Page 77 of Bound

She smiles. “I love you too.”

“God save it for the altar, will you?”

We all know the man who muttered those words. I let them go, my attention solely on Erin as I say goodbye.

I give her a quick kiss, and then I move. I lead. Reliable Rafe at my right. Blaze the blade at my left. Two of our men ahead. Gregory at the vehicle, keeping the system breathing. Mack with Isobel and Erin.

We don’t use the gate. Carlos expects the gate. We take the side route.

Under the cigar bar we stand in, is a tunnel. One that leads straight into the Village. From there, a hidden backdoor of a small office set at the back of the jewelry store awaits us.

And Carlos will be inside.

I lead the men to the basement. Our guards have already moved the shelving unit that conceals the tunnel entrance. A round metal seal, embossed on a massive circular door, stands before us. This building was not touched in the Village’s reconstruction. The damaged tunnels were the first to be rebuilt.

I press my hand to the black pad and smile as it lights up. A locking mechanism whirs.

Under construction sheeting and scaffolding, the tunnel under the building didn’t lead through the front gates. It fed into the old service corridor behind Bachman’s, the same hidden route the family once used to pass from store to Village unseen

Rafe says through the radio, “Twelve-second delay starts the second you open that door, Lucian.”

“Copy. Count it off for me, baby brother.” I look at my men. They are ready. I take the handle. And I open the door.

Twelve seconds.

Twelve seconds to lead these men down the tunnel and climb back up the street to get inside the walls of the Village without Carlos being alerted of our presence.

And we run. Breathlessly we run. My lungs are searing as I tear through the dark tunnels.

Gregory counts over the earpiece in my ear. It hits me in this delicate moment: my brother is a Bachman and maybe this can be his way. Out of the direct line of fire, angling the guns.

The Village is being rebuilt above us, but underneath, the old bones remain.

Finally, we see daylight pouring down into the tunnel, cold air rushing toward us. The latch is open and our men wait to lift us to safety. We race up the ladder as Gregory gets to three.

“Hurry!” Strong hands reach down to grab us. We scramble up and over the edge of the opening of the tunnel.

Gregory: “One.”

Our men hop back down into the tunnel, closing it from the outside in. Blaze Rafe and I take one moment to breathe, then we’re crouched in the short alley that leads to the secret back door of Bachman’s Jewelers.

Two men step from the dark.

Blaze grins as his switchblade flashes from his pocket. I know how lethal he is with a knife, but I’m amazed every time I see it in action. He drops the first with his blade. Rafe handles the second one before he can shout out alerts to more of Carlos’s men.

His men are slow. Out of shape. They look like life has treated them harshly.

The slain guards must be the low-hanging fruit on his gang, those he was willing to sacrifice.

Who is he not willing to sacrifice?

The corridor beyond is narrow. New drywall gives way to old brick. Modern wiring runs over rusted pipes. We’re almost at that hidden backdoor.

Carlos’s voice spills into my head. “Mistake, leaving your women without your protection, Lucian.”

I want to rip the piece out of my ear. I don’t.

“He’s bluffing, Lucian,” Blaze says quickly, keeping me focused. “Carlos can’t resist theater, even with a rope around his neck.”