Page 39 of Wicked Obsession

She didn’t grimace. She didn’t limp. She moved quickly, but he saw how gingerly she walked, and Ryder was reminded to factor that into the contingency plans forming in his mind. There wasn’t much he could change, though, if things went to shit. He knew Langley would suck it up and deal with the pain without a whisper of complaint, but he didn’t want her hurting.

As soon as they entered the bedroom, she headed into the attached bath. The crawling sensation on the back of his neck increased. He reached for his phone, but it pinged before he unhooked it from his belt. The text was short and it turned his blood to ice.Primary ext. cam 3 down 2x.The 2x told him it was the same camera that had been out of commission this morning. Once could have been an animal, twice told him it wasn’t.

“Langley,” he called as he closed messagingand opened the security app. “Forget your shit. We’re going without it. The sniper’s here.”

He quickly ran through the cameras, but stopped and went backward. The tunnel entrance in the wine cellar was wide open, the barricade bar resting next to the door.

Someone had taken that bar down from the inside. Someone he trusted.

One of his friends had sold them out.

Chapter 16

A picture was worth a thousand words and Ryder needed Langley to understand the situation. When she reached his side, he showed her the live feed from the security camera on the tunnel door in the wine cellar.

“The barricade bar is down.”

“I know.” He stowed the phone and moved quickly, gathering a few things they’d need.

“It can only be removed from the inside.”

“I know.” He slung a backpack over his shoulder and stopped in front of her. “From here on out, trust no one—only me.”

Her gaze jerked up to his and he saw in her eyes that she understood exactly what he was telling her. “Who?”

“Don’t know.” Ryder took Langley’s hand andtugged her to the bedroom door. He released her and listened carefully before cautiously inching it open. The escape tunnel system the ambassador had told him about was separate from the tunnels the assassination squad had used to gain access to the house and it was their ticket to safety. He hoped. “Stick close,” he whispered, and after reaching for his pistol, stepped into the hallway.

He fucking hated that the corridor was open to the great room below, and Ryder gestured to Langley to hug the wall. If someone walked through and looked up, they were finished.

The nearest entry point to the escape tunnels was in the master bedroom and they were going to be exposed for about thirty to forty seconds until they reached the enclosed section of the hall. That was going to be a long half minute. From there, they’d have another thirty seconds or so until they made it to their destination. Fuck, he wished there was a closer entrance.

He didn’t know who the hell the ambassador’s friend was or what he did that necessitated a hidden escape route, but they were damn lucky it was there and twice as lucky that Canfield had made him promise not to share its existence with his team.

A floorboard creaked under Langley’s foot and Ryder froze. Waited.

She was practically plastered to his side and hecould feel her tension. Ryder wished he could smile and reassure her that everything was going to be fine, but he couldn’t do that. Because an unknown member of his team was a traitor, and the two of them were on their own against a sniper of epic skill and probably a team of mercenaries. His hellcat might not be some normal civilian, but she wasn’t Wonder Woman either.

After a few seconds, he resumed moving, confident that no one had been around to hear the sound. Reaching the enclosed hallway was a small relief. He eyed the door at the end of the corridor. Halfway there.

Langley breathed a soft sigh when they arrived at the master bedroom, but he knew better. Ryder exercised as much caution to enter the room as he’d done when they’d gone into the corridor. Silently, he closed the door behind them.

In milliseconds, he saw that bedroom was enormous with lofted ceilings and a view of the lake and mountains that was amazing. He headed straight for the closet.

He’d only been given a few minutes to study the schematics for the emergency tunnels and Ryder had focused on the entrances and how to open the hidden doorways. Finding their way around once they were inside would involve a lot of trial and error, but he’d worry about that when he needed to.

The closet was as big as some people’s homes and filled with clothes. A wardrobe for each residence? At least the fabric could hide them if anyone came in here and only did a cursory search. Closing the door, Ryder went to the back right hand side. “Grab some jackets for us while I get the door to the tunnels open. It’ll drop to the 40s or 50s overnight.”

“You know about the escape tunnels?”

Ryder paused, turned to look at her. “Youknow about the them?”

“Sure. I played in them with Charlotte and Louisa when we were kids.”

“Who the fuck are Charlotte and Louisa?” he demanded, voice soft.

She frowned at him, but didn’t mention his language. “Uncle Bill and Aunt Kate’s daughters. If we need jackets, does that mean we’re camping out?”

Ryder shook his head. “Only if we have no other choice. My plan is to get one of the cars and drive away.”

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