the stakes. He didn’t add to the man’s fear by admitting they had slim hopes of getting out unharmed. Connor’s behavior had cemented his role as their leader and everyone was looking to him to get them to safety.

The overhead intercom crackled. “This is your warden speaking. Hands on your heads and return to your cells. If you do, you will not be held responsible for what has happened today. If you do not, we will use violence to maintain control. I have given the order to the guards to fire at will.”

“What are the chances anyone will listen to that?” Father Luca asked.

The man who had been sitting by the confessional stood. “I’ll listen. Those who value their lives will listen.” He put his hands on his head and exited the chapel.

The sound of automatic gunfire blared over the alarm. Connor hoped Aiden had returned to his cell. Would Aiden have seen an opportunity and made a run for it in the chaos? His brother had to know he would come for him. Connor never should have accepted Sphere’s lie that his brother was dead. He could have saved Aiden seven months of suffering.

An opportunity had dawned. Connor could use the chaos to look for his brother. It would be hours, if not days, before what had happened inside the prison was sorted out. That confusion worked to his advantage. Connor could stalk the halls of the prison and look for Aiden.

“What are you thinking?” Kate asked, taking his arm.

“I want to find my brother,” he said to her in English.

“No, a hasty attempt now will get both of you killed.”

“This could be the opportunity we’ve been waiting for.” Connor was inside the prison. Aiden was likely somewhere inside, too. To be this close to his brother and not try to find him seemed wrong. But he couldn’t leave Kate. If more wandering gangs of prisoners passed by, Connor needed to protect her.

“Be reasonable,” Kate said. “We can find a way out. But this is a dangerous place to be. You know what happens during prison riots. Thousands of men are incarcerated here. They could be armed and they are most definitely dangerous. You heard the warden. The guards will shoot anyone they want.”

“I need for you to be in a safe place,” Connor said. “Then I can look for him.”

Kate shook her head. “I’m not leaving you. We’re staying together and we’ll get out of this together.”

Father Luca and the guard were looking at them strangely, perhaps unsure why they were speaking in English.

“Let’s find a way out,” Connor said in Portuguese, and he led them out of the ransacked chapel.

* * *

Kate could see in Connor’s eyes the desperate desire to look for Aiden. With the chaos around him, one more man running, especially one dressed as a priest, could have access to more places. If a guard stopped to question him, he could claim he was looking for a safe path out and had gotten lost. Who wouldn’t believe a priest?

She understood the desire, but she didn’t agree with him acting on it. Field operatives often made decisions as the situation unfolded and exploited opportunities to the fullest, but this decision was fueled by too much emotion and not enough logic. Connor could be shot or teargassed or beaten. The longer the riot went on, the more guards would arrive to control the prison population and the more people would be hurt or killed.

The sound of gunfire persisted. How many men had been shot? How many were dead? Kate wouldn’t add to the body count by allowing Connor to search for Aiden. She loved Connor and she had to make sure he saw reason. They would find out everything they could, and if given the chance, they would rescue Aiden. But even finding Aiden was a long shot. They would focus on gathering intel. That had been their mission objective.

Not only that, as darkness fell, the guards would use floodlights to illuminate the yard. Floodlights would create shadows and darkened areas. Connor could be mistaken for an inmate and killed.

“Let’s follow the guard to the nearest exit,” Kate said. Learning about undocumented escape routes could help them when they returned to free Aiden.

They ventured into the hallway. It was still and quiet. The alarm had stopped screaming, though bright white lights flashed from devices posted along the hallway. The warden’s voice came over the speaker system. “This is your warden. Return to your cells. This is not a request. This is a command. Those who do not return to their cells are considered escapees and will be shot on sight.” The statement was punctuated by the sound of more gunfire.

The bloodshed would be high. Connor allowed the prison guard to take the lead. Screaming echoed around the building. Kate clutched Connor and his arm went around her. She’d been on the phone with operatives in bad situations and had been terrified for them. This experience was a thousand times more intense. How did field operatives do this every day and keep their cool?

