Page 59 of Red Dreams

“Give me a second,” Cassie sing-songs. “Unless you want to explain to the Family why you're absconding with their newly minted boss.”

I hover behind them, my heart in my throat. The copper tang of blood is thick in my nose. I want out of this room, out of this building, but a shaky alliance with Cassie is almost worse than no alliance at all.

Cassie eases the door open, flooding the room with the thumping bass from the nightclub’s music below. The music bombards us now that we’re leaving our hellscape, but the hallway is empty. She gestures for us to follow.

After taking a deep breath, I do.

We move swiftly, Kaden's heavy boots nearly silent on the carpet runner. “Don’t suppose you can give me my weapons back?”

Cassie flicks her hair to peer at Kaden over her shoulder. “I doubt there’s time. I’m a hot commodity. They’ll be checking on my progress soon.”

She leads us down a maze of corridors, taking sudden turns that disorient me. Just as I'm starting to wonder if she's leading us into a trap, she stops in front of a nondescript door.

“The cellar,” she says, keying in a code on a hidden panel. “Stay close and keep quiet.”

The door swings open on well-oiled hinges, revealing a dimly lit staircase. The air that wafts up is cool and damp, with a hint of must.

Cassie starts down, her fingers dancing along the railing to a hidden tune.

I follow, trying to breathe through my mouth. The stairs are narrow, forcing Kaden to angle Ethan across both shoulders like a hunter with a fresh kill.

At the bottom, Cassie flips a switch. Overhead lights flicker on, illuminating rows of dusty wine racks. She weaves between them with purpose, heading for the back wall.

I hurry to keep up, my eyes darting to the shadows pooling between the racks. It would be all too easy for Cassie to order someone to hide there, waiting to strike.

Kaden's breathing is harsh behind me, Ethan's added weight taking its toll. When I glance back, his face is set in grim lines, a sheen of sweat on his forehead, but his eyes are just as alert as mine.

“Here,” Cassie says, stopping so abruptly I nearly run into her. She's facing a blank stretch of stone wall, her hands skimming over the surface.

“I don't see anything,” I say, my voice hushed. The sounds of the club are muted down here, but I'm all too aware of how thin a barrier a single door is.

With a soft click, a section of the wall swings inward, revealing a dark, gaping maw. The musty smell intensifies, mixed with the briny scent of the sea.

Cassie steps through without hesitation.

“Watch your step,” she warns without glancing back. “The ground's uneven.”

I follow her into the tunnel, my heart hammering against my ribs. The darkness is absolute, broken only by the thin beam of light from Cassie's phone. Behind me, Kaden's breathing is labored as he maneuvers Ethan's limp form through the narrow opening.

The low tunnel is cramped, the walls slick with moisture. I have to duck my head to avoid hitting it on the rough-hewn ceiling. Water drips steadily, echoing in the confined space.

Cassie moves with confidence, her steps sure even in the dark. I stumble along behind her, trying not to think about thetons of earth and stone above us or the rising tide that could flood the tunnel at any moment.

“How much farther?” I ask in a strained voice.

“Not far,” Cassie replies. “Maybe a hundred yards.”

A hundred yards. In the dark, in the damp, with the weight of the club above us and the sea waiting to swallow us.

I've never considered myself claustrophobic, but at this moment, I'm acutely aware of how much stone separates me from open sky.

I focus on putting one foot in front of the other, on the sound of Cassie's steady breathing ahead of me. If she’s not concerned, then I shouldn’t be either, because if I drown, so does she. Then again, I’m not surewhatconcerns her, if anything at all.

Minutes trickle by, marked only by the dripping water and our rasping breaths. The passage twists and turns, leading us deeper beneath the earth.

“Hear that?” Kaden says behind me.

I strain my ears, trying to listen past the frantic thud of my pulse. There. A distant roar, like the rush of waves against the shore.

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