Amarok’s heart leapt into his throat. The gladiator? “You said Dax just called?”

“That’s right. We barely hung up.”

“What’s the address of The Landing Strip?”

“As you might guess, it’s near the airport. He told me that much. Let me look it up.”

By the time Amarok had memorized the address, he’d already turned around and was racing back to Anchorage.

Too bad Dax hadn’t spotted the guy earlier. Then he wouldn’t have an hour’s drive ahead of him. Given the opportunity Dax had just handed him, that sounded like an eternity. He prayed it wouldn’t be too late by the time he arrived.

“Call Anchorage PD,” he told Phil. “Explain to them what’s going on and have them send someone to the club right away.”

“I’m on it,” he said.

Minneapolis, MN—Thursday, 4:30 a.m. CST

Escaping was far easier than Lyman had expected. But planning made the difference between success and failure on almost everything. He’d spent months befriending Terry, listening to his marriage troubles, his financial woes, his complaints about his job and so on. Making him feel important was what made it possible to pull this off. He could never have done it alone. He’d known that from the beginning. And, tonight, everything was falling neatly into place.

It helped that he’d dressed quietly and put his burner phone, fake ID and several twenties into his pocket while everyone else was sleeping, except for the security guard and the two nurses who worked the closest station this time of night. The security guard who roamed the halls was vigilant about monitoring all activity, especially after bed check, but she adhered to routine a bit too strictly. She always ate her lunch at the same time, which took her out of circulation at a predictable point in her shift. She also sat and talked to the two nurses while she ate, which distracted them.

Why wouldn’t she feel safe to do that? Lyman asked himself. All was quiet. Nothing had happened around the wards to indicate that this night would be different from any other.

Ironically, the only person who saw him go was Terry. Terry was mopping the hall down the way and happened to glance up as Lyman stepped out of his room. His eyes widened, but he quickly put his head back down. He’d already warned Lyman where all the security cameras were located and told him how to navigate the blind spots in the building so he could reach the door without being picked up on video.

Lyman didn’t need him to do anything else.

Normally, opening the back door would set off the emergency alarm, but thanks to Terry hacking into the main security system, the only thing Lyman heard was the quiet whoosh of air as it closed behind him.

He turned to make sure it latched tightly before hurrying away. Worst-case scenario, he’d call for a taxi. He just didn’t want to do that anywhere near Beacon Point Mental Hospital. Although he was afraid this would be the most difficult part of his plan—he had to drag his left leg these days, had such an awkward gait that it took forever to get anywhere—he felt it was more important to leave without a trace than to move quickly. He couldn’t go too far until after the banks opened in the morning, anyway.