Page 91 of Dark ’N’ Deadly

“Trigger my ass.” Eric dropped Tiger’s leash and began kicking at the paneling.

Beside him, Nick and Kade handed their dogs’ leashes to Matt and Dayne then joined in, pounding their boots against the wall. The wood was thicker than expected, with very little give. Eric kicked harder until he heard a sharp crack. He focused on one area where the grain was beginning to split. A louder crack sounded as the panel finally split down the middle.

Nick and Kade backed off so Eric could focus his kicks on that one section. Eventually, an entire section of panel gave way, leaving a gaping hole in the wall. Damp air flooded the room.

With his right hand, Eric whipped out his Glock. His friends already had their weapons out, trained on whatever was behind the wall. But there was nothing except total darkness.

Eric grabbed his flashlight. Five beams clicked on.

“Holy cow, Batman,” Dayne muttered.

“It’s just like a drug-smuggling tunnel.” Nick’s tone was one of disbelief.

They raised the beams higher, trying to determine the extent of the tunnel, but there was no end in sight.

“Oh, man,” Kade said. “This thing goes on forever.”

Eric aimed his flashlight up and to the sides, illuminating a crudely dug, unlined tunnel, tall enough to stand in and wide enough to drive a car through. Long, twisted roots stuck through the sides and ceiling.

His foot contacted something on the ground, and he refocused his light. Sticking up through the dirt floor was a thick piece of wood, attached to which were outlets. Not standard electrical outlets, but for plugs much bigger. Beside the outlets were two power strips. “It’s a charging station.”

“For what?” Nick aimed his light on the ground. “Tire tracks.”

“One of those electrical cars?” Matt suggested. “They’d be pretty quiet.”

“That’s not it.” Eric’s heart pounded as he realized what the getaway vehicles were. “Golf carts.”

He grabbed Tiger’s leash and started into the tunnel. Who knew how much of a head start they had on them? “Let’s go.”

What they ought to do was call for backup. At a minimum, they needed to let dispatch know where they were, but there wasn’t time.

As a unit, they all started running. Their flashlight beams bobbed and wavered as they pounded through the tunnel. With every yard they ran, Eric’s heart beat faster, but not just from exertion. The damned tunnel still had no end in sight. They had too much of a head start, which meant Tess and Jesse could be anywhere by now.

Tiger and the other dogs strained at their leashes. As much as Eric and his friends worked out and ran regularly, their dogs could run faster.

“Guys,” Eric breathed, still running. “I’m letting Tiger go.” It was a risk to let any K-9 charge into an unknown situation, and they all knew it. “You don’t have to, but I’m doing it.” He couldn’t let them take Tess. God knew what they’d do to her.

All the dogs were cross-trained as attack dogs, but he especially needed Matt and Dayne on board with this, since their dogs would still have Tess’s scent.

“I’m in,” Matt answered without hesitation.

“Copy that,” Dayne said.

“We’re all in,” Nick added. “You didn’t have to ask.”

Eric slowed to a stop. He did know that. His friends would always have his back, and that meant they’d do whatever it took to protect anyone he cared about.

They stopped to unleash their dogs. As one, they all gave the command. The dogs tore off down the tunnel.

Eric and his friends sprinted after them. Their flashlights guided the way, but the dogs had already disappeared into the stygian darkness.

Minutes later, his leg muscles screamed in agony, but he didn’t slow, and neither did anyone else.

Please. Please let her be okay.

If she wasn’t, he didn’t know what he’d do.

Chapter Twenty-Nine