Page 22 of The Heir
"Can we discuss cults later? Melnyk is getting the cars ready. You both need to be ready to go. If push comes to shove, we'll need to take the back roads. I guarantee I know them better than Ella does. We have two planes on standby at a small hobby runway about an hour away. We'll figure out where to go from there." Roman raps his knuckles against the steel door again. "Get ready."
I nod, feeling numb. I count the seconds between my inhales and exhales as I pull my clothes out of the wardrobe. Dante disappears down the hall and returns a few seconds later with matching hard-shell suitcases. He scoots one across the floor to me. Perfect for travel. I don't know how many of my clothes I'll be able to fit in there, but it'll be easy to carry, at least.
My husband carefully folds his clothes into tiny rectangles and tucks them into his suitcase. His looks so organized and perfect, whereas mine is… a pile. It's a heap. Exasperation leaks out of me as I sigh.
"Why don't we just leave now, instead of waiting around?" I grumble.
Dante stops and perches on the edge of the bed. "I understand the desire, love. But the fact of the matter is, this bunker is the safest place we could possibly be within the continental United States. Roman believes—and I agree, for the record—that we should not leave unless we absolutely have to."
"Better to be ready than not, I guess," I huff.
"Exactly. See those vents?" He points to the metal grate in the ceiling. "The underground portion here is completely sealed. The vents funnel the air to an industrial air purifier. We could survive tear gas, mustard gas, any kind of airborne attack. The cinderblock walls are only concrete on our side. Externally, it's weapons-grade steel. The only way they could getinis with a lot of time and a lot of drilling."
"What about the cabin? Could they not just shoot the lock on the hatch, get down the stairs?" I point towards the vague direction of the stairway.
"Sure, if they tried hard enough. But the metal doors to each room can be pressurized on command. If one room falls, the others are safe. The Eligos really put in a lot of work and thought into making thisthesafest structure in the country."
Damn. That is pretty impressive. "But if they can't get in, and we can't get out, how long could we survive down here?"
"That's the issue, isn't it? Supplies. I won't bore you with the details, but The Eligos has an extensive water filtration system and stockpiled MREs. They wouldn't be gourmet, of course, but we could survive." Dante returns to his packing.
"If this is the safest place in the country and possibly the world, where would we go?" I chew on my lip. He huffs out a long sigh.
"I don't know. We have resources, of course, but I don't know yet. It would depend on our allies." He flips the suitcase closed and zips it up. "I have to say, I never thought it would go this far. I… I feel like I haven't prepared adequately. My business dealings are mostly commercial real estate. I just… I always thought we'd be safe."
I've never seen such a morose look on my husband's face. Even when I was in jail, he didn't look like this. He was angry then, and happy to see me, but never sodefeated.I want to fix it. I have to fix it.
After shoving the last of my clothes into the suitcase, I force the zipper closed and lug it out to the main cabin. Roman and the other men sit anxiously, waiting for Melnyk's return.
"So, we're running. Right? What if she follows?" I cross my arms and square my feet. "We can't spend the rest of our lives running. I'm sure you have lives to get back to."
Nihil's jaw ticks as he looks down at the floor with a curt nod. "Your safety is our mission, miss."
"And I appreciate that, I really do. But are wereallyjust going to keep running?" My heart rate increases, and I can feel the nervous energy crashing around in my body. I can't stand still. My fingers twitch, and I keep shuffling my feet to let some of it out.
"What do you suggest, miss?" Roman throws up a hand. "No, it's not ideal. But we cannot risk losing you. Or your husband, for that matter."
"So, don't risk it. Kit me out with all the shady military shit you have and dangle me like a carrot on a stick," I propose and the room falls silent. A muffledwhat?sounds from the bunker before Dante comes rushing up like a rocket.
"Absolutely the fuck not. No. Melody, Iforbidyou—" Dante's face flushes red with fury.
"Absolutely the fuck yes! Youforbidme? She's afterme!She kept me in that goddamn basement—she sent me to fucking prison!" I didn't realize I was approaching him until I shoved my chest into his. Even though he's taller than me by a good half a foot, I imagine—andhope—my rage is intimidating. "I'm going to fucking kill her. With or without you, dickhead."
My husband falls silent, huffing out breath after angry breath. I jut out my chin and narrow my eyes.
"You can't seriously be considering this, sir?" Roman pipes up, and I wanna fucking stab him.
"What are we considering, sirs?" Melnyk asks as he gently opens the cabin's front door.
Dante
My wife is a holy terror. Most of the time, I love that about her. But Ijustgot her back. I'm not about to use her as bait for a madwoman, let alone a goddamn Beacon of Seraph.
"Melody wants to use herself as bait for Ella," Roman chuckles. "Ridiculous."
Shock and awe sweep over Melnyk's features as he looks Melody up and down. "Are you serious?"
"As a goddamn funeral," Melody snarls. "She wants me dead? I wantherdead. And I'll fight each and every one of you motherfuckers if you get in my way."
