“How did you know it was a key?” Again, Nadirah showed curiosity, and Sarge, being the boastful type, puffed out his chest.
“It just so happened I’d seen this kind of thing before on some dude’s YouTube channel. He likes to travel to old places and make the doctors with their degrees look stupid when he finds secret rooms.”
“Why bother with a key? If you knew about the hidden lower level, why not smash through the floor?” Phoenix’s turn for answers.
“We thought about it, but we couldn’t be sure it wouldn’t collapse the place. Supposedly these locking systems are sometimes attached to fail-safes.”
Something that wouldn’t have even occurred to Phoenix. “Do you even know what’s on the tablet that’s so important?”
The man shrugged. “I’m being paid enough I don’t really care.”
“Even more now, Sarge, since we’ve got the guy in the bounty, too,” stated patchy mustache.
Phoenix bit his tongue, lest he blurt out,Don’t be so sure of that.
“Time to head out, boys. I am tired of this fucking jungle. What do you say we get back to the city and enjoy the fruits of our labor?”
“Hell yeah,” exclaimed the younger guy, who’d said nothing to this point.
“Jenner, you take point,” Sarge ordered, and the young guy headed for the staircase. Sarge half turned and swept a hand. “Get moving.”
Phoenix followed Jenner, a scared-looking Nadirah by his side. There had to be a way out of this mess.
As if reading his mind, from behind, Sarge said, “Just so you know, if you try anything, I’ll shoot the woman.”
“Why not shoot me?” Phoenix grumbled, annoyed they’d spotted his weakness.
“Because the person who placed the bounty was very clear that you were to be unharmed. However, they didn’t say shit about her.”
A comment that didn’t bode well. Would they kill Nadirah if they thought her useless? A distinct possibility, especially ifthey got him in restraints where he couldn’t act. Even now he’d struggle to protect. The narrow staircase meant they had to move single file, and with Phoenix ahead of Nadirah, he’d be unable to shield her if those fuckers shot her in the back.
Could he do something to get them to shoot him despite their orders? A transformation would be handy right about now.
The climb up happened without the thrilling excitement of discovery they’d enjoyed during the descent. It didn’t help that he knew once they exited the ruin, he’d face even greater odds, as his earlier count had seven men in total. With three in here, that meant four more waiting. He really needed to do something before his odds turned to absolute shit.
The chance to act came as they exited the stairwell into the first chamber. Phoenix ignored the command from Jenner to “Keep moving” and turned to offer Nadirah a hand.
As she stepped out, he saw Sarge a mere pace behind, holding a revolver, and farther back, the other gunman.
Annoyed that Phoenix disobeyed, Jenner grabbed Nadirah by the arm and yanked, barking, “Get outside.” With him concentrating on her, Phoenix saw his chance. As Sarge readied to step out of the stairwell, Phoenix shoved.
A startled Sarge—who’d mistakenly thought Phoenix cowed—accidentally fired his gun as he fell, the stray bullet spraying stone as it struck the ceiling. Phoenix ignored the damage to watch Sarge topple into the second guy, sending them both rolling down the stairs.
Two down.
Phoenix whirled and noticed Jenner, still holding Nadirah’s arm, gaping instead of reacting. Before the other man could recover, Phoenix barreled into Jenner’s midsection. The abrupt jolt of it led to Jenner releasing Nadirah. Before the guy could recover and fight back, Phoenix grabbed his head and twisted hard.
Crack.
Three down—two of them possibly only temporarily. Four more outside.
Phoenix snared the gun of the man he’d killed before instructing Nadirah, “Stay behind me and hit the ground if you hear gunfire.”
While Phoenix worried Sarge would ambush, he still chose to take point. Firstly, because he had a weapon, and secondly, because if the other hired thugs fired, unless they were shit shots, they’d hit Phoenix, and then they’d really regret their life choices.
Phoenix took off at a run, and Nadirah kept close, huffing in fear but at least not frozen by it. As Phoenix neared the exit of the ruin, he raised the gun and almost reflexively fired because he heard a scream.
An anguished cry that came from outside the ruin.
