Chapter 20
It was like being caught in the middle of fireworks, deafening and scary as hell. Each time a bullet fired, there was a flash of light, which told Luke there were three men in front of him. He’d shot one in the leg and he was now crying in pain. The second had stumbled back, surprised at the attack, but the third had charged at him like a bull.
He almost fell from the force of the hit, but instead of taking the brunt of it, Luke redirected the man toward the concrete wall, and in the darkness, all he heard was a sickening crunch as the man’s head hit the concrete. He knew they had other weapons, but with his limited vision, he retreated so he could take cover around the corner if needed. Only then did he put Lance’s weapon in his coat pocket to turn his light on, his own gun at the ready.
It was over before Luke knew it, and it took a moment to process that the two loud bangs had come from him. The moment he’d turned his torch on he’d seen the wounded man aiming at him, and Luke fired two kill shots on the remaining men. Verifying the third man was dead, Luke dashed back to Lance, memories of the battlefield causing bile to rise in his throat, but there wasn’t the time to falter.
Lance had successfully opened the manhole and he was hanging down the opening. “Hurry! I don’t like having my ass out here unprotected, especially since I don’t have a fucking weapon!”
Luke barely slowed, grabbing Lance’s extended hand, and felt himself being lifted, or more accurately catapulted out of the tunnel. Bones jarring as he hit the pavement, he scanned the area, gun out, as Lance closed the manhole cover.
On high alert, Luke handed back Lance’s gun, both men blending into the shadows of a nearby building.
“We’re about one click from the car. Seemed way longer underground.”
“Always appears that way. Do you think more of the crew are waiting for us back at the car?”
Seeing the expression on Lance’s face, Luke knew it was a possibility he was already considering.
Leaving the area, they broke into a jog, detouring along the way and as they approached the vehicle from another direction, their suspicions were confirmed. Almost undetectable, two men stood beside a container, deep in the shadows of the alley.
Lance gestured to Luke, obviously fearing it was a trap, and they took their time approaching the vehicle, examining the outside and tires for trackers. Reassured, Luke slid in behind the wheel. Lance retrieved his cell, pushing a couple of buttons on the dashboard and answered his silent question.
“A gift from Devin. It helps to ping potential bugs on or in the car. It’s an extra layer of security, just in case.”
Returning to the street and headed toward civilization, Luke kept an eye out for a possible tail as Lance made a call using the car’s Bluetooth. The ringing went on and on, until Lance hung up.
“Not answering?”
“It’s not like Devin to not answer on the first ring, especially when he’s at the command center.”
What did it mean? Was there an intruder in the lair? Or did he have his hands full supporting Sloane? Luke’s hands tightened on the wheel while Lance dialed again.
“Fuck man, don’t tell me you can’t take care of yourself for a couple of minutes!”
Devin wasn’t only annoyed but on edge.
“Sit rep, Dev.”
“I don’t have time for your military shit now. What do you want?”
“I want to know what’s going on!” Lance’s deep voice boomed inside the car and Luke could swear the metal vibrated at the sound.
Luke could hear shuffling in the background and someone typing fast. “I have my hands full trying to get Sloane out of a mess. The drug deal was a trap.”
Luke’s heart dropped down his stomach. “Who’s backing her up?”
Another bout of silence confirmed the worst-case scenario.
“Nobody. She doesn’t want help, keeps saying everything is under control. I don’t think we have the same definition of under control. I was about to call Sam or Josh, but I guess you two are closer. Got weapons?”
Lance shifted. “Not enough. What are we going up against?”
The dashboard screen lit with a new destination, and Luke pushed the car forward, burning a few red lights in the process. He remained silent, not caring if he only had one weapon. He’d use his bare fists to pull back Sloane from the trap she was in if that was what he needed to do.
“I’m not sure yet, boss, but I think we need to check all the exit routes. I’ve been trying to guide her toward a secure area, but those assholes have been sticking to her like glue, so she’s had to seek refuge in the Damen Silos.”
At the name, Luke shifted gears and changed course from the route Devin had given them, and it must have shown on the hacker’s radar.
“Hey, man! What are you doing?”
“I know the Damen Silos. I’ve explored them countless times. There’s an entrance to a tunnel on the east side, and that should allow us to go in undetected until we reach Sloane. We have the equipment with us, and I can move fast. At this time of night, there might be stragglers around so we’ll need to be careful. How many people are after Sloane?”
“From her assessment, five following her and another five most probably waiting outside, manning the entrances so they can shoot her if she comes out.”
Anger and adrenaline made Luke hot and itchy. The gun in the waistband of his jeans was digging into his hip and he wished he had more weapons and ammunition. The only advantage he had to pull Sloane out of this situation was his knowledge of the layout. Five minutes from the destination, a plan formed in his head.
“Tell Sloane we’re on our way, Devin. Lance, hear me out. You may not like my plan, but I swear it will work.”
Luke broke into a run as soon as he entered the tunnel, even though it went against every safety precaution for urbex. Hyperaware of his surroundings, and with only a faint beam of light to guide him, the sound of his boots against the wet concrete and his labored breath echoed in the humid atmosphere.
Every shivering form was a potential threat that could stop him from reaching Sloane. Contact with the outside was sketchy as Devin updated their positions. Lance had switched places behind the wheel of the car when Luke had found the hidden entrance to the silos and he’d had gone to take care of the attackers outside the perimeter, providing him and Sloane a way out when he found her. Because he was doing exactly that—getting her out.
From his estimation, he’d almost reached the main tunnel network under the silos and would soon be stepping into the fight zone. Urban missions had been his passion as a Marine, but he didn’t think he’d ever use his skills back on the mainland, and not with such an intense thirst for blood.
Devin’s latest update had been that Sloane had entered through the south and could only go down. And the hacker couldn’t link Sloane, Lance, and Luke together because someone was trying to ping their location from the outside. It meant they could only communicate using Devin as a relay.
Arriving at a bigger space, Luke slowed to listen. Now, more than his eyes and mapping the place in his mind, sound was his best ally to locate danger. Unless the bad guys approached via a point where they thought Sloane was hiding, they wouldn’t care about keeping quiet. Luke knew from experience that background noise could play tricks when determining position, and he’d use it to his advantage.