Page 63 of Echos and Empires
He squeezed his eyes shut, wishing he could silence it, knowing he couldn’t. The door clicked shut, sealing him into the silence. William sat there, each breath a betrayal, and waited for them to come back. He hoped he could last. He hoped they would find him first.
He hoped.
TWENTY-TWO
The sharpbuzzof his phone’s vibration was amplified where it sat on the coffee table. Bash grabbed it and flicked open the notification.
One new message from William.
He opened it and let out a stream of curses a second later.
“That son of a bitch! What the fuck was he thinking?”
William wasn’t supposed to be alone anywhere other than the old computer building. He wasn’t supposed to be sneaking into a fucking hidden room. Bash hadn’t been sure how William was adjusting because he was always so quiet, but this—this was worse than he thought. Worse, was the small fact that the idiot had let Bash know. Which meant William felt some level of concern and still did what the fuck he did.
Bash shoved his phone into his pocket and got to his feet, a heavy unease settling into his gut. He needed to find Chris. Now.
Irritation laced every step as he stalked through the house looking for Chris. If he shouted, he’d likely start cursing and never stop. All the while, he repeated the damn text message in his mind, ratcheting up his frustration. He wasn’t sure how the idiot was managing since the message had a delayed time stamp,but knowing William was running around alone made Bash sick with anxiety. The threat that had been simmering beneath their skin now felt visceral, alive, and he couldn’t stand it. Everything was about to come crashing down around them, and Bash didn’t know if he could take another goddamn minute of this without exploding. William was alone and possibly caught, and they were right back to where they started. His jaw clenched as he searched for Chris, cursing the situation that seemed to spiral further out of control by the second.
This wasn’t just William going off and doing something reckless. This was a potential disaster.
He found Chris in the kitchen, moving with a steady efficiency as he tended to lunch. Bash paused at the door, torn between urgency and disbelief at how calm Chris seemed assuming he’d gotten the same message. Maybe too calm. The sight of Chris being so unaware made Bash’s unease spike even higher. It didn’t fit the urgency beating against his brain like a hammer.
Chris must have sensed him because he looked up, brow furrowing as he took in Bash’s expression. “What’s got you looking like hell?” Chris asked, voice a mix of sarcasm and genuine concern. Bash stared at him, the words tangling up in his throat.
He was torn between screaming and spitting the words out, but Chris’s serious gaze settled his nerves enough to finally speak.
“Did you know William went alone to test shutting off cameras?”
Chris nodded.
“Have you seen William’s text?” Bash managed to say next, the irritation thick in his voice. Chris’s confusion shifted to alarm, and Bash could see the gears turning in his head, the thoughts lining up as Chris processed what he’d said. Bash couldalmost feel Chris’s emotions catch up with the situation as they both stood there, waiting for the world to implode around them. He didn’t need to hear what William’s message was. He knew Chris well enough to know he understood. Chris dropped what he was doing and stepped toward him, eyes sharp. “No,” Chris said, tone clipped with worry. “What’s happened?”
“He’s off fucking exploring when all he was supposed to do was test out taking down some old cameras,” Bash said, his voice full of fury. “A secret door. He found a secret fucking door.” Anger cracked through him like a whip. “He. Went. Through. It.”
“Fuck!” Chris cursed, the word coming out harsh and loud.
They stood in the tense silence as Chris took out his phone and dialed William’s number. The ringing seemed endless, a never-ending echo that pounded in time with Bash’s heartbeat.
When someone picked up, the volume was loud enough that Bash could hear the person. The voice on the other end wasn’t William’s.
It was harsh, taunting.
“You better run here fast,” the stranger said, his threat clear and terrifying. “Your cover’s blown.”
The line went dead. Bash could see the realization settling over Chris, the raw determination and anger carving deep lines into his face. It was more than an explosion waiting to happen. This was a fucking catastrophe, and Bash knew it. He knew it from the way Chris met his eyes, already moving, already planning their next move in the split second before Bash could even breathe.
Bash followed Chris out of the kitchen, adrenaline surging through him like a live wire. The world had flipped upside down, and the careful life they’d built in the compound was unraveling fast. Faster than he could process, faster than he’d thought possible.
“Where the hell are Liam and Alex?” Chris shouted, his voice slicing through Bash’s rising panic. “This whole fucking place is about to go up in flames, and we can’t find them in a small house!”
Bash barely heard Chris barking orders over the chaos in his own mind. The entire fucking situation had become a powder keg, and it was about to blow. Bash’s thoughts tumbled over one another, and he struggled to latch on to any of them as they raced through his mind. His hands were shaking, his pulse a frantic drumbeat in his ears.
“Damn it, move faster, Bash!” Chris cursed as he pushed through the chaos, determination etched on his face.
They were back on the run, back to being a small unit in a big, dangerous world. All because William couldn’t keep his damn curiosity in check. Bash swore under his breath, anger and fear battling it out inside him. He watched Chris, who was already grabbing supplies, a stark contrast to his own spiral. “We can’t leave him,” Bash said, voice raw with the frustration and helplessness he couldn’t push down. Chris nodded, his movements urgent and precise, all business as he shoved gear into a bag.
“What’s going on?” Alex appeared, toothbrush in his mouth at the top of the stairs.
