Page 108 of Cruel Riches

“Yeah. It’s powered by an old generator.”

“I guess you were right about it being an upgrade,” she said, casting her gaze around the wide passage. “It’s like the Hilton compared to that gross cell you had me in before.”

“No shit.” I pushed her further down the passage until we reached a large room lined with gray concrete. One side held a decontamination area with a rusty showerhead and drain, and next to that was a small toilet. On the other side, there were four narrow sleeping bunks and a small kitchenette with cupboards and a sink.

Alexis made a beeline for the far side, where there were two narrow doors. “Where do these go?” she asked.

“Storage.” I headed over and opened one of the doors, revealing an old stash of canned and packaged foods. “You won’t go hungry down here, although I can’t promise any of it will be appetizing.”

Her eyes darted to the other door. “Are you sure this was built using the original Avalon tunnels?”

“Yeah. Why?”

“I was just wondering if it connected to any other bunkers in the area, seeing as they were all originally part of the same network,” she said, running a hand over the smooth concrete on her left. “I figured you might’ve explored it all when you were a kid. It would’ve been a pretty cool thing to do.”

I narrowed my eyes. “Do you have any idea how fucking transparent you are?”

Alexis took a faltering step backward. “What?”

“You’re only wondering about all that shit because you’re hoping you can get out onto someone else’s property and run away,” I said. “But, unfortunately for you, when the tunnels in this area were turned into bomb shelters, they were all thoroughly sealed off from each other. None of them connect anymore.”

She slumped down on one of the bunks and twisted her hands in her lap, lips pressing tightly together.

I opened the other door to show her another storage area, lined with pale brown brick at the back. “See?” I said, smacking my hand on the solid surface to rub it in for her. “All bricked in.”

Alexis dropped her head. “I get it,” she mumbled. “I can’t escape.”

“Exactly. You need to get this through your fucking head once and for all,” I said, twisting my lips into a sneer. “I’m never letting you go. Ever.”

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