Page 85 of The Eagle's Vault

She extinguished her headlamp and we both switched to compact flashlights with a dim, red glow. The red light seeped into the darkness, illuminating our way forward—or back—without announcing our presence to anyone who’d see the brilliant glow from a second ago.

“It could be tour guides,” I said. “Maybe kids sneaking in for fun? Even engineers surveying passageways during non-tourist hours?”

Will said, “Or maybe after the earthquake, checking for structural damage?”

“No one entered from the main building,” said Brie.

Will added, “There are at least two entrances to this section of the catacombs. Could be more.”

“I think they’re coming from down there.” Jayce hooked a thumb over her shoulder, indicating the stairs beyond the gate. “I’m going to check it out. If we can avoid them, we keep going.”

“Be safe and stay on the map,” I said.

Her response was a smirk barely visible in the red light. “I’m always safe, Declan.”

“Don’t take any risks,” said Scarlett.

Jayce just shrugged, that cocky grin never leaving her face. “No promises on that one, boss.”

She took the steps slowly, the glow of her flashlight dimming the farther away she got. After thirty seconds, her GPS signal on the map gained speed. The floor was uneven in many of the tourist areas, and no doubt would be far rougher below. Running was a risk but was probably the safest one she could make.

“I’m going down, too. There’s at least twenty kilometers of tunnels down here, so the voices could be coming from anywhere.”

“Or we reschedule,” said Scarlett. “Giovanni didn’t give us a time frame, so we can try again tomorrow.”

“Noted.” The red light from my flashlight illuminated the carved stairwell, barely penetrating the inky blackness that swirled around me. Half of me wanted to turn around and head back to the hotel. It was the middle of the night, but Leigh would wake up when Jayce got back and maybe I could talk to her. Patch things up. Agree to take her slimy brother with us tomorrow night.

Why bother? The sex had been fantastic, but once we each left Rome, that would be the end of it. No use in prolonging the inevitable for a few extra orgasms.

At the bottom of the stairs, the tunnel branched out ahead, a shadowy divergence offering two paths into the unknown. The digital map on my phone suggested no choice, only one straight course. “Which direction did you go, Jayce?”

“She went right,” said Brie. “The GPS is spotty that deep. Will, we need to fix that in the next phone update.”

Scarlett said, “Malcolm and Emmett are en route in a secondary vehicle. The notebook said there’s a hidden entrance further down the Via Appia Antica. Will’s going to work out how to get you there from inside.”

Their backup, although unseen and not yet present, was a relief. Even in these shadowy depths, I was never entirely alone. I always had the team around me.

I continued after Jayce. No sign of her red flashlight, but once I’d walked another minute, the GPS cleared up again. She was at least ten minutes ahead of me if I continued at this pace. The path must have been clear. I paused again, twisting my head to listen. The voices were still there, louder. “Jayce, have you spotted anyone yet?”

Two taps on the earpiece. It was the sign for going forward, but the GPS on my map showed me she’d slowed.

The earpiece sounded with three quick taps. A message vibrated against my forearm, and I quickly checked my phone.

It was a text from Jayce to the group.I’ve got eyes. And you won’t like this.

I hurried my steps forward. “What is it?”

Another text pinged on my arm, and I nearly dropped my flashlight.It’s Leigh.

Chapter 33

Leigh

Afterwhatfeltlikehours of trudging through the chill, the narrow corridor finally opened into a grand chamber. Daniel’s flashlight landed on a huge stone door, covered in shapes and symbols. It towered twelve feet high, its surface a sentry in the dark for centuries. He approached it, running a hand over the etchings, muttering to himself.

I might have done the same if my hands weren’t wrapped up in the hem of my shirt. It was far from freezing, but between the damp air and the low temperatures, my fingers had grown stiff.

“Pavel, get the generator going.” Enzo grabbed my upper arm and hauled me closer to the door. “You play coy, but I know you had time to look at Daniel’s notebook. We were watching you and know you and Isaac spoke about wanting to open the vault. The three of you need to work this out. If you do, we let you go. If you don’t, Pavel gets to have his fun.”

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