Page 49 of The Girl He Claimed

"Wait here, Caroline,"Paige said.

"Are you kidding?"Caroline replied. "I'm not letting you two go down there alone. I'm comingwith you."

"You're a civilian, alibrarian, not an FBI agent," Christopher said. "You need to staywhere it's safe."

"And you need my help,"Caroline insisted. "You can't hold the flashlights and the guns and stillread the map of the tunnels. I helped you get this far; I want to see thisthrough to the end."

Paige could understand that urge.It had been a part of what had propelled her to continue the search for Adamthe first time he had escaped. Could she really deny Caroline the chance tohelp now?

More to the point, what wouldCaroline do if they said no? Would she simply follow along once they'd gone?Down into tunnels that might contain Adam Riker? That would only put her ingreater danger.

"All right," Paige said."But stay close to us, and if there's any danger, I want you to run backhere and get help. Don't take any risks, Caroline."

"I won't," Carolinepromised. "I don't take risks."

Paige wasn't so sure about that,when this represented a massive risk, but there was no time to argue more. Thetunnels below the St Just Institute were waiting for them, and potentially AdamRiker with them.

Finally, they had a chance to endthis. Paige wasn't going to miss it. She set off into the tunnel.

CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR

Adam Riker was somewhere ahead.Paige was sure of it now. It was like she could feel him down there.

Logically, she knew that wasimpossible, but even logic said that he at least must have been there at somepoint in the last couple of days. Even if they didn't find him down here, therewas a good chance that there would be something to point to where he'd gonenext.

Logic didn't come into it, though.Paige knew Adam. He would love the idea of being right under the noses of thepeople looking for him, striking without being seen while he was directlybeneath them. He would love the idea of sitting there like a spider in themiddle of his web.

"It looks like there are someentrances that connect to outside," Caroline said. "Or there's a kindof central basement."

"Let's head for that,"Paige said. If Adam was hiding out down here, that was where he would be."

The air in the tunnel was musty andstale, and Paige felt a shiver run down her spine as they descended furtherinto the darkness. The walls were made of rough-hewn stone, and the ceiling waslow, forcing them to duck their heads as they walked.

Paige led the way, gun in one handand flashlight in the other. Christopher followed closely behind her, andCaroline brought up the rear, the book with the map clutched tightly in herhand.

"I think we take a lefthere," Caroline said in a low voice. Even like that, the sound carried.Would they be able to catch Adam unaware, or would he hear them coming? If so,would he run?

No, not when Paige was there. Paigewas sure that he would try to fight. Try to ambush them.

They moved slowly and cautiously,navigating the twisting, turning tunnels with careful steps. Caroline consultedthe map frequently, calling out directions while Paige tried to keep track oftheir location and direction.

As they moved deeper into thetunnels, the air grew colder, and the walls began to close in around them. Thepassage became narrower and more claustrophobic, and the darkness seemed topress down on them from all sides.

As they kept walking, Paige startedto think, not about Adam, but about the Exsanguination Killer. Even if theycaught Adam here, she would still be out there somewhere. They would still needto find her.

Would Adam honor his deal withPaige? Would he tell her the Exsanguination Killer's identity? Paige doubtedthat it would be that simple, but she had to hope. Right then, they had noother way of finding out who she was. They'd checked all the members of staffthe evidence pointed to, and everyone else had an alibi based on the key cardsand the security footage.

Paige frowned slightly. There wassomething about that. How did the tunnels affect all that?

"It looks as though we take aright here," Caroline said.

They kept creeping on through thedarkness of the tunnels. Paige kept thinking about what the tunnels meant inthe context of the murders. It seemed obvious now that Adam had used thosetunnels to get out of the institute, but wouldn't the Exsanguination Killeralso have used them?

Paige was still thinking about thatwhen she heard a sound. A faint rustling, like someone moving in the shadows.

Paige signaled for Caroline andChristopher to stop, and they all listened intently, trying to locate thesource of the noise.

It came again, louder this time,and Paige thought she could make out a general direction for it somewhereahead.

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