I nodded, even knowing he couldn’t see me. “Of course, I’ll get the drives to you after we’re done here. But hey—we need to talk; there’s something important I have to tell you afterward.”
“Stay alive, and we will talk.”
I rolled my eyes. “I don’t plan on dying today.”
“Good,”he said.“The password is Rory.”
I frowned. “What?”
“That’s the name of his Chihuahua. Nobody ever asked him, so he made it the password.”
“Rich people.”
The ground rumbled beneath my feet, and I stepped back simultaneously with Devil, Dog, and the other men around us.
A large round portion of the ground was rotating, going downward as it did, like a huge drill paving a safe passage for us. It revealed sets of metal stairs as it continued going down. The walls on the circular ground were also metal.
“Found the passage?”
“Yes.”
He gave a“Hm”of approval.“Be careful, Zahra. I expect you unharmed.”
“You will get me unharmed.”
“Hm.”It was quiet as some of the men went in first.“Zahra?”
“Yeah?”
“Te amo.”
My heart missed a beat, and all the air rushed out of my lungs on cue. He didn’t say it often, but when he did, the effectwas long-lasting. I blew out an uneven breath and spoke quietly. “I’ll see you soon.”
The line disconnected, and I returned the phone to one of the men by my side, looking toward the woods again.
“What in theStranger Things.” Dog whistled as he followed behind some soldiers down to the open ground.
I was about to follow suit when Devil held my arm back as he turned off his comm. “Elio said you are getting the drives.”
My eyes looked between his. “Yeah.”
“He trusts you,” he pointed out.
“I know. That’s why I’m going to get the drives to him.”
His eyes shone with suspicion.
I let out a sharp breath. “Come on, Devil, you’ve known me for almost six years. When I say you can trust me, I mean it. I will get the drives to him and tell him everything, and if I can convince him to let me look at one of the drives, we’ll be saving many lives. Please trust me on this.”
He stared at me for a bit longer. “Okay.”
I let out a breath, about to leave, but he held me back.
“I’m choosing to trust you, Zahra. Don’t make me regret it.”
I turned on my comm. “I won’t.”
After a nod from him and confirmation from me, he let go of my arm as we climbed down the metal stairs and into the ground together.
