Pinned to the cold concrete floor, I stared up at the jagged shiv hovering inches from my wrist. Despite Officer Chen's intervention, Larissa had managed to grab me again when the backup guards got distracted by a commotion elsewhere in the cellblock. Now her weight crushed my chest as she positioned the crude weapon over the veins in my wrist.
"Your mate's going to be disappointed if we don't finish the job," she hissed, her breath hot against my face. "Hold her still!"
The muscular woman tightened her grip on my arms while the third inmate pressed her knee into my legs. I thrashed desperately, summoning the last of my strength.
"You can break my hands," I spat, "but I'll still find a way to make Julian pay for this."
Larissa laughed. "Brave words for someone who's about to—"
The cell door suddenly burst open with such force it slammed against the wall. Chief Garrison stood in the doorway, his face rigid with shock.
"What the hell?" he bellowed.
