Page 63 of How Much For A Broken Heart?

My ire vanished as fast as it had arrived, as Zach and Kai zip-tied both Skinny and Suit.

“We need to clear the barn, Navy.” Ryder was right up in my face. “You with me?” He slapped a hand to my chest. “Are. You. With. Me?”

I nodded, and shoulders stiff, I snapped back into the moment. The rest of the team were clearing the space, the four people tied and dumped in a corner, Luca with a gun on them.

Ryder headed for the closest container, but I stopped him as he reached for the handle. There was no sign of a lock, no visible evidence of a booby trap, but I’d seen this kind of thing before. If there was no sign of Amos, then what was inside? Could he be in one of them? I positioned myself, weapon ready, and indicated a countdown—three, two, one—Ryder pulled the door, keeping himself to one side.

Empty.

Nothing.

“Clear,” I heard Ryder announce.

“Product,” Zach confirmed in the second containers. “Cases…”

“Weapons,” Kai added.

“They must have cleared this one out on that last truck,” Ryder suggested.

I glanced back at the truck we could all see outside, Aria shrugged. “Empty,” she announced, dumping someone I assumed was the driver, zip-tied, with the rest of them.

That was a big enough truck for two containers, and what looked to be a small amount of product. This didn’t make sense. Something compelled me to step inside the empty one, Ryder on my heels, and I shook off the memory of us stepping into that safe room and the pain after. We checked dark corners by small flashlight, but there was nothing to see.

“This isn’t right,” I announced, but didn’t have to go into an explanation about the hinky feelings I had going on, because Ryder nodded. He stalked outside, and I followed, and if I hadn’t been so tuned into this feeling of something wrong, maybe I wouldn’t have felt it, but there was a change in the sound as my boots hit the metal, and I stopped. Not an IED, I’d been in that situation before—something more innocent, a smooth square maybe two-foot square, and I gestured for Ryder to return.

“What is it?” he asked.

I ran the narrow beam of my flashlight around the square, following with my fingers, finding a notch, then indicating Ryder should cover me.

“Sierra Base, I have possible access to an area below the container.”

“Copy Sierra five; Sierra one, your call.”

I glanced up at Ethan, who was in position watching us, and he nodded. Ryder stepped back to cover me. Through my earpiece, Ethan asked Sierra Base for any information on potential underground structures beneath the barn. The reply was disappointing: nothing.

I reached for the hatch’s handle after checking everyone was in place, bracing myself for an explosion or gunfire. I’d faced worse than this, expected death on so many occasions, and on some, since James, I’d even welcomed it.

But, I hesitated, who would make sure Annie found a family if I was hurt or killed?

I wished Ryder was further back, because if this was armed, and he was close and…

Shit. I was losing my edge.

Love for a child, or a man… weakness.

Fuck.

Focus.

I counted down, giving myself time, giving Ryder and Ethan time to steady themselves, and then, I flicked the catch and lifted the cover, laying it flat on the ground. Low lighting illuminated a short ladder leading into darkness below. I couldn’t tell if it was a deep drop, or nothing more than a few feet. I extended my arm downward, palm facing the ground, with fingers outstretched and pointing towards the hatch and ladder. I’m going down.

Ryder acknowledged, and with one last deep breath, gripping the rungs, I descended into the unknown. I dropped the last few rungs, into a crouch, taking out my pistol to back up my rifle.

The underground passage, no more than five feet high, stretched before me in one direction, its walls rough-hewn and irregular. Scattered lights, suspended from the ceiling at uneven intervals, cast a dim and eerie glow, and the floor beneath my boots was level. I couldn’t stand upright though and went into a crouch.

“Sierra five, clear,” I announced.

Ryder dropped into the passage behind me, then Ethan. One of them cursing when I indicated I was moving further on. We headed deeper into the passage, there was a musty, damp, earthy scent, the air cool, causing a shiver to run down my spine, memories of other tunnels, IEDs, visceral in my mind, the air thick with anticipation of someone waiting just around the corner, and the weight of the unknown.

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