Secrets Collide (Bluegrass Brothers)

That afternoon, four men showed up and said they were my security detail. I didn’t question them—no one did. They were real handy in cleaning up my messes from then on. I knew where they came from and knew they wouldn’t be squeamish so I didn’t bother being a gentleman any longer,” Bruce sneered with what Gemma could only describe as joy.
    “How many?” Cy simply asked.
    “Too many to possibly count. Strippers, escorts . . . who knows where they all came from? Some spoke English, some didn’t. It didn’t really matter.” Bruce shrugged.
    “And you never investigated your boss? Never tried to learn about him?” Cole asked in mock amazement.
    “Sure I did. The only reason I’ve lived so long here is because I found out one juicy bit of gossip that could ID him. See, you asked me the wrong questions. You asked if I’d met him. You never asked if I knew his identity.”
    Gemma jumped as the alarm above her head sounded. The door was thrown open by a concerned-looking warden. “I see my time has come early. Who knew women would be all our downfalls?” Bruce said as he stood.
    “There’s a riot. Somehow the prisoners got loose. I’ve got to get you all to safety.” The warden grabbed Bruce and waited for the group to stand up.
    “Who is he, Bruce?” Cy demanded as he burst from his seat.
    “He’s . . .” In one quick motion, Warden Cummings slashed Bruce’s throat.
    Gemma stood frozen as she watched Bruce’s body fall to the floor, blood gushing from his neck. Ahmed shoved her back as Cy rocketed himself across the table and onto Warden Cummings. Cole was by Bruce’s side with his hand pressed against his throat trying to slow the bleeding.
    “Do something,” she screamed as Cy and Cummings wrestled on the floor.
    “Come on,” Ahmed grabbed her wrist and pulled her toward the door.
    “We can’t leave them.” Ahmed didn’t say anything as he shoved her behind the door and went to Cole’s side first. Cole shook his head and stood up just as Cy delivered a staggering blow to Warden Cummings. The warden’s head slammed back against the concrete floor, stopping his fighting.
    Cy stood up and looked down on him. “Why?”
    “I got a letter with a picture of my wife and daughter at the playground two hours after Bruce was imprisoned here. I was told to call a number if anyone came to see him and I’d be given instructions. If I didn’t follow them, they'd kill my family slowly,” Cummings said as he slowly sat up. “Tell them I love them.”
    Before Cy could move, the warden reached out and grabbed the guard’s gun and shot himself. Gemma choked back a sob as she stared at the destruction in the room. Then the sound of gunfire snapped her back to reality. The prison was rioting and they were not safe.
    “We have to get out of here. Cy and I will take point. Cole, make sure she gets out of here alive.” Ahmed and Cy pulled out guns from everywhere.
    Cole looked down at his service weapon. “Well, I sure feel inadequate,” he said in such a dry voice that Gemma actually let out a nervous laugh in the middle of all this chaos.
    Ahmed pushed out the door first, followed by Cy. The interview hallway was empty, but the sounds of the riot were growing closer as they hurried toward the exit. Pounding erupted beside them as they passed the visitors’ section. It sounded as if the prisoners were trying to knock down the strong door separating the meeting area from the hallway leading to the cells.
    With a final bang, the door was pried open and men rushed through it, past the small tables, to another door leading to the hallway where Gemma and her group were. Cole pushed Gemma, forcing her to start running again, but when she turned back toward the entrance, she froze as she faced a wall of guards in riot gear.
    “FBI,” Cole shouted as he raised his badge. “Let us through.”
     
    Cy pushed forward toward the guards but it was too late. The visitors’ door crashed opened and they were now caught between the prisoners and the guards in the middle of the wide hallway. The prisoners smiled as they saw Gemma, and Cy felt his heart turn to ice. No way were they getting their hands on her. With a quick glance, he looked back and saw that Cole had shoved her behind him and was backing her up toward the guards.
    Cy turned to Ahmed who gave him a barely visible nod and raised his weapon. The prisoner who was leading the riot stopped and smiled at him. The tattoos covering his neck moved