Forever Is Not Enough [Council Enforcers 2] (Siren Publishing Classic)

Latin word for door.”
    “Okay, let’s move.” The man turned her and placed her bag on her shoulders. “Grab the belt loop on the back of my pants and don’t let go. Stay on my back.”
    Jacqueline nodded and tried to keep her knees from shaking as she did exactly what the guy asked when he turned toward the door. She practically plastered herself to his back and clenched his pants in a death grip. There was no way she was getting left behind. As they left the room, she spared a glance for the guard they had left lying on the floor. He wasn’t dead, just unconscious. Jacqueline didn’t have the heart to kill the man when she was the one who’d made him the way he was in the first place. Still, the guilt ate at her because she knew the man’s death warrant had been signed as soon as he had failed her father by letting them escape. Her father tolerated no mistakes, and he would make an example of the guard.
    The prisoner moved swiftly, and she had to jog to keep up with him. When they neared the next hallway, the man paused before peeping around the corner. The curse she heard rumble from him let her know that whatever he saw wasn’t good. It seemed their luck had just run out.
    “Three guards are headed this way,” the man whispered. “When I move, I want you to stay behind me and move as fast as you can to that supply closet. Get inside and get that tunnel open. Something tells me we’re going to have to run for it.”
    Jacqueline could only nod for fear that if she opened her mouth hysterical screams would come out and she wouldn’t be able to stop them. Danger was not her friend. She wasn’t the type who went out and looked for trouble. Every day of her life, she followed her father’s commands without question for fear of what would happen if she didn’t. It didn’t matter that she died a little each time he brought someone in off the street for her to inject. All that mattered was that she lived to see another day. What have I done? Not only am I going to get myself killed, but I’m going to get this man killed as well.
    Her thoughts were interrupted when the man started to move. Jacqueline had no choice but to move with him since her fingers were still tangled in his belt loop. She let go as they neared the supply closet and ran to the door. To her relief, the door was unlocked and came open as soon as she pulled. She ignored the sounds of fists hitting flesh and grunts coming from behind her as she spotted the fuse box on the wall and ran over to it. Jacqueline prayed the file she had found on her father’s computer was correct and there was really a secret passage, or they were screwed.
    As she scanned the labels on the panel, her heart beat frantically in her chest when she didn’t see the one she was looking for. Forcing herself to calm down and not panic, Jacqueline started at the top and slowly read each switch again. Just as she was about to give up and admit defeat, she spotted a tiny switch off to the side. It didn’t have a label, but when Jacqueline leaned forward and looked closer, she could see the word Ostium etched into the metal.
    Afraid to get her hopes up, Jacqueline crossed her fingers and flipped the switch. She stepped back when she heard something behind the wall click and watched in awe as a small section of the wall next to the fuse box detached itself and swung outward. The opening was about three feet wide and about five feet tall. She tried to peer into it, but it was pitch black as far as she could see.
    Jacqueline felt a hand on her shoulder and opened her mouth to scream. Before anything could come out, another hand covered her mouth. Panic set in, and she decided if she was going to die she would die fighting. She began clawing at the hand covering her mouth, all the while thrashing to get out of the grip the guard had on her shoulder.
    “Shh, calm down. It’s just me,” the man whispered in her ear.
    He grunted in pain when Jacqueline caught him in the ribs with her elbow. That sound was enough to snap her out of her blind panic. She turned and looked at the prisoner trying to escape with her. He had cuts and bruises on his face, and one eye was already turning purple and beginning to swell. He also had several scratches going down his bare chest, but what worried her the most was the deep set of claw marks that he had going down his side. They started just under his armpit and led all the way down to just above the waist of his pants.
    “Oh, God,