They both jerked slightly at a crashing sound outside. Both of them startled, pushing apart.
“What was that?” she squeaked.
Mark spun, putting himself between her and whatever danger there might be. She was about to explain it was probably something that had fallen, when the window to the front door of the lab shattered. A smoking canister flew through the broken pane, and Mark cursed.
“Come on, we’ve got to go. Back door.”
He grabbed her hand, and they ran, the gas already filling the room by the time they made it to the back door that went into the hallway.
Jenna let out a gasp when she saw a man on the other side of the glass, his eyes empty, gun in hand. A robot.
Mark shoved the door outward and into him, knocking him over. The gun in the guy’s hand went flying, Mark grabbed for it and clocked him over the head to keep him down without killing him.
Another man came running down the hallway at Jenna. Mark spun, catching the guy with a roundhouse kick that knocked him to the floor.
No sign of Mark’s peripheral neuropathy right now, that was for damned sure.
He didn’t stop to celebrate; he grabbed her hand and started running down the hall. “Come on. I’m sure there will be more soon.”
“They were robots.”
“I know.” Mark didn’t slow down. “That’s why I’m sure there will be a lot more.”
She stopped short at the end of the hallway when they reached a door and she realized where they were going.Outside. Fear blanketed her mind, and her vision narrowed. Bile was already building at the base of her throat.
“Jenna.” Mark squeezed her hand. “We have to go.”
“I can’t.”
“It’s the only way.”
She yanked her hand out of his. “Mark, I can’t go out there.”
He took her face in his hands. Smoke was pouring through the hallway now, making it difficult to breathe. “Jenna, they are coming to take us, or maybe kill us outright. They’re going to wait until they think we’re passed out, then every single robot Joaquin sent will be coming in here to get us. We. Have. To. Go. It’s the only way.”
She couldn’t do it. She just couldn’t. “Mark—”
“I am going to be with you every fucking second, understand me? I know. I know what this will do to you, sweetheart, and I’m sorry. But I won’t let you die.”
Right now, dying by a quick bullet seemed better than trying to step foot out that door.
“Leave me,” she whispered.
“There is not one goddamned way in hell I’m leaving you.” He looked down at the gun in his hand, taking out the magazine then reloading it. He shook his head but didn’t say anything.
He was going to stay. He was going to stay and try to shoot it out, even knowing the odds were total shit. Because of her.
It was one thing to be willing to die because of her fear. It was something else entirely to be willing to let Mark die with her.
Not to mention, it would be robots coming after them. Innocent people being used against their will that Mark would be forced to kill.
She had to go. But her muscles were frozen. She knew they only had seconds, and she still couldn’t move.
She grabbed his wrists, digging her nails into his skin. “I don’t know if I can go out there. I mean, I don’t know if I can physically make myself do it.”
Behind them came another sound of breaking glass. They were out of time.
“Do you trust me?”