“Yes, sorry. I left early Friday, so I thought that, if any of the men needed my help before class, I would have the opportunity.”

“They need all the help they can get,” he said grimly.

Once upon a time, Grace would have agreed with him, but she had begun to like several of her students. She could understand how Mattie had helped so many find jobs once they had been released.

“Looking forward to Thanksgiving?” Grace attempted a conversation with the gruff guard.

“Looking forward to the overtime I’ll make. My wife expects something nice for Christmas.”

“Oh.”

They walked down the long corridor, coming to a stop in front of a steel door. Jackson pushed a button, waiting, while Grace steeled herself to get through the next hour and a half.

“Any suggestions?”

“What?”

“On what to get her?”

“Does she like jewelry?”

“Unfortunately.”

Grace laughed as the door opened. “Most women do.”

The men were just entering the room as she walked beside Jackson. Several men turned at the sound of her laughter in the silent hallway. Ice was one. She noticed his muscular body was taller than hers by several inches.

Grace waited as the men entered. The other two guards were already there; one at the front and one at the back.

When she walked through the door with Jackson following behind, she started heading toward her desk when a scuffle had her turning back toward the door.

Jackal had sprung up from his seat, a weapon, which looked like a knife, pointed at Jackson’s throat.

Grace screamed, but a hand over her mouth prevented her as she was pulled back against a hard body. She didn’t have to look up to see the man holding her to know it was Ice. Terror flooded through her body.

“Move it.” Ice forced her toward the front of the room. Her horror-ridden gaze saw Max laying an unconscious guard down on the floor while Buzzard held the other in a stranglehold. Several of the prisoners looked as shocked as her.

“Get them under control,” Ice ordered.

She watched helplessly as Max, who she had considered a friendly giant, bent down and jerked the restraining device off the guard’s belt then tied his hands and feet before going to Jackal, who did the same to Jackson as he held him closely. As soon as he did, he went to Buzzard and tied the last guard up.

Grace felt any chance of escape die within her. All chance of any help from the guards was lost as they were dragged to the front of the classroom and laid on the floor in a line.

“Ready?” Jackal asked, coming to Ice’s side.

“Let’s move. Stick together, brothers,” Ice said, forcing Grace forward as he walked toward the door.

Grace trembled as Ice lowered his head to whisper in her ear. “The gates of Hell are about to open. Just move when I tell you to. Don’t try to get away. My men will keep you safe.” His arm around her waist tightened briefly in support before the door opened.

Jackal was the first one out, moving toward the steel door. “Open it,” he said, looking at the camera. Ice moved next to him, turning her toward the camera. “If you don’t, the guards will be killed one at a time,” Jackal threatened.

The door slid open. Instead of going inside, they remained still.

“Open the other door,” Jackal demanded.

“Both doors can’t be opened at the same time,” a voice on the loud speaker informed them.

Jackal waved his hand at someone behind her and a guard was quickly hustled forward. Jackal pointed the sharpened object at the guard’s throat.

“Change the computer command. I don’t give a shit what you have to do, but open that other door and make sure no one is on the other side. This guard has two kids; you want to be responsible for him not going home to them tonight?”

The second door slid open.

Max held one guard in front of a steel door while Buzzard carried another to stand in front of the second.

“If you try closing the door on one of my men, I’ll take down one of yours,” Ice’s deadly voice spoke from behind her shoulder.

They walked through the doors without incident. When Max came through last, the door slid closed behind them.

“Walk,” Ice said, pushing her forward.

Grace forced her shaking legs forward. She didn’t have much choice with Ice still holding her tightly around the waist.

The men lined both sides of the clear hallway. Any minute, Grace knew armed guards would swarm it.

“Why isn’t she screaming and shit?” Buzzard asked, staring at her curiously.

The other men turned to look at her inquisitively. As Ice had removed his hand when they had come out of the elevator, she had taken a deep breath of relief yet hadn’t made another sound.

“Even the women back at the compound would be screaming their fucking heads off,” Max agreed.

Grace didn’t think they expected a reply from her, and she was determined to keep her control as long as possible.

The men stopped at one of the doors on the side of the wall.

“Move your men back,” Ice yelled as Jackal keyed a number into the keypad.

After the door opened with a loud buzz, Jackal went through first, waving for Max to go through with the guard. Ice maneuvered her through the doorway when half of his men had passed to the other side. The flight of steps they came to looked daunting as they climbed downward.

They had gone down one flight when they stopped. Whatever was happening was at the front of the line, so Grace couldn’t see.

“Hang on. The shit is hitting the fan.” Ice’s menacing voice left no doubt that something had gone wrong.

She closed her eyes tightly, counting in her head to remain calm, when Ice picked her up. In the next instant, Grace thought she was falling down the steep steps. Clenching her eyes even more tightly shut, she prepared to die. Mentally, she was screaming inside her head while her lips remained silent.

As she was caught by another set of arms, her eyes opened in surprise to see Max. Jackal now held the guard in his hand as they went through an opened door on the side of the steps where chaos was reigning. Prisoners were everywhere, running up and down the halls, yelling and screaming.

Gunshots rang out.

“I guess they're through fucking around,” Ice commented as he took the lead, entering a large room. “Max, Jackal, stay with her until I can get these assholes under control.”

Max carried her to one of the tables, sitting her down in a chair. From her position, Grace saw Ice through the glass windows as he shouted at the other prisoners. Several of them had fallen to the floor with gunshot wounds. Ice, Buzzard, and two others managed to shut one of the doors, encasing her and them in the section of the prison.

Grace glanced around the room, seeing no way to escape. She was trapped in a large room with at least thirty prisoners having failed their escape. Something told her she wouldn’t make it home for Thanksgiving.

Chapter 6

“Today’s my lucky day.” Church’s loud voice startled Grace as he came into the common room. She sat still, like a mouse with a snake staring at her hungrily.

He came to where she was sitting, leaning his beefy hands on the table as he lowered his face toward her.

“You got anything to say to me?”