“Why can’t they just get trap doors like normal people?” Rory mutters, shaking his head. “This is giving me flashbacks to a few years ago when everything was made of cake. Nope, not a bookcase, a secret door! Want a Coke? Too bad, the vending machine is just covering ahole in the wall. What’s next? I’m gonna take a bite out of my fucking burger and have it open a portal to Superman’s fucking Fortress of Solitude?”
I would laugh if he wasn’t being completely serious.
Sam only rolls his eyes as we clear into the next room, and my stomach drops at the sight.
In front of us is an impossibly long hallway, with at least ten doors on each side.
“Why is it empty?” Rory whispers. “It’s giving me the fucking creeps.”
“I bet this is where Whitmore and all his goons were when Tate alerted him,” Sam mutters, motioning us to halt as he puts his back to the wall next to the first door. He clears the first room—empty.
So is the second room.
They’re all empty, devoid of any life. Well, one room is full of mice in cages that I’m sure are being tested on, but that’s it. Otherwise, it’s just empty offices and a server room.
The server room has a blinking red flash drive sticking out of one of the towers, which tells us that Hayden and Declan were already in here. If all is going to plan, Aidan is currently downloading every single piece of information from their servers. Every experiment, every test, every crime.
There’s a second USB stick, and that one I’m pretty sure is the device Declan brought to jam the radio frequencies throughout this underground facility, since his device outside wouldn’t be able to reach down here.
“To the elevator?” Rory grins, sauntering over to the end of the hall and pushing the button. “I wonder just how far underground this shithole goes?”
“I really hope we don’t need any kind of access key.” I can’t help the cynicism in my voice, but as soon as it dings and opens for us, Rory smirks at me.
“Doesn’t look like it.”
The unhinged beta hums some sort of horrible version of elevator music, and Sam and I exchange a look. The longer we’re in here, the more uneasy I feel. Just how long until the elevator stops?
“Oh, shit. We didn’t hit the floor button,” Rory cackles, and I suppress the strong urge to facepalm.
“L for lab?” I venture hopefully, eyeing the buttons on the panel of the elevator, all labelled very helpfully with letters such as “L”, “D”, “C” and “T”.
Sam hits the button with more force than necessary, and then we’re dropping. “You boys ready?” Rory gives us a feral grin as he readies his AK. I raise my handgun, and Sam does the same.
Let’s find out.
As soon as the doors ding open, we’re met with chaos.
fourteen
Hayden
“Burn, motherfucker!” I shout as I push the nozzle down on the hairspray and light the bastard up. “Where is she?” Wincing as the words leave my mouth, I realize maybe I should have asked the questionbeforeburning the bastard alive. The guard in question, who had been trying to murder me ten seconds ago, rolls on the ground screaming.
Oof.
“Ask questions first, dipshit!” Declan shouts, right as the elevatordings behind us.
“Oh thank fuck,” I breathe a sigh of relief when I see Sam, West, and that Rory guy from earlier, who all immediately duck down and head for the table I’m currently crouched behind.
“What the hell?” Sam snaps, sliding to his knees next to me and watching with mild horror as the guard on the ground passes out.
Or dies. It’s not super obvious, and I’m not about to check his pulse. I might even feel bad for the guy, if he wasn’t a part of an organization that kidnaps and experiments on omegas.
But let’s be honest. The asshole signed his own death warrant as soon as they took Jo down here. My alpha rumbles in satisfaction at the knowledge that the men who had a part in our omega’s disappearance are being dealt with.
Losing Jo has unlocked something inside my alpha…insideme. Three weeks ago, I would have balked at the idea of being part ofanyone’sdeath. Now, though? I’m ready to burn the world down as long as she’s still standing among the ashes when it’s done.
Out of habit, I reach out to check the bond again. She’s there, she’s just…muted. Even now, she’s still blocking me.
