Page 78 of Release You

Into the Tunnel

Henry

I lifted my arms over my head and pushed on the manhole cover. The rain hadn’t let up since I left the hotel. A cloudy night sky made everything look the same shade of pale gray. On my right, Cavalier Manor loomed over my mother’s garden. Near the wall, guards made their rounds as usual. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

I waited until they reached the end of the garden and returned to their post near the front gate. I couldn’t make any more mistakes. If two men were guarding just the garden, I had to assume Jonathan had more men guarding the rest of the property. I should’ve called the police. I lowered the cover and hooked one arm on the first rung to steady myself while I fished my phone out of my back pocket. The cold gun tucked inside my pants dug into my lower back, a reminder of what I had waiting for me inside my childhood home.

I scrolled through the names, clicked on Russ’s name, and quickly typed a text. Calling the police directly was out of the question. What were the odds they were loyal to Jonathan? I’dsay high. If I were to report anything to them, they’d bury it in paperwork. What I needed was to find a handful of cops who cared more about the town than being in good standing with the mayor. I trusted Russ. I had to. Because if he didn’t come through and bring backup, I doubted I’d leave this place alive, not with the amount of security guards patrolling the grounds.

I pushed the cover up again and took in my surroundings. The familiar smell of wet dirt and roses filled the air and pumped me with a confidence I hadn’t felt until now. I wasn’t running away this time.I crawled out of the manhole, keeping my chest close to the ground.

Mud squeezed between my fingers as I army crawled to the hidden door behind the shrubs, where dry branches scratched my side and arms. The small door to the tunnel was locked, same as before. Except this time, I didn’t have Nikki, or the tools to try and pick it. My only option was to chance it and make my way in through the kitchen. I peeked over the bushes to the far end of the garden and beyond Mom’s usual seating area. Half-hidden by the shadows, the guards trod along the south end of the stonewall.

When they were out of sight, I wiped my hands on my pants and walked along the wall to the other side of the house, toward the kitchen. With my heart drumming in my throat, I took soundless steps through the servants’ corridor that led to the library. Where the hell was everyone? Did I make a mistake in assuming Jonathan would be here? I shouldered open the concealed door and squeezed through the gap to make sure the bar cart on the other side didn’t flip over.

The smell of books, old leather, and whiskey welcomed me home. I’d been reduced to sneaking around my own home. Like in the nightmares I’d had since I was eleven, I stood in the middle of the foyer, where darkness touched every corner. Whispers filtered through from behind the paneled wall. My entirebody tensed. This wasn’t a dream. I took long strides to the space between the library and the grand staircase and flipped the light switch. I was done sneaking around.

The chandelier sparkled overhead. I exhaled and glared at the secret door that guarded the horror from fifteen years ago. I hooked my fingers in the panel and winced when the old hinges squeaked in protest as soon as the door swung open. The old, musty smell rushed across my face the second I stepped into the tunnel. This time, I was on the opposite end, peering down into the dark corridor. The low ceiling made it look more like a coffin, a long never-ending coffin.

When my eyes adjusted to the light, my stomach dropped. Nikki was here, in the middle of some kind of face-off with Francesca. She hadn’t left me. Or did Francesca get to her before she walked out on me again? It didn’t matter either way. The hollow feeling in my chest evaporated at the sight of her. She had that kind of power over me, the power to make the shittiest situation better. Even as she stood there, her cheeks covered in soot, her hair matted…and a gun pointed at me.

As bad as this looked, I could hear her breathing into my ear that we still had a chance to make things right. The fear in her eyes made my stomach churn with hate for Francesca and Jonathan, for all the years they’d stolen from us just so they could have the life they wanted, one that never belonged to them.

“Nikki.” I put up my hands. “She’s not worth it.”

Nikki’s gaze darted from me to the corner to my left and then back to Francesca. Francesca’s face showed no surprise. In fact, she seemed pleased to see me. She parted her lips slightly and rested her hands on her chest, as if she thought I was here to save her.

Francesca beamed at me, clutching a syringe in her hand. The gesture made the hair on the nape of my neck stand out.What had Nikki been dealing with since she left the bar? I placed my hands on my hips, fighting the urge to take out my gun and shoot Francesca, to wipe that loving smile off her face.

“Henry, I knew you’d come.” Francesca stepped closer to me. “We can still make this work.” Her tone had changed.

I glanced at Nikki as she widened her stance and aimed her gun at Francesca with a steady hand. Of course, she knew how to handle a weapon, and by the look in her eyes, she was more than ready to pull the trigger. I nodded once at her, and she let out a sigh of relief. The understanding was written all over her face; the only way out of this mess was to work together.

Turning my attention to Francesca, I reached out to her, palms up. “Yes. We can still make things right.” I flashed her a smile, and bile rose in my throat.

“Hello, gorgeous.” Scott’s voice rumbled at the end of the corridor as he snaked his hand around Nikki’s waist.

“Don’t touch her.” I rushed to Nikki’s side, but Francesca blocked me.

“Hello, asshole,” Nikki said a few feet from me.

She stomped her foot on his as she turned around and tasered him. An electric buzz followed by a grunt and a loud thud echoed against the low ceiling and walls. When I made to go to her, a prick on my shoulder made me spin to face Francesca. I shoved her away before she could squeeze the plunger, then plucked the syringe off me and tossed it away.

We were farther into the tunnel, where the light from the chandelier didn’t reach. I couldn’t see for shit, but Nikki seemed to have a pretty good idea of what was what. Her hands fumbled with her skirt before she threw cable ties at my chest.

“You have ten seconds before he can move again. Tie him up,” she ordered.

I scrambled to the dark lump on the floor, feeling my way around Scott to find his hands. I flipped him onto his belly andbrought his wrists together and tie wrapped his hands behind his back. He jerked and convulsed as his body recovered from the shock. Droppings and other crunchy debris stuck to my palms while I scoured the floor with my hands. I found a second cable tie and used it to secure his ankles. He bucked again, and I pulled on the plastic to make it dig into his jeans and hopefully cut his skin.

I rose to my feet to find Nikki standing next to me, her handgun back on Francesca. Now that my eyes had adjusted to the dark, I could see Nikki’s trembling hands. She didn’t want to shoot, which left Francesca with two choices: call Nikki’s bluff or take off to save her own skin.

But Francesca’s hate toward my family ran deeper than self-preservation. She could’ve run, but instead, she launched at Nikki. In the same heartbeat, Nikki pulled the trigger. Francesca’s ear-splitting screams filled the room a second before she fell to the floor.

“I couldn’t kill her. It would be too easy for her. I want her to rot in jail.” Nikki lowered her gun slowly.

“You have to go before Jonathan comes back.” I reached for her gun.

As if I’d summoned him, Jonathan rushed through the door and landed by Francesca’s side.

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