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Dear old dad pushed back his chair and stood. “You have no idea what you’re talking about. I’d like you to leave.” He pointed to the door.
“Are you sure? You aren’t afraid I’ll go to the police and tell them about your escape hatch that runs behind the fence in the back of the property? Or how many people drive through Hollow Woods Resort at eleven at night and enter through an underground tunnel? And I can’t forget those tubes that stick out of the ground to vent the lab gases.” That last part had been a guess on her part.
The man’s lips flapped. Clearly, she’d pushed a lot more than one or two buttons. It was as if he could see his entire life’s work come tumbling down.
He charged over to her, grabbed her arm, and yanked her to her feet. “You’re coming with me.”
“Where?”
“Shut up and let me think.”
Her cell was in her pants pocket, but it must have been sticking out, because Delancey grabbed it and tossed it on his desk.Damn.
He then half-dragged her over to the bookcase and pressed a button that caused a hidden door to open. This most likely either led to his escape tunnel or to the underground factory. She could only hope the camera picked up everything.
He opened his desk drawer, and when he pulled out a gun Paris’ heart jumped to her throat. She had to force back the bile that raced up her throat.
“Move,” her father demanded.
Not that she’d expected a warm hug or anything, but he didn’t have to manhandle her or point a gun at her. However, Paris was getting what she wanted—to see what the hell was going on underground.
She’d walked quite far before the hallway made an abrupt right turn. Voices and what sounded like machinery came from the north. “Is that your cocaine factory I hear?”
The click of a gun had adrenaline rushing through every vein. “Not another word. Do you understand?”
Paris nodded. If he was going to kill her, it might be better if he did it now rather than later. She had no idea how far the camera signal or the tracking device reached. When she spotted a door, she nodded to it. “Where does that go?”
He pressed the gun to her head. “What did I just say?”
She held up her hands. “Okay, okay. Sheesh. Aren’t you even a little curious about your daughter?”
“No.”
She’d heard the slightest hesitation in his voice. Most likely, he wanted to know how he’d messed up and how she’d learned so much.
They continued past the door and headed eastward toward the hillside.
“Meet me at the rear entrance. I have a package to deliver,” Delancey said to someone. Whether he’d called this person or used some kind of communications device she didn’t know since her back was to him.
It seemed like they'd walked forever when they came to the end. She spun around. “Now what?”
“Climb.”
She figured he’d say that. He pressed a button on his phone and something clicked.
While she couldn’t be positive how long she’d been in the tunnel, Rider would have sent at least one team member to the back of the fenced area.
“Go,” he commanded.
Paris took hold of the ladder that was affixed to the cement wall and climbed as slowly as possible. She wanted to give the men time to arrive. Only then did she remember both Grayson and Rider mentioning that a large amount of dirt and grass covered the metal door. No way she’d be able to lift it, but she’d try.
Paris pretended that her foot slipped in order to waste time. He stepped behind her and then placed his foot on the first rung. Having him this close made her nervous.Just move. When she reached the hatch, she pulled back the metal bar. Not wanting her father to move any closer, she pushed on it, but it wouldn’t budge.
She tried again. “It won’t lift up.”
“I’ll try it.” He climbed up behind her, and she shivered.
Probably thinking she’d try to take the gun away from him, he held it behind him somewhere. He reached up and pushed on the metal lid. It didn’t move for him either.
