Page 48 of The Forbidden Secret

I grabbed Evelina and pulled her behind the building’s furnace as men came into the basement, shooting in our direction without ever seeing us. One of the assailants shouted for his companion to watch where he shot, but I peeked around the corner and fired back. So far, three shots, I had only hit one of them.

Twenty-two left.

When I ducked back, they fired again. Back and forth we went, firing as I tried and failed to see an escape route. The sewer was behind them, and from the sound of it, they had backup coming in our direction, preparing to outnumber us.

But there were the tunnels a few feet to my left.

Fuck.

I fired my last shots in one gun and pulled out the other, tucking the empty Glock into my holster and dropping my bag to the floor. Sixteen shots in this gun.

Sixteen bullets stood between us and safety.

“Drop your bag and run toward the tunnel as soon as I shoot again,” I told her. “I’ll catch up.”

She looked hesitant, but she did it. I rounded the corner, and she exploded into a run, leaving her bag behind her. I wasn’t sure if she glanced back as I moved to disable as many men as possible before running toward the open grate to the tunnel. It was the work of a moment to catch up with Evelina, and she exhaled loudly as I met her pace.

I didn’t hear them following us—not yet, at least. I guided her down a few turns before the pounding of heavy boots began sweeping the tunnels. We needed a way out of here, and I didn’t even know where wewere.I ran sporadically, taking long turns before going up and down a few rusted metal staircases that fortunately didn’t collapse on us.

And then, a damp and musty-smelling stone wall rose up to meet us.

A dead end.

Evelina panted beside me. I looked around and found nothing, and we had likely run a quarter mile down this tunnel pathway.

“Should we turn back?”

“This path branched off of a main one. We can’t go that way again.”

“If we don’t get out of here—”

“I know.”

She didn’t need to remind me. Iknewthat we needed to get out. I didn’t mark the path the way I would have ordinarily. Hell, I had taken so many sporadic turns that there was nowayI would be able to find our way back to my apartment building.

But if we didn’t get out, they would sweep the tunnels, and they would find us. Reinforcements were likely already on the way.

“Zeke, are they going to find us here?”

I wouldn’t lie to her. “I don’t see how we’re going to get out without being found. I don’t have any ammunition left.”

I heard her shuffling around, and when I glanced toward her in the near darkness of the tunnel’s dead end, I noticed a darkening spot on her shirt. I straightened, narrowing my eyes. The closer I looked, the more the spot appeared to be… blood.

“Were you hit?”

She shrugged it off. “A bullet barely grazed me when the guys came storming into the room. It’s not too deep.”

I didn’t have a pack, nor did I have the first aid kit I usually carried. It had been foolish to leave it behind, but running with our bags was even more deadly. We would have lost speed, and we couldn’t afford that.

“Zeke, I really am sorry. You know I didn’t mean those things, right?”

I didn’t say anything. What she said had been true.

I walked toward her and lowered myself to my ass with an exhale. I set one of my Glocks—the empty one I carried—at my side as I stared into the mouth of the tunnel, waiting to hear anysign of someone approaching. We spoke in hushed tones, but I had to remain aware of our surroundings.

“I left you alone with a baby, and then as soon as I learned about her, I took off again. You were right. That makes me worse than my father.”

She scoffed. “I was pissed off that you left. I was so pissed off that I couldn’t bring myself to listen to you, even though you deserved to be heard out. You are nothing like that man, and if you never think about him again, it will be too soon. I should have never said that, especially since it wasn’t true.” She reached her hand over and placed it on my knee. “Whatever happens down here is meant to be, and I wouldn’t want anyone else at my side if we’re going to experience our last moments.”

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