Page 88 of Bit's Bliss
The man shrugged a shoulder. “All part of the job.”
I shut my eyes and rested my head against the seat, attempting to clear my head and shut off the noise. I clenched my fists against the overwhelming itch I felt to leave the minute I knew Eberly was safe.
It was my fault she’d been kidnapped, in the first place. I never should’ve left her, especially for as long as I had. I was supposed to keep her safe, and I hadn’t. How could she ever trust me again?
When I felt the telltale signs of a migraine coming on, I rubbed my left temple.
“Trevino?” Tryst said, resting his hand on my arm.
“I’ll be okay.”
When he put his hand on the back of my neck, then pressed his thumbs on either side of the base of my skull, I didn’t jerk away. It was Tryst who’d taught me about the pressure points referred to as the gates of consciousness. There were others he’d shown me, but this one was the quickest I’d found to alleviate the pressure that could become debilitating.
The first time Eberly was in my bed, she’d done the same thing, and I’d slept. The love I felt for her was more than I realized was possible. If anything happened to her…
“Breathe deeply, Trevino,” Tryst whispered. “Eberly needs you.”
Since my eyes were closed, I had no idea whether Decker had noticed what was happening. Most likely, he did, given he didn’t miss much. Except I didn’t care whether he saw or what he thought. Pride couldn’t stand in my way when the debilitating pain I so often experienced might prevent me from being there when the love of my life needed me the most. I’d failed her once. I wouldn’t again.
I raised my head and opened my eyes.
“Better?”
“I think so.”
“This is it,” said Decker, motioning to a fire road.
Snapper pulled off at the same time I heard one of the other guys say through the comms that they were in position.
“ETA two minutes,” Decker responded.
Snapper pulled right behind an outcropping of trees. Not far from where he parked, I could see one man, but not any of the others.
I closed my eyes and listened after Decked exited the vehicle. Once he was in position, he signaled theothers to enter the caves. I could hear the sound of boots on the ground, but nothing else.
Then my blood froze.
“Let her go, and toss your weapon this way,” I heard Decker say. “You’re surrounded, and there’s no way out alive unless you do.”
“Clear out of my way, or she gets a bullet in her brain. As soon as she does, the other two will too.” While the voice sounded like Burke’s, the accent was Irish.
I was out of the vehicle before Tryst or Snapper could stop me, headed for something else I saw from where we parked—another way into the caves.
Three steps led down to an entrance obscured by overgrowth, similar to the one we had leading into the old winery. Ours went to a secret passageway my father thought his father had used during prohibition. Rather than connecting to the main corridor, ours went behind the storage rooms. I had no doubt these did too.
Knowing I’d find them easier by listening to voices echoing on the stone, I reached up and turned the comms down enough that I could still hear it, but faintly. At the same time, I readied my gun, eased thewooden door open, and raced inside what looked more like a tunnel than a corridor.
It only led in one direction, and since I couldn’t see a fucking thing, I hugged the wall and ran.
When the voices got closer, I slowed, tuning out the words and focusing solely on feeling my way. I hadn’t found an offshoot yet, but there had to be something leading into the storage rooms.
“I’ve got him,” I heard someone say through the comms, not realizing he was talking about me until I heard Decker say, “Typical Bit.”
“I can’t find a way in,” I responded.
“Two more feet on the left,” said the first guy. It didn’t make sense since the sounds I could hear were on the right, but I went in that direction anyway.
I jolted when I heard the sound of gunfire farther in the distance.
