Page 84 of The Eagle's Vault

My heart raced. We needed a way out of this.

Before I could find any other words, Enzo’s viselike grip closed around my arm, yanking me closer.

“Don’t be naïve, Leigh. We only wanted Declan to get Daniel’s notebook back. You’re the one we wanted for the vault.” He paused, looking me dead in the eyes. “We’ve had our eye on you for some time now.”

Bright lights danced in front of my eyes and pain ripped through my head.Calm down. You have a plan.

Enzo released me abruptly, and the room spun.

I stumbled, but Isaac was there to catch me, steadying me with an arm around my waist.

My brother held me for a moment, his face pinched with pain and regret. “I’m so sorry I couldn’t protect you from this, Leigh.”

“Keep going.” Enzo waved to Daniel, who did as he was told.

Isaac began moving, and I clenched my eyes shut, accepting his lead.

What did Enzo mean about them watching me? And would I live long enough to find out?

Chapter 32

Declan

Jaycepointedaroundacorner in the cryptic maze. “Here’s the turn from the public area.”

“That’s the halfway mark.” I flicked on my headlamp and checked my watch. “You’re losing your touch, Jayce. It’s going to take us the full thirty minutes if you keep this pace.”

“I was afraid you’d roll your ankle if I went at my full speed.”

With a chuckle to myself, I turned the corner behind her. A simple metal gate barred the path deeper into the catacombs. “This wasn’t on the map.”

“Guess we need to scale it.” Jayce tilted her head, the light reflecting off a dented silver padlock on the gate.

Scarlett cleared her throat, authoritative tone breaking through. “If it’s simple, open it. No need to risk life and limb unnecessarily.”

I stared at the gate a beat longer. Once upon a time, things like locked gates held me back. It was an obvious sign we weren’t supposed to head down that path, but the days of obeying every rule were well behind me. We had a job to do, were already breaking the trespassing law, so a little gate was nothing more than a polite request to turn around, not an all-out order.

“Lock’s open, anyway,” said Jayce.

I nudged her. “No scaling required.”

“Too bad.” Once she removed the lock, the gate creaked open, revealing a steep set of rough-hewn stairs descending into a deeper darkness. Above, an open space loomed. Like a vaulted third story in the confining catacomb. My headlamp’s light bounced off the uneven stone, casting surreal shadows that danced with every movement.

Before I took my first step down, a faint noise broke through the silence.

Instinct kicked in. I turned off my headlamp and tapped my earpiece three times.

Trouble.

“What’s wrong?” Scarlett asked.

Jayce shielded her lamp and turned to face me, the faint glow barely enough to see her. The signal had her pausing, her normally easy-going demeanor replaced by a focused seriousness. Eyes closed, she listened. Then nodded.

I pulled close to whisper. “Voices. I can’t tell which direction.”

Rav cut through the earpiece, a concerned undertone beneath his gruff exterior. “Do I need to come in?”

“No,” I whispered back, signaling to Jayce.

---