Page 79 of Overstaying His Welcome

He followed me somewhat reluctantly. I hated to think he saw me as the villain in this situation. It was worse because the comms were also deadly silent.

Had I been wrong? Should we have tried to get those men help?

No.

I knew I wasn’t off in my decision.

Because the look of relief that came over the guy’s face when I held the gun to his head told me everything I needed to know. This had been a prison for them. A hell they couldn’t escape. Who knew how long they’d been here waiting for us to show?

Maybe tracking Pratt’s device was just another part of Lune’s plan all along. He seemed to be multiple steps ahead of us no matter what we thought.

The basement was the brightest area in the house so far. I easily made my way down the steps with the increased visibility.

“What happened up there?” Cohen asked when we finally made it to the bottom. The space was only an eight-by-eight area, barely big enough for the three of us to stand in.

I shook my head. “We’ll discuss that later. Why is this so small? Where are Takeshi and Orion?”

“I’m only out here to meet you. They’re through here.” He pointed over his shoulder to the only other doorway in the space.

“What’s through there?”

“You’re not going to believe it unless you see it,” he replied.

Without another word, he spun around with the knowledge we would follow him. Not just because of the case, but also because we couldn’t resist knowing what he meant.

And yeah, his words made sense a second later when the short hall opened to a vast area with even more doors.

“Welcome to hell,” Orion said.

“What is this place?” Godric moved around the room, taking in the doors and the plaques above them.

I already knew what Orion was going to say before he spoke. It was obvious to me just how fucked we truly were.

Orion spoke clearly enough for the team back at the office to pick up every word. “It’s a tunnel system. These doors all lead to somewhere in the city. There are also multiple points according to the map I found.”

He held up a large piece of paper that looked worn. It had obviously been used a lot over the years.

“What does this mean?” Damari’s soft voice asked.

“It means that Lune and Pratt have had access to nearly every part of the city. It’s no wonder we couldn’t ever find the bastard. He had his own private transportation system underground,” I answered.

Cohen nodded. “Yeah, and there are way too many of these to search them all.”

“I agree,” Orion said.

Our phones buzzed.

Takeshi:We need to regroup. There is no way we’ll get answers standing here.

“I agree with him.Let’s get back to the office. I’ll get a cleanup crew to come in.”

“Actually, I already called my cousin. Hope you don’t mind, Tank. He owes me a few favors. Figured he could take care of the bodies and then keep an eye on the place in case anyone comes back.”

Mindy’s voice brought a smile to my face. The team with me chuckled at my expression.

Cohen teased, “You just became Tank’s second favorite person. Chance holds the title of first, but you’re in a good spot, Mindy.”

She laughed. “Well, I’m honored. It’s no big. Besides, he’s been a grumpy asshole lately. This will give him something to focus on instead.”

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