Page 19 of Redeeming Meg

The damp earth clung to her clothes, and she cleared the rockslide, the air so thick her lungs struggled to suck in enough oxygen. The sounds of the rioting were still muffled but growing louder.

The tunnel forked, and she stopped, pointing her light in each direction and recalling Tessa’s paper map. There hadn’t been any alternate branches, she was sure of it.Which way?

All these damn choices with no sure outcomes. She was sick of them. Why couldn’t anything be clear-cut? Why couldn’t she find clarity?

A boom exploded off in the distance, causing her to throw up her arms as dirt and debris rained down on her. Dust filled the air, and she heard the screech of rats as they jetted by her feet. She waved away the clogged air, looking to her right. That’s where it had originated.

What the hell were they doing up there, blowing up the embassy?

Covering her mouth with the crook of her elbow, she started running again. She kept her pace steady, fearing the explosion might have caused her access point to be cut off. The moderate glow of the flashlight showed a few minor rock slides here and there as she navigated along, but nothing substantial enough to stop her.

The ground began to rise, and the tunnel widened again. Lowering her arm, she checked the air and found it more breathable.

Up ahead, she saw the end of the line, a rusted metal ladder embedded in the wall, leading up to a manhole.

That hadn’t been on Tessa’s map, either. Meg pocketed her phone and began climbing.

She stopped on each rung, testing her weight on the ladder, knowing it could pop free from the stone in a heartbeat. The last thing she needed was to end up on her ass with the heavy ladder on top of her, injured and alone.

Dec’s voice played loud in her head.This is why you always have a partner. We are a team.

The principal was one she had pounded into all of their heads on every mission. But Jessie had been her partner on the last one, and look what it had gotten her.

She took another step up, the metal groaning. Pausing, she gave the ladder a tiny jiggle. She was still close enough to the ground that if she fell, it wouldn’t be bad.

The thing held, and she went up another rung. By the time she got to the middle, she could hear pieces of the rock wall falling to the ground. She hoped she wasn’t about to join them.

Even when she neared the top, she didn’t breathe a sigh of relief. Slowly and carefully, she removed her phone and shone the light on the covering over her head. More rusty metal with a handle. She was unsure if it was a true manhole that led to a street or if this was the access point to the new embassy. It was heavy, and she doubted it had been opened in the last decade, if not a century.

She tested the handle and shoved, bracing her legs on the ladder and praying it held.

The metal under her groaned; the metal above her refused to move.

Sweat trickled down her neck and under her collar. Another reason she could have used Dec’s brute strength. His weight might’ve been too much for the ladder, though.

…fighting weight…

Hmm. Was he still taking out his stress in the ring?

Putting the phone away, she took a couple of deep breaths and tightened all her muscles. Giving a grunt, she thrust all her weight at the metal cover again.

A screech, a shift.

Too bad it wasn’t enough.

Again, she hit it with all her might.

It moved two inches this time.

But the ladder shuddered under the pressure.

Panting, she wiped sweat from her brow and shook out her hands.

Dec and the others were probably digging through that first mudslide. Another few minutes and they would catch up with her. She’d never hear the end of it.

This was all Hagar’s fault. The goddamn bastard.

Focusing on the rage she carried for him, she felt a shot of adrenaline flood her system. She would not let him defeat her. Would not let him put her team in danger again.

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