Page 67 of Reckless
I scramble toward the moaning guard now clutching his broken nose. I’ve slammed his head against the wall before his eyes have even widened at the sight of me. He’s out cold as I fumble for his pocket, finding the rusty key within, and stagger to the cell door.
Kai is right behind me, watching as I reach a hand through the bars to unlock the door from the outside. We step through the open bars, rubbing our raw wrists. My eyes sweep over the wall of emptycells, relieved to find not a single familiar face within.
Lenny and the others aren’t here. It seems that only the prince and Silver Savior were worth Rafael’s trouble. And I’m momentarily comforted by that realization.
But it’s the sewer grate at the end of the hall that now captures my attention.
“So far, so good,” Kai murmurs, taking off at a soft sprint toward the sewer. I’m on his heels in an instant, head swiveling as I search for any sign of oncoming guards. My heart races, head pounding, as I focus on keeping my tired legs pumping toward freedom.
“Grab the other side,” the Enforcer orders when I skid to a stop over the grate. My fingers slip on the grimy metal, but I lift as hard as my strained arms will allow. “Come on, Gray,” Kai grunts. “You can do better than that.”
The grate is impossibly heavy, and the growing sound of pounding boots isn’t helping my focus. I take a deep breath before yanking upward, hoping Kai will do the rest. I’m tempted to thank the Plague when he manages to slide the lid halfway off the dark drop into the sewer.
We’re greeted with the sound of rushing water, and the stench of bodily fluids. I gag despite my best efforts but manage to keep the few bites of stale bread down. Distant shouting has my head snapping up, eyes straining in the dim light to see just how many guards are racing toward us. I count seven before my eyes find Kai’s across the yawning mouth of the sewer below.
And with a single nod, I step off the ledge and into darkness.
I land with a splash, thankful to find that it is mostly water sloshing around my calves. Kai quickly drops down beside me despite something clanking around his shoulders. He doesn’t give me the chance to ask before he’s grabbing my hand and sprinting through the tunnel.
“They’re coming!” he shouts over the sound of rushing water. “We need to move fast!”
I give him a nod he can’t see, all while trying to ignore the fact that this is the extent of our plan. This is as far as we plotted. Sever the rope. Knock out the guard. Get the key. Escape through the sewer.
Except, we don’t have the slightest idea what awaits us at the end of this tunnel.
My legs feel heavy, like trying to run through honey. “The water is rising!” I yell, panic quivering my voice. It’s rushing around my knees now, fast and forceful.
“Just keep moving!” His order echoes off the tunnel walls, forcing my legs faster in the current.
It’s so dark down here that I can’t see Kai wading through the water in front of me, but his hand is firm in mine as he leads me straight through the tunnel. Stretching out my stray hand, I drag my fingers across the grimy wall beside me, feeling every passage we could have turned down.
The thick water laps around my waist now. I can only see shadows and outlines, feel freezing water and paralyzing terror. I’m slipping with every step, trying to keep up with Kai as he pulls me behind him.
The liquid rises rapidly as we run, daring to drown us with every inch.
Drowning has never been ideal, especially not in a sewer. I know I’m moving, but I can hardly feel my legs beneath me. Chills rack my body, chattering teeth now joining the symphony of rushing water—rushing water that keeps rising.
“Just a little farther!”
I hear his shouted encouragement, but I don’t bother to believe it. We’re blindly running through sewers, being pursued by both waterand guards driven by greed. Our odds are hardly favorable.
My hands are numb, fingers frozen by the water now circling my elbows.
Maybe this is a better fate than the one awaiting me back in Ilya.
Maybe this is where Death finally catches me, finally gets to cackle at the sight of me drifting into a watery grave.
Or maybe he’ll embrace me like an old friend.
I slam into something solid, splashing freezing water over whatever part of me was still dry. Kai’s back is blocking my path, but I’m close enough now to hear the string of curses he’s spewing. “Dammit,” he breathes, dropping my hand.
“What? What’s going on?” I feel my way around him, pushing forward until…
My palms meet a grimy wall.
I slide frantic fingers in every direction, feeling for some sort of opening in the darkness.
Nothing.
