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“Sapphire, I’m a cop. I can’t just leave them,” Wylde said.

Sapphire captured his eyes. “You’re my old man. My fiancé, and while you’re off duty and wear that cut, you obey me.”

Wylde ground my teeth. “It doesn’t work like that.”

“In my book, it does. You’re either with them or us,” Sapphire stated.

I faced Sapphire, ready to back her decision. Wylde held her gaze, and a small smile briefly crossed his lips. “Fine. Cassidy, we’re leaving.”

Cassidy glanced at Wylde, then at Hatton. You could tell he was torn, and then he relaxed. “Capt., come on. If people don’t wanna be saved, then they can’t be helped.” Cassidy dropped down the hole.

“You’re the police!” a woman cried, rushing forward.

“Yup. And this is the best escape we’ve got. If you don’t want to take it, that’s your choice, but I’m going with them,” Hatton declared.

“You’re leaving us to die!”

“No. I’m telling you this is your best chance. But you refuse to listen. I won’t die because you refuse to take good advice,” Hatton said.

I frowned. Had that just happened? Mr By The Rules had threatened to abandon civilians?

“Chill out, that was planned,” Belladonna whispered in my ear. “Wylde realised Sapphire didn’t mean it, but played along. And apparently Cassidy and Hatton both speak silent Wylde.”

“I’d have left them,” I muttered and followed her down the hole.

Rose

“Well, this is mildly alarming,” I commented, looking around the large room. Each wall had a single door. My nosy-parker sisters opened them, and we saw tunnels coming off them.

“Which is the right way?” Fortune asked.

“My gut says that one,” Sapphire said, pointing.

“Then we’re off to see the fuckin’ wizard, and he better have a damn big air balloon,” Cyber bitched as we moved forward. The townies had fallen silent. Clearly, the threat of being left behind had made them reconsider the offer.

The tunnel let us walk three abreast, but it forked off.

“We could split up,” I suggested.

“No. We stay together,” Sapphire barked. I heard the worry in her voice and didn’t push it. “Go right.”

We walked down it and hit a dead end. We turned quietly and headed back into the tunnel on the left side. As we followed, it felt like it sloped down a little, and we entered another room.

“What the hell is this?” Dagger exploded. “Did we just do a fuckin’ circle?”

“No, there’s no manhole cover above us,” Priest pointed out.

“Okay, which door now?” I asked.

Sapphire frowned and then motioned. We headed in that direction. Corridors stretched one after another until we reached a large room. We were totally lost and had no idea where we were going. Sighing as we entered another room, we paused. This one was different. There was blood here, a lot, and the smell hung heavy in the air.

“What…?” Sapphire asked and then broke off. This was alarming, to say the least.

“Above us,” Priest said and pointed. There was a manhole cover.

“Get on my shoulders,” he ordered Blue, but Sparrow stepped up and moved it for us.

“I’m first, Blade second,” Sparrow stated as she approached Priest. One by one, we hefted everyone up and into a room. Hatton was the last, and he jumped and caught Cassidy’s and Wylde’s hands.