BASTIAN
Iwanted to shout Lark’s name.
I moved as fast and as quietly as I could through the murky tunnel. There were puddles of foul-smelling water on the ground, and the darkness was thick, hiding secrets.
He could be hurting her.
I gritted my teeth and kept moving. Dean would feel the full force of the Reaper.
My foot hit something and I heard it skitter across the concrete. I aimed my cellphone light down and saw the earpiece.
My gut locked. I crouched and picked it up.
It was Lark’s.
I cursed, my fingers curling around it. I felt the others at my back.
“Bastian?” Rafe said.
He and Alessio had caught up with us a few minutes ago.
“She took out her earpiece.” It wasn’t damaged, so I didn’t think Dean had found it. “The little fool is determined to protect me.”
“She loves you,” Nash said. “I misjudged her, but I see the way she is with you. The way she is with no one else.”
“I know she loves me, but if she heard that word out loud, she’d run for the hills. It scares the shit out of her. And now, she’s trying to go it alone with a serial killer.”
To keep me safe.
No one, not once in their lives, had tried to protect me. I was the Reaper. People needed protection from me. The men at my side had my back, always, but they knew that I could take care of myself.
Lark knew that too, but she didn’t care.
She was driven to protect me.
As I was driven to protect her.
“Can you track her bracelet?” I asked.
Nash shook his head. “Not down here. There’s no signal.”
I looked ahead into the dark tunnel. “I’ll find her.”
“Just don’t rush in and get yourself killed.”
With a nod, I took off at a jog. Dean would know I was coming, so I gave up being quiet. I’d take speed over stealth.
We followed the turn of the tunnel and I saw debris. There were homeless people living here.
As I glanced around, the steady drip of water echoed in the background. Old memories stirred. My shoe kicked through old, used needles, empty liquor bottles, dirty rags. I’d slept in places like this. Slept with one eye open in case the predators attacked me in my sleep.
It was in a place like this that I’d worked hard to become big enough and scary enough to protect myself.
We reached a junction. Three tunnels branched off.
Fuck, which way had they gone?
As I stared, frustration gnawed at me. I didn’t know how much time Lark had.
