Betrayals
Page 57
I opened my eyes, and his face was right over mine.
“Just focus on me. Deep breaths.”
I wanted to say I was okay, but his arms tightened around me. I took a minute to recover and stepped back with a thank-you.
Ricky reached for my switchblade and pushed the off button for the light. “Just for a minute, okay?”
We didn’t want cops seeing light coming from a closet. Ricky found my hand in the dark again, entwining his fingers with mine while we listened.
The police found Erin. They called for assistance and began searching the building. Ricky flicked on my light just long enough to see our surroundings. Then he moved my free hand to hang on to his jacket while he led us deeper into the tunnels. My night vision is pretty good. His is better—another gift of his stronger Cn Annwn blood.
Once we were partway down the next tunnel, he turned on my light and held it out to me.
“You want it back?” he whispered.
“No, keep it,” I said.
He shone the beam around. “Wow. If we weren’t running from the cops, I’d totally want to go exploring down here.”
I chuckled. “That’s what I thought last time I was fleeing through here. It’s fascinating, isn’t it? All this, abandoned, and—” I stopped short, my head swinging to the left.
“You hear something?” he whispered.
“No, sorry, just … I’d totally forgotten what happened the last time I was down here.”
“Hypothermia, remember? The doctors said you might have black spots. Was it a vision?”
I nodded. “There were lamiae, they’d been held captive …”
I’d promised to see to their remains. I had to make sure I did that.
I continued, “The point for now is that the last time I was down here, I had visions.”
“Got it. Which means this time …” He took my hand. “Hold tight. If you see anything move, tell me. Don’t wait to be sure it’s not just a rat.”
“There are rats?”
“Underground? Near the river? Nah.”
I managed a soft laugh. “Right. Okay then, let’s press on.”
We couldn’t hear anything overhead. Which didn’t mean the police were gone—they’d be there for hours. We had to find our own way out. That would be much easier if I could recall anything about the layout of this place.
We continued down one passage after another.
“Starting to feel like we should have brought breadcrumbs,” Ricky said.
“Wouldn’t help. The rats would eat them.”
He chuckled and pushed open a door. It got partway open and stopped. He looked down. “What the—?”
The room strobed. I heard soft sobs. The rattle of chains. A man lay on the floor, his body decomposing. Another body lay near—
“—and wrong room, apparently.”
A yank on my arm, hard enough to make me stumble, and I found myself back in the corridor with Ricky, his fingers wrapped tight around my arm as he shut the door he’d been opening.
“Wrong room,” he repeated.
“Yep.” I glanced down. “Was there a …?”
“Skeletonized body blocking the door? Unfortunately.” He looked around. “Okay, so let’s back up, away from the vision-inducing hell-room and—”
“Wait!” I said. “This way. There’s a window right around the corner. That’s where Gabriel found me.”
I led him through a doorway to see a figure coming through the broken window. I gripped his arm. “I’m seeing—”
“It’s not a vision,” he whispered. “Unless we’re sharing it.” He tugged me back along the passage. “You said Gabriel came through there?”
I shook my head. “He couldn’t fit, so that can’t be him.”
He turned off the light and we stood there, listening. Footsteps whispered across the floor. Then Ricky pulled me toward a doorway. We slipped in and waited.
As I listened, I picked up breathing. Fast, deep breathing, like someone trying not to panic. Three careful, light footfalls.
“Don’t take another step.”
I jumped at the voice—an unmistakable baritone.
“There is a gun trained on you,” Gabriel said. “You will raise your hands and take two steps back toward me.”
“I’m—” It was a girl’s voice.
“I do not care. You will step back or you will be shot, and it may not kill you, but I suspect a bullet doesn’t need to be cold-forged iron to be rather uncomfortable.”
We slid from our hiding spots. I took the lead now, my gun in hand. I peeked around the corner to see Gabriel crouched at the window. Moonlight flooded through. He caught my eye and nodded.
“Turn my way,” he said to the lamia.
She did. Then she said, “Hey, you don’t have a—”
“I said there was a gun trained on you. I did not say I was holding it.”
“That’d be me,” I said.
She looked over her shoulder. “Mat—Olivia.” She went still. Then she turned sharply to Gabriel. “Gwynn,” she whispered. “I didn’t recognize you at first.”
“Possibly because my name is Gabriel,” he said dryly.
“I-I’m sorry. I meant no disrespect.” She glanced quickly at us, nodding for Ricky, but then turned back to Gabriel and stared. “Th-thank you. For coming. To help us. We appreciate it.”
