Page 102 of The Eagle's Vault

“We’re out of the vault,” I practically shouted.

“Dec? Do you hear me?” Brie asked.

“I do,” he grunted.

Out here, the devastation was less severe. A work light had tipped over, its glass casing shattered into a thousand pieces. That must have been how Enzo had cut his zip ties.

“Maybe we didn’t open the door properly?” Could we have triggered a trap when we opened the vault? The thought sent a shiver down my spine. If we’d done something wrong, what else could happen?

Chapter 40

Declan

ThesecondIwasout of the vault, my earpiece had exploded with voices. Will was angry the earpieces had cut out, Rav said he was close, and Emmett and Malcolm were looking for the other exit.

“Is everyone all right?” Scarlett broke through the cacophony, an unfamiliar level of worry underlying the question.

“We’re fine, but Isaac got out ahead of us.” I turned to Daniel, who was leaning heavily against the wall beside the door. “Where’s the other exit?”

“It’s to the south of the public entrance, in the Tenuta di Tormarancia,” Daniel rasped, his face pale.

“On it,” Emmett said. “Malcolm and I are heading there now.”

Relief washed over me. “Our team is heading there now to pick us up.”

We weren’t out of the woods yet, but with the team on their way, everything would be fine. As if on cue, Jayce and Rav appeared, rounding a corner at a sprint.

Rav’s eyes were hard and focused. “Where’s the thug?”

“In the vault.” I put a hand on Rav’s chest before he dove in to the rescue. “I say we leave him.”

Scarlett’s command voice was a welcome sound. “Another police car just arrived, and a few other vehicles. They’re heading into the catacombs. You need to get out. Now.”

The air staled in my lungs, cloying as old wine. Looking at the unconscious Enzo sprawled inside the vault, I swore. “The cops are on their way down and they’ll pick him up.”

“Too much fallen rock in there. He’ll be crushed if more falls.” Rav shook his head, always playing the hero. He gestured around the vault door, where the ground was clear. “Out here, he’s safe.”

“Rav, be careful!” Leigh was pale, a tiny rivulet of blood trickling down her forehead. “There’s a lot of rock falling in there.”

Ignoring her protest, Rav ducked inside the crumbling vault. Panic, cold and sharp, needled me. I wedged my body in the diminishing entrance, bracing against the slow, groaning descent of the ancient stone door. A wave of nausea flowed through me from the pain, but I wasn’t about to risk Rav.

He was fast, dodging another cascade of stone, and picked Enzo up in a fireman’s carry. He had the asshole out in less than ten seconds. Goddamn hero mode.

Jayce whispered to Leigh, whose fingers were brushing the eagle’s broken wing. “Let me take those, Leigh.”

She wavered, her gaze wandering aimlessly. “That might be best. The room’s spinning a little.”

I darted to her side and slung her arm around my shoulder. “Hang on, Leigh. We’re getting out of here.”

Was she truly okay? Had she really talked to her doctors recently? Could a blow to the head trigger something in her brain?Push it down, man. Don’t be like her brother.

“Daniel needs to lead us out.” Glancing back, I caught Rav’s eye. “Give him a hand.”

Rav and Daniel moved ahead, leaving Leigh and me trailing behind, Jayce forming our rear guard. I needed answers, and fast.

“What the hell happened with Isaac?” I asked Leigh.

She looked up at me, her face pale. “I think you were right about him. I think he was working with Fenix.”

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