“And they’re coming?”
“Yes.”
My shoulders relaxed a little, but still…something concerned me. “Have you talked to them recently?” I asked.
Her eyes sharpened, and she studied me. “Why?”
“It’s been too long,” I told her. “They should’ve been here by now. When was the last time you spoke to them?”
She shifted on her feet, looking hesitant. “The night we arrived,” she murmured.
I closed my eyes, turning away. “Shit,” I said under my breath.
“It’s fine, Emory.” Her tone was firm and decisive. “They’re traveling, there’s been storms, and I haven’t been able to use the phone at times because I was afraid of being heard. They’ll be here.”
When? One day? Eight more days?
We needed to leave now. Make it to the coast and wait for the boat. Anything could happen, and I still didn’t know who dumped me here, but it was only a matter of time before the shit hit the fan.
She walked down the passageway, and I spotted slits and holes in the concrete, light from the rooms on the other side streaming through.
“What do you know about these guys?” I asked.
All I knew was what they’d wanted me to know.
“Stay away from Taylor,” she said, flashing her light ahead. “And stay away from Aydin Khadir.”
Wow, better late than never.
I pulled her to a stop and looked at her. “Why?”
She sighed and pulled out of my hold, continuing down the tunnel. “Micah is harmless unless you hurt Rory,” she told me. “Rory Geardon…”
“Killed people,” I finished for her.
But she stopped and peered through a peephole, whispering, “His twin sister was born with cerebral palsy. She was confined to a wheelchair. One night, a small party of teenagers broke into their house and brutalized her.” She peered over at me. “And I mean, brutalized her.”
I stopped breathing for a moment, remembering his story. And one by one, he sank them to the bottom of a lake and drowned them.
For his twin.
I swallowed the lump in my throat, unable to bear thinking about the details of what they might’ve done to her. My God.
“He had a motive, but that doesn’t mean it takes a lot to set him in motion, either,” she told me. “Watch yourself. His mother is an ambassador to Japan, and his family is one of the biggest real estate developers on the East Coast, specifically in for-profit prisons. That killing spree wasn’t his only foray into crime. They certainly had it coming, but that doesn’t mean he’s done, so be careful.”
I frowned. He was probably unlikely to ever get out of here. That meant he had nothing to lose.
“Taylor definitely belongs in here,” she continued. “He likes to take weekend road trips to college campuses, set fires in dorms and sorority houses, and then molest girls as they try to escape. When he finally lets go, they’re so scared of the fire, they don’t stop to fight back or try to identify him.”
The image of him with my panties flashed in my mind, and I winced.
“And Aydin?”
She’d told me to stay away from him, too.
But she just blurted out, “Just stay away from him. He doesn’t get to win.”
Win what?
“How do you know all this?” I asked her.
She twisted around and started walking, ignoring me. I guessed she must’ve done reconnaissance in her search for Will, but…
I grabbed her, hauling her ass back. “You’re not telling me something.”
She knocked my hand off her arm and glared. “I don’t know why you’re here or who arranged for you to be brought in,” she whispered, leaning in close. “But I came to get Will out, and you’re going to help me.”
I stared at her.
“I don’t mean to be cruel,” she continued, “but you better keep up and stop asking fucking questions. I like you, Em, but I’m not leaving without him, so don’t straggle.”
Why the hurry all of a sudden? It had been days already.
My breath shook as I raised my eyes again. “A year,” I said, hardening my eyes on her. “He’s been gone at least a year, and you knew that when we talked last summer.”
“Well, what were you going to do?” she fired back. “Care?”
What the hell did she just say to me?
The urge to slap her hit me, but I balled my fists instead.
“This isn’t my fault.” I stood strong. I was to blame for some things, but not everything. “You’re his friends. You saw him every day, and you knew what he was doing to himself. This is your fault.”
Maybe she was a little right. Maybe I hated myself, because she’d come for him, and I’m not sure if I would’ve. Maybe it wouldn’t have changed a damn thing if I’d known about this place months ago.
Or maybe she knew nothing about me and should shut her stupid mouth.
She held my eyes for a moment and then dropped her head, sighing. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I didn’t mean that. I’m worried about Will. I’m scared, because I haven’t heard from my friends. I don’t want to be found here.” And then she shook her head as if clearing it. “I’m glad I’m not alone. I’m glad you’re here.”
I chuckled despite myself. “I’m not,” I joked.
She put her hand on my shoulder, giving me a reassuring squeeze. “Nothing is going to happen to us. I’m sorry I didn’t get you sooner.”
“Why didn’t you?”
She hesitated, searching for words. “I didn’t know you were here until I saw you running for your life through the forest on our first night. I spotted you from a window as they gave chase,” she said. “We couldn’t get out until the crew got here, and you were already discovered, so...”
So you stayed hidden.
I had been sedated when we arrived because I was brought here against my will. She was smuggled in and probably awake when she entered the house. She had intel, blueprints, and supplies. She ran and found a place to hunker down, no doubt.
“I…” she paused and then continued. “I kept an eye on the situation from my vantage points, ready to swoop in if needed.”
I studied her. That made no sense. She wouldn’t have been able to stop anyone from hurting me at any moment. She could’ve dived in at any time, collected me, and hidden me somewhere. Why leave me in their care? Every moment that she did was a gamble.
“What if Will doesn’t want to leave?” I ask her.
He wasn’t even remotely content, but he’d given up. Suited to his lot in life of perpetual sidekick, whether it was to Michael Crist, Kai Mori, and Damon Torrance, or Aydin Khadir.
Alex was quiet for a moment as she looked for the entrance to the next passage. “We just gotta wake him up.”
Maybe.
Maybe seeing Alex would snap him out of it.
Another wave of jealousy rushed over me. He would listen to her.
I heard a voice through the walls and some pounding, and I trained my ears.
“Shh,” I told her.
“Emory?” Another knock in the distance.
I darted my eyes to Alex. Shit!