“Just focus on me. Deep breaths.”
I wanted to say I was okay, but his arms tightened around me. I took a minute to recover and stepped back with a thank-you.
Ricky reached for my switchblade and pushed the off button for the light. “Just for a minute, okay?”
We didn’t want cops seeing light coming from a closet. Ricky found my hand in the dark again, entwining his fingers with mine while we listened.
The police found Erin. They called for assistance and began searching the building. Ricky flicked on my light just long enough to see our surroundings. Then he moved my free hand to hang on to his jacket while he led us deeper into the tunnels. My night vision is pretty good. His is better—another gift of his stronger Cn Annwn blood.
Once we were partway down the next tunnel, he turned on my light and held it out to me.
“You want it back?” he whispered.
“No, keep it,” I said.
He shone the beam around. “Wow. If we weren’t running from the cops, I’d totally want to go exploring down here.”
I chuckled. “That’s what I thought last time I was fleeing through here. It’s fascinating, isn’t it? All this, abandoned, and—” I stopped short, my head swinging to the left.
“You hear something?” he whispered.
“No, sorry, just … I’d totally forgotten what happened the last time I was down here.”
“Hypothermia, remember? The doctors said you might have black spots. Was it a vision?”
I nodded. “There were lamiae, they’d been held captive …”
I’d promised to see to their remains. I had to make sure I did that.
I continued, “The point for now is that the last time I was down here, I had visions.”
“Got it. Which means this time …” He took my hand. “Hold tight. If you see anything move, tell me. Don’t wait to be sure it’s not just a rat.”
“There are rats?”
“Underground? Near the river? Nah.”
I managed a soft laugh. “Right. Okay then, let’s press on.”
We couldn’t hear anything overhead. Which didn’t mean the police were gone—they’d be there for hours. We had to find our own way out. That would be much easier if I could recall anything about the layout of this place.
We continued down one passage after another.
“Starting to feel like we should have brought breadcrumbs,” Ricky said.
“Wouldn’t help. The rats would eat them.”
He chuckled and pushed open a door. It got partway open and stopped. He looked down. “What the—?”
The room strobed. I heard soft sobs. The rattle of chains. A man lay on the floor, his body decomposing. Another body lay near—
“—and wrong room, apparently.”
A yank on my arm, hard enough to make me stumble, and I found myself back in the corridor with Ricky, his fingers wrapped tight around my arm as he shut the door he’d been opening.
“Wrong room,” he repeated.
“Yep.” I glanced down. “Was there a …?”
“Skeletonized body blocking the door? Unfortunately.” He looked around. “Okay, so let’s back up, away from the vision-inducing hell-room and—”
“Wait!” I said. “This way. There’s a window right around the corner. That’s where Gabriel found me.”
I led him through a doorway to see a figure coming through the broken window. I gripped his arm. “I’m seeing—”
“It’s not a vision,” he whispered. “Unless we’re sharing it.” He tugged me back along the passage. “You said Gabriel came through there?”
I shook my head. “He couldn’t fit, so that can’t be him.”
He turned off the light and we stood there, listening. Footsteps whispered across the floor. Then Ricky pulled me toward a doorway. We slipped in and waited.
As I listened, I picked up breathing. Fast, deep breathing, like someone trying not to panic. Three careful, light footfalls.
“Don’t take another step.”
I jumped at the voice—an unmistakable baritone.
“There is a gun trained on you,” Gabriel said. “You will raise your hands and take two steps back toward me.”
“I’m—” It was a girl’s voice.
“I do not care. You will step back or you will be shot, and it may not kill you, but I suspect a bullet doesn’t need to be cold-forged iron to be rather uncomfortable.”
We slid from our hiding spots. I took the lead now, my gun in hand. I peeked around the corner to see Gabriel crouched at the window. Moonlight flooded through. He caught my eye and nodded.
“Turn my way,” he said to the lamia.
She did. Then she said, “Hey, you don’t have a—”
“I said there was a gun trained on you. I did not say I was holding it.”
“That’d be me,” I said.
She looked over her shoulder. “Mat—Olivia.” She went still. Then she turned sharply to Gabriel. “Gwynn,” she whispered. “I didn’t recognize you at first.”
“Possibly because my name is Gabriel,” he said dryly.
“I-I’m sorry. I meant no disrespect.” She glanced quickly at us, nodding for Ricky, but then turned back to Gabriel and stared. “Th-thank you. For coming. To help us. We appreciate it.”
