The Rising (Darkness Rising 3)

I looked down again. I flexed my knees.

"Maya!"

He lunged toward me. I staggered back and pretended to nearly lose my balance. That stopped him.

"You cannot jump," he said. "You know that. At the very least, you'll break your leg. How far do you expect to get with a broken leg? Even without one, there's no place to go. Look around you."

Below the wall was a driveway. Solid pavement. Beyond that? A huge yard with a steep lane running down to a massive fence that wrapped around the property. Two guards already stood at the gate, flashlights and guns in hand.

I looked behind me.

"There's a gate that way, too," Calvin said. "Every guard--every staff member--heard the alarm and they're out there. If you jump, someone will grab you within seconds."

I continued looking around, assessing, measuring. There was grass to the side. I could jump there. Trees started just beyond it. If I got to the trees, I could make my way through the wooded mountainside behind the house . . .

A light flickered in the woods. Guards heading out. Blocking off my escape routes.

Still, I should give it a shot. Yes, the chances of me making it to safety were minuscule. But minuscule was above zero, and that's how much chance I had otherwise.

Daniel was out there. He was injured. Would I risk injury myself to get to him? Absolutely.

I took a step sideways, toward the grass.

Antone lunged forward. "No, Maya. You will hurt yourself. Badly. You know you will." He inched toward me. "Can we negotiate?"

My head jerked up at that word. He locked gazes with me again. "Yes, negotiate," he said. "I think that's a possibility. Not now. Not under these circumstances. But it is a possibility."

Across the roof, the guard just stood there, looking annoyed at the delay. Paying little attention to what Antone was saying, but still listening.

"Things need to happen for that possibility to become a reality," Antone said. "Do you understand that?"

No, but I understood he was trying to convey a message.

"I will help you," Antone said. "I know what you want and I will help you, Maya."

He'd thought he was "helping" me all along. He thought having me locked up here was helping.

I looked down again. He was right. It was too far. At the very least, I'd sprain my ankle and that would cost me any chance of escape--if I ever had a chance at all, as the yard and forest filled with shapes and flashlight beams.

"I want to negotiate," I said.

"I know you do. But you can't under the current circumstances." He sounded as if he meant "while you're standing on the roof," but he arched his brows, his look implying more. "We need to change the circumstances, and I will help you do that. Okay?"

I hesitated. Another look down, but there was nothing to be gained here except injury and trouble. Better to show that I could be reasonable.

I crouched to leap onto the roof. Antone exhaled and nodded, coming forward, hand out to help me down. I waved him off and was about to jump when the door crashed open. Two guards barreled through, rifles rising.

"No!" Antone said. "She's--"

The guards fired. The first dart hit me in the arm. The second hit me in the thigh. I froze, crouched there. Antone lifted his arms, trying to reach me, but the wall was too high.

He said something, his words fast, eyes wide with panic as he gestured for me to jump down. Now. Before--

I wobbled.

Antone shouted something. His voice thundered in my ears, words indistinguishable. I tensed to jump and--

My muscles went slack. I tried to jump, but my body wouldn't obey. Couldn't. I felt myself toppling. Falling. Then everything went dark.