Greig is smart. He used to work for the Russians overseas and has seen a lot of shit in his fifty years of life.
“Being underground,” he whispers, stomping on the ground as he looks down.
“Yes. We’ve looked everywhere for an entrance or something, but can’t find it,” Abbott explains.
“Blueprints will need a computer to pull up. Ground radar is difficult to find as a civilian,” Greig mutters. “We look for pipes that are out of place, and anywhere that might have an entrance hidden under brush,” Greig mutters. “It’s too dark now though, Boss. Even if we spread out, it’ll be difficult to find them before the sun rises.”
“Dammit. I hate that you’re right. Everything is fucking level here! Or at least, that’s how it feels,” Abbott says.
“Are we leaving?” I ask, feeling like my stomach just dropped out of my ass.
I have so many racing thoughts going on in my head, but one of them tells me he’s right. I need to get home so I can research what we’re up against. As much as I want to stay where I know Bellamy, Winter, and Cassidy have to be, I can’t.
“If there’s an auction being set up, I want to find out. There’s no way they can turn one around in such a short time,” I finally say.
Swallowing hard at the implications of my words, Abbott nods.
“Whatever it takes to find them, we’ll do it. It looks like we’re not going to be able to find the clues we need in the dark, though,” Abbott says, his emotions tumbling over each other until it settles on something.
Determination.
“We are not accepting defeat, we are simply using our resources differently,” he says. “While my pack heads home, I want you to keep your ear to the ground, everyone.”
“Yes, sir,” our men say, turning toward the vehicles they brought with them.
“Jake is also a traitor!” Ansel says, raising his voice. “I want to know if he reaches out to anyone. Not telling us is an act of treachery. He helped in this kidnapping.”
“We know,” Henri says sadly. “I never saw it coming, boss. I swear it.”
“I know,” Abbott sighs, heading back to our SUV. “I know. Have three of our men stay and watch in case Jake comes back or anyone leaves?”
“Yes, boss,” Henri says with a nod. “Roy, Tomas, and Draco! Keep watch, please. When the sun comes up, we’ll come back to walk the area and see if we can find anything.”
“We’ll be here,” Draco promises with a nod. “At first light, we’ll start to look for any openings or piping that’ll show there’s an underground shelter or facility. We’ll find them, boss.”
It feels as if we’re admitting defeat as I walk back to the car. Stopping, I watch as the other vehicles back away, their headlights leaving me in a pool of darkness as they leave a vehicle for our men in case of emergency.
Safe to allow the illusion that I’m in control drop, I lean over and press two of my fingers to my lips before pressing it against the grass in front of me.
“We’ll be back,” I whisper. “I swear it.”
Straightening, I walk to the SUV and get in without a backward glance, ready to be a soulless demon if it means getting my loves back.
Chapter
Thirty
BELLAMY
My vision isblurry as I blink to clear it. There are bars above my head, and when I reach out to the side, my fingers receive a sharp jolt, making me hiss softly. I believe in testing my boundaries, as it would be dumb to believe that a cage can hold me if it’s not locked.
Forcing myself to stay calm, despite the fact that I know I’m in deep shit, I glance to the side to see that I’m in a cage alone. The sides are electrified somehow, except for the wood panel I’m laying on. It’s also much smaller than the cages I’ve lived in before with Winter.
Due to the cage’s size, all I can do is scrunch my tall, naked body so it doesn’t touch any of the walls.
At some point between being taken and put in the cage, I was also stripped of my clothes, which means I'm as naked as the day I was born.
Winter!I yell in my head through our soul bond. My eyes continue to take in the room I’m currently alone in, categorizing information despite how fuzzy my mind feels, and I begin to realize how cold I am. The air feels stale, metallic, and old,much like when I once went through the underground caves on a vacation with Winter and my parents.
