Page 118 of I Will Mend You

“Is Isabel safe?” she asks.

I grunt. “She escaped through another tunnel.”

“Good.”

“The crew members and investors we captured won’t live to pose a threat.” I pause, waiting for her to acknowledge my promise with a nod and then push down on the headset and order, “We’re clear. Flood the Alpha bunker.”

Tyler’s voice sounds in my ear. “Acknowledged. Initiating septic tank sequence.”

The tunnel vibrates beneath the cart, a low rumble that permeates our bones. It’s the sound of gallons of waste flooding the bunker and drowning those bastards in shit. I glance over my shoulder for signs of sewage, but there’s only the fading glow of the tunnel lights.

“Sequence complete,” Tyler says.

I give Amethyst a gentle squeeze. “It’s done.”

She exhales, her grip on my thigh loosening. As we continue to speed down the tunnel, Jynxson updates me with the status of the approaching vehicles. They’ve passed the decoy gates leading to a long driveway that takes them around the woodlands and into the ruin that was the original house.

They’re advancing toward a trap, but I’m not about to give them an easy ride.

“Detonate the road,” I order.

“Those vehicles are armored,” Tyler replies. “They won’t go down easily.”

I smirk. “Do it anyway.”

“Acknowledged.”

The explosion’s rumble echoes through the tunnel, making the ground shake. Amethyst flinches, her fingers tightening around my thigh.

“Negative impact,” Tyler says. “They’re still advancing.”

I lean back in my seat and place a kiss on Amethyst’s temple. It’s all going to plan. By now, Father or whoever Deputy Chief Hunter called to rescue him will advance toward the trap, thinking they’ve overcome our last line of defense.

We reach another part of the tunnel where the lights are red, indicating the entrance to the secondary bunker. It’s located in a patch of forest land two miles away from the safe house.

I help Amethyst out of the cart and guide her toward the bunker’s entrance. It’s a nondescript steel door, tucked into the tunnel’s side, secured by a biometric lock. I press a palm against it, and the seal breaks.

With a creak and a groan of hydraulics, it swings open to reveal a secure vestibule. I glance down at Amethyst, who stares up at me with so much gratitude that my breath catches.

It’s bittersweet. She’s appreciative because she’s witnessed first-hand what could happen without my protection. But I would give anything to restore her to the resistant brat who threw cereal in my face. Regardless, I would never repeat the mistakes of her mother.

Red light floods the chamber before the final door clicks open, revealing a spacious, well-lit living area with leather sofas, a king size bed, and a large kitchenette with stainless steel appliances. At the very end of the room is a corner cubicle equipped with multiple screens already displaying live feeds from the perimeter cameras.

Amethyst glances around, her eyes widening, her blood-stained hands rising to her mouth.

I place a hand on the small of her back and guide her to the left. “Make yourself comfortable. There’s a bathroom over there to clean up all traces of that bastard.”

As she disappears to get washed up, I stride over to the surveillance cubicle. Drone footage displays men in armor piling out of a truck, advancing under the cover of trees toward the decoy house.

“Want to lure them all into the ruin?” Tyler asks.

I lower myself into a gaming chair. “Let’s see how many we can take out along the way.”

This part of the land is seeded with mines, snares, pit traps, and speakers to play the sounds of people trying to escape. It’s a precaution we set up to protect the safe house. All maps and satellite images direct intruders into a danger zone to keep them busy while we evacuate.

I sit back, watching our drones either gun down the men or direct them into the trap zone.

“Xero. Are you there?” Camila’s insistent voice cuts through the chatter.

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