Page 96 of Oathbreaker

“A single bullet won’t do damage, but against a barrage of bullets from an AK-47, it will only hold up for so long.”

I feel my eyes bulging out of their sockets.

He chuckles at my expression. “My grandfather had this place renovated during the Second World War. He wanted to be able to hide if the Japanese decided to take over the country.”

I shake my head from side to side. Makes sense.

“Keep walking, Sunbeam.”

I slowly move down the passage, keeping my hand on the smooth, cool wall on my right. Every few feet, a light clicks on.

“Here’s another entrance. This is August’s game room.” We walk for another minute.

“The kitchen.” Further down. “The media room.”

Finally, we reach a steel door with a biometric panel on it.

“Put your hand here,” he murmurs. Any sound we make is dampened by the material on the walls.

I place my hand on the scanner, and a few clicks later, the door opens. It has to be at least two feet thick.

Hunter walks in, and a row of overhead lights come on. There’s enough shelf-stable food on one wall to last at least six months. A PVC pipe comes from the ceiling and into a water dispenser on the wall—not that the room needs it. There are ten massive barrels labeled “Potable Water” on another end. A sofa, a computer, a giant television screen, an old-school radio, and a row of bunk beds fill the space. The room is at least fifteen-hundred square feet.

“If you’re ever in trouble, come here. Ella knows of this place, and she has a print. I’ll get August’s registered too.”

“This is a lot, H,” I whisper. A funny feeling settles in my chest, making me vaguely lightheaded.

He presses his body to mine, my back to his front. “I know, Sunbeam.” He kisses the side of my head.

“I hope we’ll never have to use this space. But if you do, please promise me you’ll come here and stay safe until help arrives.”

I nod, still not looking at him. “Promise.”

He leads me out of the safe room and down another corridor. It spits us out into the rose garden, and we make our way to a smaller, hangar-looking building on the west side of the property. It’s a part of the estate that I don’t often visit. The guards bunk there in three houses spread out on that end.

Hunter pushes the metal door and flicks on a large main switch, illuminating the entire space. There’s a two-seater helicopter and a small jet parked inside.

“So you own a 767, a helicopter, and a jet?”

Hunter has the sense to look bashful as he holds up three fingers. “I have three helicopters and three small fixed-wing planes.”

I shake my head, spinning to look at all the opulence.

“You want more kids, yeah?”

“You bet your sweet pussy I do,” he says brightly.

I press my lips together in admonishment.

“Well, we’re gonna have to teach them humility. Their first car will be a used Toyota Camry. At least a decade old.”

The sound of his laughter echoes off the metal walls.

“I’m serious. Our kid will know what it means to earn things. So yes, they’ll have a beat-up car with no working A/C or heat. They’ll have to get it how they live when it comes to D.C. winters,” I add.

He shakes his head, grinning widely. “You crack me up, Winter Leigh,” he says.

“Vaughan,” I add.

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