“Pull up on the grate.” After she steps aside, I tug, then use my feet to shove the metal out of the way.
Dangling my legs through the hole, I stare between my knees and cringe. “Isn’t this the toilet?”
Dolly laughs lightly. “Try not to think about it. Besides, I don’t think they’ve used this jail for ages.”
Better watch yourself, hun. Your next-door neighbor has been keeping secrets.
Thank you, Captain Obvious.Done talking to my subconscious, I stand my ground. “I’m not going anywhere without my friends.”
In lieu of an answer, the woman grabs hold of my thighs. As I struggle to break her grasp, I’m pulled down the hole.
From where I sit on the floor, she looms over me. “Believe me, they’re safer here. Let’s go.”
Standing slowly, I ponder my options. Shouts loud enough to rouse the others would alert the guards. Even if I could overpower Dolly and knock her out, I have no idea which wayto go. The only valid choice is to follow this woman until I can double back to free the rest.
Our footsteps echo, and water drips from the ceiling as we progress. When we enter a wider tunnel, my surprisingly spry neighbor ups her pace.
“C’mon. We must hurry.” Once she realizes I have no intention of following, she wanders back to my side.
I hold up my right index finger. “Listen, lady, before I take another step, I need to know a few things. First off, who do you work for?” My first guess would be the CIA or ATF.
“The white hats. Let’s go.” Annoyed by her evasiveness, I cross my arms and clench my fists.
“Did you know the woman they killed?” My suspicions of her involvement dissolve when her face pales.
“I told her to stay hidden. This is worse than I thought. Are you certain?”
I nod. “We saw the body, but we didn’t tell anyone.”
“Doesn’t matter. They will kill you.” This time, when she races forward, I follow closely.
The odds appear stacked against us, but I should keep these thoughts to myself. Clearly, Dolly has some skills other than reading romances and taking care of her cats.
Chapter 14
"For the strength of the Pack is the Wolf, and the strength of the Wolf is the Pack." — Rudyard Kipling
Axel
Now that we've agreed on the mission, we gear up. Lucky, Jack, Hands, and Wheels will remain outside the fence. No matter what, Suds, Slate, and I will enter through the front gate.
Flanked by the former SEALs, I push the buzzer beside the door handle. No one responds, so I grab a rock. The clanging on metal brings three of the militia wannabes. Rifle safeties off, the idiots race down the hill. Should one of them trip, we’ll be mincemeat.
Once they reach the bottom, I point my weapon at a bald, bearded biker who appears to be the leader. “You have our wives. We’re not leaving without them.”
“Fuck off. They belong to us, now.” One of the stupid, younger guys steps forward. He has no idea how his next breath may be his last.
Slate’s eyes narrow. I swear I can hear his mind whirring.
The older man must recognize my friends’ bone-frog tats, because he suddenly pales. “Lower your weapons, you two. They’re squids.”
When the mouthy one opens his trap as if to object, the hog-rider punches him so hard that the kid drops to his knees.
Rubbing his knuckles, the leader scratches his chest-length chin growth. “I don’t want to shoot you guys, but the boss said no more new members. We barely have enough supplies as it is.”
Slate’s hands remain steady as he stares, unblinking. “You let our women go, we leave. You don’t, you die.”
The guy on the other side of the fence might be genuinely contrite. “If you love them, you’ll want them to stay.”
