Page 64 of Echos and Empires
“I want to blame you for this, but you’re just as half-cocked and would have done the same damn thing,” Chris growled.
“Umm…sure?” Alex pulled the toothbrush from his mouth just as Liam and Emma appeared behind him at the top of the stairs.
“Chris? Bash?” Emma looked between them.
“William decided to play fucking cave explorer.” Bash explained when Chris said nothing.
“Fuck,” Bash watched both Liam and Alex say the same word at the same time.
“Liam, Alex stay here with Emma,” Chris said, the authority in his voice unmistakable. “We can’t take chances, but three of us can’t stay here now.”
Bash’s fury built again, a familiar burn that twisted through him. They’d worked so hard to build this life, and now it was slipping away. His frustration was a living thing, a monster that clawed at his insides. He didn’t care about anything but getting William back. Everything else was just noise. The only thing that mattered was fixing this mess, and Chris seemed to know that, too. Bash gave a curt nod, his anger pushing him forward as he followed Chris, ready to confront the danger head-on.
“What happened?” Emma asked, stepping in front of him and Chris after taking the steps two at a time.
“William went exploring while testing out the camera hacks. When we called him someone else picked up and they have him. We’re going to get him back and then it’s likely we need to run.” Chris paused long enough to take Emma’s hand. “You can’t come. Not with babies who could need medical attention.”
Chris looked to Liam, and a silent conversation happened before he spoke again. “When this goes down, you don’t know a damn thing about what Bash and I are planning. You’re staying here. I am not risking this entire unit. Play dumb.”
“We are not. I am not.” Emma hissed like a cat in heat in a way Bash had never heard from her before. “We will all be going wherever we all go. Now go get Will!” her voice damn near shook the last part with her command.
Chris froze, opened his mouth, and nodded.
Finally moving again, Bash grabbed gear, threw it in bags, moved with a frantic energy he couldn’t control. The alarms in his mind were deafening, screaming out a warning he didn’t want to hear. They were about to lose everything. He knew the risk, knew the stakes. It made his blood burn and his head spin. They were going to save William, but at what cost?
The warning they’d received echoed over and over, looping in Bash’s brain.Your cover’s blown.It sat alongside Chris’s voice, commands coming hard and fast. The urgency was like a living thing, wrapping around him, suffocating him. Bash struggled against it, fought to keep focus on Chris’s orders. There was too much to lose, too much chaos. He needed to calm the fuck down, but the pounding in his head wouldn’t quit. He could barely hear himself think, the magnitude of the situation crashing down on him, relentless and overwhelming.
Chris moved with the determination and control that always centered him, and for a moment, Bash felt a sliver of relief. Chris didn’t flinch, didn’t falter. It was like a shot of adrenaline straight to the heart, enough to push Bash through his spiral. He gritted his teeth, zeroed in on Chris’s words, willed himself to focus.
“We get William,” Chris said, the certainty in his voice slicing through the chaos. “We get out.” Bash forced himself to nod, forced himself to accept what had to be done. His body was all nerves and urgency as he started grabbing gear, as he let Chris’s surety steady his own.
They tore through the equipment room, gathering weapons, supplies, anything they might need. Things they’d stockpiled off the truck before boarding the boat and had yet to give up. Bash moved with an intensity that bordered on desperation. He couldn’t slow down, couldn’t stop. Every second wasted was a second closer to losing everything. It was too much like the last time, the sudden upheaval, the violence. The world narrowed to just them against everyone else. They were outnumbered, outgunned, but Bash pushed that aside. He focused on what they could control, what they could do. He packed everything with military precision, channeling his frustration into action. Beside him, Chris was a blur of motion, unyielding and composed.
“We have to move fast,” Chris said, shoving extra ammo into a bag. He slammed a drawer shut, the sound sharp in the small room. Chris barely glanced up. “Liam and Alex pack,” Chris continued, “Keep Emma safe.”
