Page 162 of Seeking Shadows

I knew I would regret it.

But I went.

The entrance to the tunnel was behind one of the storage rooms. A passage camouflaged by metal shelves and supply crates.

"How many people know about this?" I asked.

"Few. Which means, if we get caught, we’ll probably die."

"Excellent."

Mia laughed and pulled back the metal grate covering the passage.

"You first."

I descended the narrow staircase, the damp, rusty smell of the air hitting me. The tunnel stretched ahead, a long, dark hallway with dim lights scattered across the concrete ceiling.

Mia jumped down from the last step and stretched. "I love a hidden spot."

"Just walk."

We moved through the tunnel in silence until voices drifted up ahead.

"Guards?" I asked.

"Guards," Mia smiled.

Before I could respond, she was already moving.

The first guard didn’t have time to react. Mia slipped behind him and drove the blade into his neck, a swift cut that splattered blood onto the wall.

The second saw the body fall and raised his gun.

"Shit—"

Mia spun, throwing a knife straight at his eye. The man staggered as the blade sank deep, and he collapsed.

The third tried to run. Mia caught him in two seconds, kicking his leg out from under him before plunging the knife into his collarbone.

"You didn’t have to kill everyone," I muttered, watching blood pool on the floor.

"And let one of them warn the others?" She wiped her hands on the last guard's shirt. "No way."

I sighed. "Let’s go before more show up."

At the end of the tunnel, we reached a steel door.

"This is where she is," Mia said, looking at me.

She hesitated. For the first time tonight, she looked... nervous.

Then she opened the door.

Inside, chained to the wall, was a woman.

I froze.

I knew her.

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