Page 2 of Murder Island

She looked at me like I was demented. “Did you bring guns?” she asked.

I shook my head.

“Me neither,” said Kira. More splashing behind us. “But I guaranteetheydid.”

A blast went over our heads. In the tight space, it sounded like a cannon.

We took off again.

Kira was right. They had the advantage. There was no telling how many had followed us down into the tunnel, or how many others were still waiting for us above. They were excellent trackers. I knew that. Kira knew it, too—even better than I did.

A flashlight popped on behind us. All I could see was the center beam and a hazy halo. I turned back toward Kira. Her copper-colored curls now showed bright against the curved tunnel wall.

“Get down!” I grunted.

A bullet hit just above her head, sending chunks of brick flying. We got up again. We were half running, half crawling through the muck at the bottom of the tunnel. Then, there it was! The tunnel branch, right where Kira said it would be. A three-way split.

I looked back. Two lights now. Another shot! The water in front of us exploded in a big white geyser. The next shot would be right down the middle. High-caliber ammo. A round like that would blow right through both of us.

Kira got to the junction first. “C’mon, c’mon!” I knew she was trying to keep her voice low, but even her whisperechoed. She stopped and stared back down the tunnel for a second.

Then she reached down and ripped a button off her blouse.

The splashing was getting closer. Flashlight beams waved across the tunnel.

Kira held the button flat in her palm and slapped it hard against the bricks. A thick curtain of vapor surrounded her. She pulled me into the cloud. I pressed my back against the curved wall next to her and held my breath.

I heard footsteps approach, then pause, then splash down another branch. By the time the fog cleared, the footsteps were fading into the distance.

Safe. For the moment.

I let my breath out slowly. Kira shot me a little smart-ass look. Okay, her button-sized smoke bomb did the trick. But I felt I deserved part of the credit.

Hell, my ancestor invented it.

CHAPTER 2

Three hours later…

“THEY GAVE UP, right?” I said it. But I didn’t really believe it.

Kira shook her head. “They won’t stop. Not until the mission is complete. Defined as you and me dead.”

The two of us were hanging on a metal ladder high above the bottom of the tunnel. We’d been there for a long time, waiting for night. Right above us was a metal street grate, anchored in cement. I watched as darkness slowly settled overhead.

Finally, it was time.

Kira swung herself to the side of the ladder like a trapeze artist. “Okay,” she said. “It’s all on you now.”

I edged past her and pressed one hand up against the grate.

“Use your back, like I taught you,” she said. “Remember?”

“We never practiced with a flimsy ladder and a deep-set storm drain,” I replied. “It’s a unique situation.”

I pressed up as hard as I could. I felt the ladder rung starting to buckle under my feet. I moved up two steps, redistributed my weight, and pressed my shoulder up against the grate. I took a deep breath and jolted my body upward. Once! Twice! On the third hit, I felt the near side of the grate loosen. Crumbs of black gravel rained down on our heads and dropped into the tunnel below with distant plinks. One more shove and the whole edge popped up.

“My hero,” said Kira. “Nowmove!”

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