Page 27 of Peak’s Code

The scream ripped through the steel door. It wasn't the panicked yell of someone caught in an explosion. It was raw and desperate. It was the kind of scream a person made when they believed no one was coming to help them.

Peak didn't think; he just reacted. “Get back,” he ordered. Maeve took two quick steps away as he drove the heel of his boot into the heavy steel door. The frame shuddered, but it didn't budge.

"Damn it,” he growled as he slammed into it again with his shoulder. It still didn’t move.

"It's reinforced," Maeve shouted.

"No kidding." Another scream echoed from the other side, followed by a woman's voice.

"Please!" she shouted.

The word was muffled by concrete and steel, but unmistakable. Peak's blood turned to ice, and he looked at Maeve. Her face had gone ghost white. "They're alive back there."

She nodded. "I told you that something was wrong."

Peak crouched beside the electronic lock again. "I need thirty seconds."

Maeve was already kneeling beside the keypad.

"You don't have thirty seconds," she said.

She yanked the cover completely free, exposing the wiring. "What are you doing?" he asked.

"Skipping the lock,” she said.

"Can you do that?" he asked.

"I don't know, but I have to try,” she said. She pulled another tool from her boot, and Peak blinked at her.

"Seriously?" he grumbled.

She didn't even look up from what she was doing. "I told you. I carry lots of things." Despite everything, he almost laughed.

The smell of gasoline grew stronger. Somewhere beyond the door, something ignited. Heat rolled through the narrow gap beneath the steel, and Peak's pulse hammered. "They're burning evidence."

Maeve shook her head violently. "No, they're burning witnesses."

“Fuck,” Peak spat. He knew that she was right, and that there was nothing more that they could do for the people trapped on the other side of that door. But Maeve seemed determined to try.

She twisted two wires together, and nothing happened. She quickly worked on another pair of wires, and still, nothing happened. Peak glanced down the tunnel. His instincts screamed that they weren't alone anymore.

He slowly drew his pistol. "You hear that?"

Maeve froze. "What?" He held up one finger, silencing her, and that’s when he heard footsteps. They weren’t running, but walking slowly as they went deeper inside the tunnel behind them. Peak killed the flashlight, allowing darkness to swallow everything. The footsteps continued, and he knew that there were at least two people, maybe more.

"They found us," Maeve whispered.

Peak eased in front of her. "Stay behind me."

"I can shoot a gun if you need me to,” she offered.

"I don't doubt it,” he said. "But if bullets start flying—” He glanced back at her. "I'm the bigger target."

The footsteps stopped, and he knew that someone was standing less than twenty feet away. A flashlight clicked on and a powerful white beam sliced through the darkness. Peak ducked behind an old crate, pulling Maeve down beside him. The beam swept across the chamber, across the steel door, and the old shelving. It stopped when whoever it was saw the open keypad.

A man's voice echoed through the tunnel. "They've been here." Peak could tell that it wasn’t anyone from the Iron Serpents. The voice lacked the roughness of a biker. It was too calm and professional. He was guessing that the guy was military.

Another voice answered. "They couldn't have gotten inside."