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Quinn thrust the door open, and I ran through. The darkness howled, a sound of anger that seemed to echo off the very walls. Air stirred, a whirlwind of hate that seemed to be aimed at me more than Quinn. I didn't look back, didn't look sideways, just concentrated on getting to the door and the tunnel beyond it.
Something brushed past my hair and crashed into the wall near the door as I ran through. Bones snapped, a creature howled. Quinn, cleaning up behind me, ensuring safe passage. I fled into the tunnel, my footsteps slapping against the cold stone.
Behind me, a creature roared, the reverberations echoing through the red-tinged darkness. Though I heard no sound, Quinn grabbed my arm, pushing me forward faster. It felt like I was being run off my feet and yet didn't seem anywhere near fast enough.
Wasn't fast enough.
Even as the ladder came into sight, there was an odd click and suddenly cameras were moving, tracking us.
A heartbeat later another alarm sounded, closer and harsher than the other, a strident sound that was deafening in the tunnel confines.
The child didn't make a sound. Didn't move. She breathed - I could feel it, see the bright heat of her body - but her stillness was eerie. Hell, I jumped when that alarm started, but not the kid. It was almost as if she understood that she couldn't cry, that to do so would put us all in even greater danger.
Of course, she could also be doped out of her tiny mind, but somehow, that just didn't ring true.
Maybe it was me who was out of my tiny mind.
As we neared the ladder, Quinn touched my shoulder. I slowed, watching as he scrambled up. From behind came the skitter of claws on stone. He hadn't locked the security door and I cursed him - until I realized he'd given us cover. Starr just might think it was the creatures who had tripped the alarm.
I reached for the rungs and began to climb. It didn't matter if it was clear or not up top - I'd rather face six men with guns that two extremely pissed chameleons.
No matter how awkward it might have been to climb a ladder while holding a kid, let me tell you that no ladder had ever been climbed quite so fast. Quinn grabbed my hand and helped me over the final section, then slammed the door shut on my heels and closed the cover.
I leapt over the bodies of two security guards who'd obviously been patrolling nearby, and ran like hell into the thick darkness of the forest.
The thump of many footsteps against concrete suggested security were answering the alarm. I hoped my brother wasn't amongst them or, at least, wasn't the first in line to open that door.
Unease rolled through me again, and this time, I knew for sure it centered on Rhoan. I just wasn't entirely sure why. Was it simply sibling concern? Or the growing certainty that something had gone seriously wrong for him? Maybe the next thing I needed to do once I'd delivered Dia's child to safety was hunt him out - if only to see him and ensure he was okay.
Because the last time I'd felt anything like this, he'd been kidnapped and milked for his seed.
And then something else hit me - the realization that Starr was likely to check the whereabouts of all his people. Including the whores and us fighters. I stopped abruptly.
"What's wrong?" Quinn's voice was even, showing no hint of breathlessness despite all we'd been through. Annoying, to say the least.
"I need to get back to my room, which means I need you to do me a favor." I swiped at the sweat trickling down the side of my face. "Will you take the child to the forest and wait for the shifter to come in and collect her?"
He frowned, and gave the silent little girl a dark look. "I am not overly fond of children."
"I'm not asking you to be fond of her. I'm just asking if you'd take her to safety."
He didn't answer immediately, so I offered up the child. Somewhat reluctantly, he took her. "When and where?"
Rather than respond, I flicked the com-link, and said, "Jack?"
"Regular reports, Riley. That was in the very first lesson on proper guardian behavior."
"I think that was the one I slept through."
He swore. "Damnit, just report."
I smiled. It might not be wise to bait my boss, but damn if it didn't feel good when he bit. "We've got the kid and blown the lab but the shit has temporarily hit the fan. Quinn's going to bring the child to the meet now. I've got to get back and act like nothing has happened."
"Everyone's cover still intact?"
"That very much depends whether the cameras in the tunnels had infrared or not." I hesitated. "Listen, those underground levels are not new. Quinn reckons they're far older than the cartel itself. You don't think this place is situated an old military bunker, do you?"
"Maybe one named Libraska, you mean?"
