Page 47 of Promise & Artem

“That makes sense to me too,” Blake said. “What do you want to do?”

“Try the roof,” Artem said.

“Then let’s do that,” Axtyn said. “I’ll go with you and we’ll text if we can get in that way.”

“Be careful,” Mark said.

Silently, Artem and Axtyn crossed the property to the warehouse. The ladder was a security style that didn’t reach the ground. Artem backed up a few paces and raced to the wall, jumping and pushing off the bricks to propel himself upward. He narrowly missed the bottom of the ladder but managed to grab it with one hand. His weight brought the ladder squeaking downward. He froze as it rattled to a stop, wondering if the sound would bring the guards back. But after a long, quiet moment where he held his breath and hoped to hell no one heard it, they didn’t see or hear the guards.

Letting out the breath he’d been holding, he climbed upward, his dad following and pulling the ladder back up after them so the guards wouldn’t see it.

They reached the roof of the warehouse a few moments later. As they scouted for a way inside, Artem stopped at a maintenance hatch near the far side of the building. He pointed to it and called his dad over.

The hatch was secured with a simple latch, but the hatch itself was rusted shut, so it took some effort to pry it loose without causing too much noise. Once it was open, it revealed a ladder that led down into a room.

Artem wasn’t sure what room it was, but it didn’t look like the main area where the fights took place.

Axtyn texted Richard. It was quickly decided that a few more would join him and his dad and the others would wait outside unless they were needed.

Artem let the ladder down once the guards went past a second time, and then Ian, Blake, and Taylor joined them on the roof.

Ian peered down. “This should get us in quietly, that’s for damn sure.”

“Hopefully it doesn’t lead to a locked door,” Artem said. “I’ll go first and whistle if the coast is clear.”

He climbed down the ladder, moving quickly and silently. The metal rungs were cool and slick under his hands and he tried not to move so quickly that he would slip from the ladder and make noise.

He stepped down from the ladder and turned slowly, his heart in his throat as worry that he’d just taken a ladder into a room full of fighters came to his mind.

But the room which seemed to be filled with janitorial supplies as well as the water tank and electrical panel, was empty.

He leaned over and whistled softly.

Moments later, his dad and three friends were in the room with him.

Artem tested the door and found it unlocked.

He remembered from being in the warehouse that there were public bathrooms down a hall away from the fights, and he’d seen a door that had a maintenance sign on it.

“I know where I am,” he whispered, explaining where things were situated, including the locker rooms and the balcony box where Nero spent time during the fights. The question was: where was Promise?

Artem walked to the door and closed his eyes, searching for his beast and the connection he had to Promise as marked mates. He thought about her pretty brown eyes, the musical laugh he adored, the way she smelled so sweet when she was turned on, but mostly that he loved her, with every ounce of his being.

A tug in the center of his heart pulled him out of the room. He was so damn happy to feel the connection to her, to know that she was actually being held in the warehouse that he wanted to shout her name until she answered him and run to her. But he knew he couldn’t do that without drawing attention from Nero and his men, so he kept his excitement in check.

Inhaling deeply and focusing on the feeling of where she was, he opened the door and peered out. The hallway was empty and he didn’t hear anyone coming, so he stepped out and so did his friends.

He felt the tug to the left, so he followed the hall, realizing quickly that Nero had put her in the main room of the warehouse. Artem looked around the open doorway leading into the room where the fights were held and he saw only one male in the room behind one of the long metal bleachers. The male was leaning casually against the wall next to a closed door.

Axtyn touched his shoulder and when Artem looked at him, he pointed up.

In the balcony box, he could see Nero and several other males. Their backs were to the open room, though, which meant they had at least a moment to sneak in.

The male guarding the door was on the phone and distracted.

Perfect.

Promise had the strangest feeling that Artem was nearby. Her heart clenched and she thought she could smell the leather and sunshine scent of him.

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