Bash clenched his jaw, the thought of uprooting everyone setting him on edge. This was supposed to be their haven. A place they could breathe. The thought of abandoning it left him raw and angry, a storm ready to break. And the rage wouldn’t leave him alone. It curled inside, feeding off his fear and frustration, leaving him simmering, volatile. They had tried so hard to settle, and now it was crumbling. His thoughts were a whirlwind, violent and erratic. Bash shouldered the last of the gear, hands shaking with fury.
The idea of going back out there, of returning to the life they’d thought they’d left behind, was nearly unbearable. Especially after the reminder of the comforts they had. This hadn’t been the plan. This wasn’t how things ended. His thoughts flashed to William, and the resentment bubbled up, scalding and raw.
They were supposed to be safe. They were supposed to be together. He glared at the bags, at the reminder of what they had to do. His internal struggle was a fierce, relentless thing, and he channeled it into determination, into action. He turned to Chris, the unspoken understanding passing between them. This was going to be brutal, but they’d get through it. They’d get William, and they’d come back.
The thought brought a flicker of control, a hint of the old confidence. It wasn’t much, but it was enough. It had to be enough. Bash’s breath came hard and fast, and he met Chris’s gaze with a fierce, volatile resolve. “Let’s go,” Bash said, his voice rough, edged with the anger and desperation he couldn’t shake. Chris nodded, and they set out, their future uncertain, but their commitment to each other solid and unwavering.
The darkness was their accomplice.It concealed their movements, letting them become part of the shadows as Bash and Chris crept closer to the old security building. Bash’s pulse matched the rhythm of their footsteps, a steady beat that drowned out everything else. They crouched low, senses on high alert as they approached. There was tension in every step, a coiled anticipation that thrummed through Bash with a volatile energy. He and Chris avoided guards with military precision, eyes scanning the perimeter for the best point of entry. They couldn’t fuck this up. Not now, when they were so close.
Every breath was too loud in the night, dangerous if they got too close to anyone else. The building loomed ahead, a dark fortress against the sky. Bash moved like a ghost, silent and determined, his focus honed razor-sharp on their mission. Chris was a shadow at his side, steady and strategic. Together, they were a perfect machine, years of experience guiding their movements, making them seamless and efficient. The night swallowed them whole, and Bash let it. He let the urgency consume him, let it drive him forward, his heartbeat a relentless drum in his chest.
There were guards there now. So it wasn’t just a handful of supposed friends he’d have to put down tonight to get to his brother. There were dozens if the eight standing guard were any indication. Dozens he would kill and ask for forgiveness for later if it saved William.
The men patrolled with practiced ease, unaware of the intruders moving like whispers through the dark. Bash’s nerves were a live wire, crackling with anticipation, with fear. He ignored the doubt that lurked beneath his bravado, the doubt that they wouldn’t make it, that they’d leave with nothing but regret. He couldn’t let it paralyze him. He wouldn’t. Bash pushed the thoughts aside and focused on their path. Each step brought them closer to the center of the compound.
Closer to William.
They reached the building’s edge, where lights cast eerie shadows that stretched and shifted with the slightest breeze. Bash could see the intensity in Chris’s eyes, could feel it mirrored in his own. This was it. Their make-or-break moment. Bash exhaled slowly, steadied his resolve, and nodded at Chris. They were ready. They slipped inside, their movements synchronized and silent, every instinct tuned to their surroundings. It was too much like the last time, the familiarity gnawing at Bash as they navigated the maze of hallways and rooms.
They made it inside the area without alerting anyone, a minor victory in the midst of an impossible situation. Bash’s confidence surged, fueled by adrenaline and desperation. It was short-lived. An alarm split the air, a blaring, discordant sound that shattered their stealth and echoed off the compound walls. “Fuck,” Bash muttered, his heart plummeting with the noise. It was happening too fast. Chaos erupted, the quiet of the night replaced by the frenetic energy of guards converging from all directions.
Chris shoved Bash forward, urging him deeper into the labyrinthine corridors of the facility, their objective painfully close. Urgency blazed within Bash, a wildfire licking at his insides, driving him onward. As they pressed on, guards in dark uniforms surged into the narrow passageways, weaponsbrandished and eyes hard with intent. The air was electric with tension, and the clash that followed was fierce and unyielding.
