The locks on the door beeped as they disarmed. I wasn’t sure how long I’d cried, but I knew I hadn’t slept. If someone was here, that meant it was time to go to court. Which meant life was about to get a whole lot worse.

“Off your ass,” Officer Hill said. “Let’s move.”

Spots filled my vision as I rose. Maybe I should’ve tried to eat that stuff last night, but the pain in my stomach was more than hunger. It was exhaustion and fear and a whole load of anger.

Officer Hill shoved my wrists back into the cuffs and gave me a push. I somehow managed to follow her down the hallway, but my feet were dragging. I didn’t know what was going to happen, and I was in no hurry to get there.

I made the mistake of catching my own reflection in a window. I barely recognized myself. My hair looked like something had nested in it. Dark circles lined my eyes. The orange jumpsuit made my skin look embalmed.

I guessed twelvish hours of tossing and turning and pacing in a tiny room would do that to a girl. I’d be making a killer first impression on the judge. Not that it mattered. This was probably all for show since Jason was moving all of his pieces on the chessboard right now.

“Keep moving.” She reached back and pushed me ahead of her, not hard, but I was so tired that I stumbled. This woman was a real delight. “Hurry up.”

I imagined at least six different ways to take her down, but it wasn’t her that I was angry at, even if she was an asshole. The worst part was being stuck. There wasn’t a damned thing I could do to help myself as I followed her through hallways and into a system of underground tunnels. I just had to keep moving.

Our footsteps echoed against the cement walls. The wet, cold air made the tunnel feel coffinlike, which seemed fitting. It felt like death in here. I wasn’t sure what I was going to find at the end of the tunnel. Jim said that I wouldn’t be executed, but I wasn’t sure if I should believe him. Death could very well be on the horizon.

We took one last turn and then climbed dimly lit stairs. The lights flickered, seeming to warn me of the danger to come. But nothing was going to stop what was about to happen. I was a pawn in this messed-up game. I was going to find a way to change that, but I just wasn’t sure how yet. My skin started to tingle, and I needed to calm myself down. There was no place to run and hide here, so I went back to the breathing that Declan had taught me.