Page 91 of The Eagle's Vault

Daniel ambled backward until he leaned against the massive door. “And then they’ll kill us, too.”

I stared after the spot where Pavel and Enzo had left. “Do you still have your flashlight, Daniel?”

“Enzo took it.”

We didn’t even have our own lights to get out with. It was too far back to the public areas and the light. We could wander the tunnels for hours, if not days, lost. My throat tightened. Where was—

A red light appeared down the hall. The Fenix men didn’t have red lights. It was moving fast.

The tightness fell to my chest.Please. Please.

A dark form appeared. A thermal suit. A rugged jaw. Down-turned hazel eyes.

I launched from my spot by the tool chest and ran to Declan, throwing my arms around his neck. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. They threw a hood over me and forced me into—”

“I’ve got you, baby.” He kissed the top of my head. “No apologies. Not until we’re out of here.”

“What the—” Isaac blurted, his volume far too loud over the generator. “You said you weren’t coming down—”

“Quiet.” One strong arm latched around me, holding me close, Declan’s warm scent enveloping me. Oranges. And spice. Cloves? “We need to move fast while my team distracts them.”

I pulled back to look at Declan, searching for the anger from our last meeting. “I should have stayed with you.”

He forced a smile, the best I could hope for in the moment. “We can talk about that later. Right now, I’m getting you out of here.”

“We can’t.” Isaac planted a hand on the door. “They threatened to kill us if we didn’t get this open. Leaving won’t change that. They’ll just grab us again.”

I released my grip on Declan’s neck and turned around in his arm to face my brother. “Reynolds can protect you.”

“The hell they can.” Isaac stalked toward us. “They said that after Cassaforte and look what happened? The first time you leave the hotel, you’re thrown into a van!”

“The first time I left without them,” I shot back. Why was I arguing? We had to get out. Leave. Not waste time yelling at each other. “We have to trust Declan.”

“Isaac’s right,” said Daniel. “These men took me out of my home. I’m only alive now because I’ve cooperated.”

“Scar, you hear that?” Declan held me against his chest, like I was something special. Something he treasured and wouldn’t let go. He made noises of affirmation, no doubt having a discussion with Scarlett and his team over an earpiece.

I stared at the vault door, thinking over Daniel’s notes, the photos, and the symbols on its front. It wasn’t fair that men like Enzo and Pavel would discover its secrets, let alone what was behind it.

But our lives were more important. Declan—I wrapped my arms over the one he’d threaded around my waist, nestling into the warmth of his frame and his suit—was more important.

“Okay,” Declan finally said. “One of them’s chasing a drone, the other’s after Jayce.”

My stomach couldn’t sink any lower. Jayce was out there, alone, and one of those two monsters was hunting her. I turned inside his grip. “Enzo’s the one with the cheek scar who took Martina. Pavel’s his partner. Jayce needs to stay out of their way.”

“Don’t worry about her. She’s leading him toward Rav.” Declan glanced at the door, nearly masked wonder shining in his gorgeous eyes. “We have time, but I don’t know how much. Brie’s monitoring everything.”

“Can she help? I have some theories she or Will may be able to speed up.”

Declan kissed my forehead and finally let go of me. Keeping his eyes on mine, he stowed his flashlight in a pouch and slid his pack around to the front. He handed me a pair of gloves. “I can’t give you my suit, but these might help.”

“Thanks.” They weren’t heated and they were too long for my fingers, but they’d cut some of the chill.

He removed his phone from his forearm and unlocked it before handing it over. “Leigh needs a hand, Brie. I’ve got you on speaker.”

“I’ll do my best,” came a female voice from the phone. “Scar, can you manage Jayce and the GPS? I’ve got another algorithm working on the map.”

“I can, but take everyone else off that channel. No one in the room—” Scarlett’s sentence cut off.

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