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The tunnel isn’t wide enough for two people to fit side by side, so I hand Cassandra my flashlight and move ahead of her.
The glow she points at my feet is more than I need to make it through the couple of curves. I’ve taken this path with light, no light, holding my breath… But I’ve never taken this path with someone.
We stay silent as we go, but when my steps slow, Cassandra leans around my side and shines the flashlight forward.
“The other door.” She’s still whispering, but I can hear the understanding in her tone.
When I left her in the safe room last night, I know she went through the closets because she put on my sweatshirt and stole a pack of Skittles. I assumed she must have also opened the final closet door, revealing the back entrance to the safe room. Which is where we are now.
Same as the other door, this one has a palm reader mounted to the wall beside it. I place my hand against the surface, and we listen while the locks disengage.
There’s no such lock on the entrance at the gazebo. But I do have a way to flood the tunnel with a substance that will render anyone inside unconscious. So there’s that.
CHAPTER86
Cassie
This is…insane.
Hans goes into the room first, and he strides around the space like he’s checking to make sure nothing is out of place.
I step into the room on shaky legs because I am becoming embarrassingly flustered.
This shouldn’t be sexy.
Making so many enemies you have to build an actual escape tunnel that goes from your hidden Batman room to an old moldy gazebo shouldn’t be a turn-on.
And yet, here we are.
Hans flips on the wall of monitors, reminding me of how much time he’s spent stalking me, and my core throbs.
Unaware of the fact that I want him to fuck me on this floor, Hans pulls out the chair at the work bench. “I need to grab some things. If you want to sit here, you can keep an eye on the screens.”
Knowing we need to focus, I do as Hans says and drop into the chair.
I look at all the feeds, eyes stopping on one house in particular. “So that abandoned house?”
“I own it.” Hans’s answer is simple. “Or technically, a company does, but it’s my company.”
“So when you told me about all the houses you own…” I glance over at Hans as he pulls bags out of the middle closet.
He pauses to look up at me. “I didn’t mean to not tell you. I just don’t really count that one since it’s as shitty on the inside as it is on the outside. It’ll need to be leveled when someone wants to live there.”
“Hmm.” I turn back to the screens. “Did you buy it just so you could do the tunnel thing?”
“That was a selling feature. But my plan was to actually buy all three houses on the street and live in undisturbed peace. But then the old lady across the street kicked the bucket while I was out of the country killing some people, and when I came home, a pretty little distraction had bought the house before I even knew what happened.”
“And aren’t you glad I did?” I say tartly, mad at myself for being so annoyed that his plans didn’t include me. Even though that would’ve been impossible because we hadn’t met yet.
A hand grips my ponytail and tips my head back.
I expect him to laugh at me or count. But he stares down at me with a serious expression. “You buying that house was the best thing that ever happened to me.”
Everything inside me softens.
Hans doesn’t just throw words around. I know he means it.
I blink up at him. “Best decision I ever made.”
