“Stay behind me,” he whispered, turning left.
She nudged him in the back. “We have to get that address, Jasper. There are kids who need to be rescued.”
He continued moving and looked over his shoulder at her. “Tell me.”
“Trafficked ones. I have proof on a pen recorder, but apparently, I dropped my clutch when they sedated me. We have to get to those kids before it’s too late, even if I don’t have the evidence against the kidnapper any longer.”
The desperation in her eyes made sense to him now. “Tell me your initial plan.” He kept moving silently, making sure she hadn’t started limping.
“To give the recorder and the address to the authorities at the charity auction,” she said.
Seemed like a good plan. “Now?”
“To find the guy who trafficked them and get the address.” Her voice hardened. “No matter what I have to do.”
He was the killer in the family, and she should probably learn that truth sooner rather than later. He sensed a Kurjan up ahead, but the guy had been injured in the fight, and healing cells lightened the air around him. Good. That must be the soldier Jasper had nearly decapitated.
He ducked his head as the tunnel constricted and moved swiftly, keeping track of Leah behind him. Their path twisted and turned, the corridor becoming narrow in some spots and wider in others. Soon, the floor turned damp, and the walls seemed to sweat, even as a depressing chill permeated the environment.
He paused before the final turn, sensing the Kurjan on the other side. He looked over his shoulder and mouthed for Leah to stay still.
She rolled her eyes, apparently none the worse for her ordeal.
He pivoted around the side to see the youngest Kurjan he’d fought sitting on the ground, eyes closed, head back in a seemingly hypnotic state. Apparently, Jasper had almost killed the soldier.
When the Kurjan opened his eyes, they were a bloody purple that almost matched his black hair with its red tips—also dripping deep-red blood.
Jasper leaped forward, pivoted, and kicked the soldier beneath the chin. The Kurjan’s head flew back to smash hard against the stone wall, creating a melon-sized impact. He slumped to the side, unconscious.
Jasper reached back for Leah’s hand. “Come on, let’s go.”
He started jogging with her on his heels, still maneuvering through the tunnels until they finally reached the first of what appeared to be many carved ladders in the stone. He listened but didn’t hear traffic. The last thing he wanted was to end up in the middle of a busy street.
“I’ll go first.” Leah tried to push ahead of him.
“Not a chance.” If somebody was going to get their head taken off, it would be him.
He rapidly climbed the ladder and pushed open a steel grate before poking his head up to see what appeared to be a storageroom in a bar. Liquor bottles lined one wall, along with a couple of kegs. He hefted himself out and reached a hand down for Leah. She grabbed it, and his entire body jolted as he pulled her up to stand. More sequins fell off her dress.
She looked down. “I paid a fortune for this thing.”
“You look stunning.” He replaced the grate.
She’d left enough sequins in their wake that the Kurjans would easily follow the trail, even if they couldn’t sense him or, more importantly, her as an enhanced female. He had to find them both a change of clothing and soon. He pushed open the door to find an Irish pub of sorts with patrons drinking from overflowing beer mugs near several pool tables or at the long bar lining the side wall.
He took Leah’s hand and walked out, shutting the door. The bartender looked up and then frowned.
Jasper lifted a hand. “Long story. I’ll be back later.”
“You were in my storage room? Wait a minute.” The bartender slammed a glass onto the counter.
Jasper pivoted, lifted Leah into his arms and started to run. “No.”
“Hey,” the bartender yelled. “Wait.” He and a bouncer bustled from behind the bar.
Jasper kicked open the door and barreled outside into fairly busy Parisian traffic. He jumped onto the hood of a taxi and leapfrogged his way over several vehicles to the other side as angry drivers honked their horns.
The bartender and burly bouncer bellowed at him from the sidewalk. They weren’t dumb enough to follow his path, however. He smiled, waved, and kept running, recognizing the area immediately.
