And worse.

Gia’s impatience suddenly made sense.

As Serina came up next to the girls, one of the guards reached out, grabbed her braid, and yanked savagely. Serina’s head knocked sickeningly against the steel bars of his cell.

Panic exploded in her chest. She fought the guard’s grip as he ground her ear against the cold metal.

“Stop, Diego!” Val shouted. He reached through the bars and clamped his hand around the guard’s neck. “Let. Her. Go.”

Diego let out a choked laugh of defiance. His grip didn’t loosen.

Serina reached back and dug her fingernails into his hand at the same time she braced her injured foot against the cell door and shoved. With a catlike yowl, Diego let go.

Serina stumbled back, into Gia. They tumbled to the hard floor, cracking elbows and hips. Belatedly, she became aware of the din; the other guards were cheering Diego on.

Val squeezed Diego tighter, until he squirmed and his face went purple. At last, when the guard’s eyes were on the verge of rolling, Val let him go.

Diego slumped against the bars, coughing and sputtering. His ruddy cheeks stayed an ugly purplish red, clashing with the tan of his bald head. He was maybe forty, with the kind of muscle made for violence.

Another of the guards shouted, “Come on, Val. Let us out. We’ll give you a good fight before we kill your treasonous ass.”

Val’s face was flushed, his glare murderous. It took him a while to compose himself enough to answer. “You’re lucky no one’s killing yours, Carlo.”

Serina’s legs shook. There were seven guards locked in their own small rooms. All but one of them dangled their arms through the bars and stared at her, their expressions eager, like ravenous dogs.

Slowly, she untangled herself from Gia, and together they stood up, careful to stay well away from Diego’s reach. The other girl who’d been on guard duty had escaped down the hallway to the door. Serina didn’t blame her. She sent Gia after her, with a whispered “I’m okay” to the girl’s raised brow.

Then Serina drew Val in the opposite direction, toward the storage rooms. He moved sluggishly, probably resisting the urge to beat Diego senseless.

“Is it safe here?” Serina asked quietly. Her scalp burned.

Val ran a hand through his hair. His cheeks were still an angry red. “It should be,” he answered. “We took anything they could use as weapons. They can’t get out of the cells. You’ve got all the keys to the doors. I made sure there weren’t copies anywhere.”

“We should remind everyone to stay back from the cells,” Serina said, shivering.

“Yes.” Val ran a hand down her arm. “Are you okay?”