“We’ll be okay. I won’t let anything happen to you,” he whispered in her ear. His voice was soothing and she focused on that and on him. Connor West was a legend around Sphere for a reason. He had completed missions against all odds. He had performed tasks others could not. He would keep her safe. They would get through this together.

The men clustered around her as they jogged along the deserted hallway. They turned the corner and Kate covered her mouth and whirled away at the sight of a dead prisoner.

Father Luca stopped and knelt, closing the man’s eyes, blessing him and whispering a prayer. Staying in character, Connor mimicked his actions. When they finished, they continued. Kate braced herself for more devastating sights.

“There’s a stairwell ahead,” the guard said. When they reached the unmarked door, the fingerprint reader that controlled it had been smashed to pieces.

“Can we force the door open?” Father Luca asked.

“Unlikely. These doors are pure steel with four-inch bolts along the door. They are meant to remain locked,” the guard replied.

“Where’s the next closest exit?” Connor asked. They heard yelling nearby. Through a metal post railing, they could see a floor below. A group of inmates ran past, perhaps searching for an exit.

“Cellblock D. There’s roof access on the far side,” the guard said.

“Cellblock D, where the riot started?” Connor asked.

Kate didn’t like the idea of running into the thick of the riot.

“It’s the closest cellblock to the exit,” the guard said.

“Any other options?” Connor asked.

“We can try to get to the main entrance and signal for the guards to let us out,” the guard said.

“Will they be able to open the doors?” Kate asked.

If the prison was still in lockdown mode, could the guards override the system and open the doors? If no one was allowed in or out, that included them. The guards would be nervous and twitchy. Kate didn’t want any mistakes to cause a friendly-fire shooting or for their cover to be blown.

“We’ll have to see. The alarm stopped. I don’t know if that means they have it under control or if that blasted noise was adding to the confusion,” the guard said.

“Only one way to find out,” Connor said. “Let’s go.” Hearing footsteps approach, he added, “Quickly.”

Guard stations were abandoned and cells were open and vacant, locks broken and bedding strewn about in disarray. When they arrived at the main gate, it was closed and locked.

The guard shouted through the gates. “Is anyone there? It’s Cesar with the chaplain and his missionaries.”

No one appeared.

Cesar ran his thumb over the fingerprint reader and typed in his passcode. Nothing. No sound of locks opening and no one came to investigate. Cesar rattled the gate. “Please, someone. Open the gate.” Panic gripped his voice, giving away how frightened he was.

Connor touched his shoulder. The shouting would bring inmates, and identifying himself as a guard was dangerous. They had to remain as inconspicuous as possible. Without a place to hide, that was difficult enough.

Cesar banged at the door. “Let us out.” Fear trembled in his voice.

“Easy,” Connor said. “We’ll find a way out.”

They had to keep level heads and Kate sensed Cesar was on the verge of losing it.

“If we can’t get out, can we find a safe place inside the prison?” Kate asked. “Are there offices for staff? Maintenance rooms? A control center? Can we barricade ourselves inside a cell and wait for a guard to find us?”

“The west control center is near here,” Cesar said. His cheeks were flushed. “The cells don’t have enough inside to build a barricade.”

“Come on, Cesar. Show us. Lead the way,” Connor said. If Cesar lost his cool, they were without their guide.

They changed directions and stopped when the sound of shouting drew closer. A group of seven inmates rounded the corner armed with wooden sticks and clutching shivs. They took an offensive stance, spreading out around Connor, Kate, Father Luca and Cesar. They were outnumbered and weaponless, and Kate didn’t know how capable of a fighter Luca and Cesar were. She had training, but it was untested in the field.

“Where are you going?” one of the inmates asked. “This is our territory now.”

Roving gangs inside the prison looking to stake out a claim? Why? Didn’t it make more sense to get out of the prison? Kate didn’t question their logic. Questions could get them killed.

“To the chapel,” Connor said. He appeared calm, but Kate knew otherwise. He would react with swift and deadly force if pressed.

Connor stepped between the men and Kate. “We aren’t looking for trouble. Your quarrel is not with us.”