Chapter 53
Panic.
It’s all I’ve felt since Kratos called us to a halt back in the city. At first, I thought Dom and Leo had made a break for it. My brain went wild at the idea that we’d been giving them information they could use to help Ivan.
Thank fuck that hadn’t been the case, but the reality wasn’t a whole lot better.
Dom had sent Kratos a rough-ass picture of a map.
Letting him know they were already on their way down below the city to where Jade and Ivan apparently were.
Nobody loved the idea of following some map from God only knows who down below the city to fuck knows where.
I could see it on their faces. This could be a trap or a diversion.
Nobody voiced those concerns, though, as we headed out of the city, retracing our steps down to one of the large abandoned homes that appeared to be an entry point.
At the end of the day, it didn’t matter. Trap or not, we won’t know until we’re down there, and none of us will risk Jade’s safety by not going.
The walk back is quick but quiet; everyone is lost in their own thoughts. Even I don’t have shit to say, that is, until we get into the tunnels.
“Holy shit, what died in here?” I ask, burying my face in the crook of my elbow to try and avoid the scent. It doesn’t do much, but it’s all I’ve got, and turning around isn’t an option.
“I’m not sure I even want to know,” Rick deadpans, switching on the flashlight on his phone.
Fair point.
The second my eyes adjust, I wish they hadn’t. I’d bet these tunnels were crude at best when they were brand new, but now... I’ve been in abandoned drug houses that looked and smelled better than this.
“Jesus Christ,” Jake murmurs, looking around. He’s got more balls than I do with this; that’s for sure. I’ve seen enough looking at the fucking ground. No way will I be looking above me.
“Let’s go,” Kratos orders, nodding for us to follow behind him as Rick crouches down to take the lead with his light. I’ve always known those two were tough guys, but damn, this is another level.
Need someone dead? I’m your guy. Tortured? Sure, no problem. Hell, I can even dig ‘em up if you really need me to, but this…
Not a fan. Bugs, rodents, and whatever the fuck else might be down here just really isn’t my idea of a good time, ya know?
Kratos follows him in, followed by Trent, Jake, and then Spencer, leaving me to take up the rear, something I really don’t mind, considering it leaves me in just about complete darkness.
I’ve never been afraid of the dark, not even when I was a kid.
I’m more afraid of what I can see than the possibility of what might be there.
At least like this, I have no fucking idea what surrounds me.
I take one more deep breath with my face in my sleeve before I follow them to fuck only knows where.
We're coming, Doll.
I don’t know how long we’ve been crawling through these tunnels, but I can tell you one thing.
It’s too fucking long.
Honestly, how fucking big is this place?
Never mind, I probably don’t want to know.
Eventually, the tunnels open up a bit, and we can walk, kind of, but even hunched over terribly, it beats the hell out of crawling.
The smell burns itself into my brain. I know it’s still there, though.
My eyes water from it every time I breathe in, but it doesn’t make my stomach roll the same way it did when it first smacked me in the face.
I bite back the urge to call out and ask how much farther at least a dozen times. If we are close, it could give us away, and that’s the last thing I want, but damn, do I feel like we’ve been sent on a wild goose chase.
The sound of our feet on the ground, along with whatever the hell is scurrying around down here with us, is the only sound…
Until it’s not.
A crack echoes down the tunnel, and I freeze.
I’m all too familiar with that sound. We all are.
I hold my breath for a moment, wanting to move forward, but my body remains frozen.
I hear the others as they scramble on. The sound of the shot still ringing in my ears spurs them on, urging them to move faster.
Go, go, go! Move!
I scream to myself, but it isn’t until I hear a cry that I pull in another breath, and my feet move again.
She’s alive!
But that doesn’t mean she’s okay. By the sound of her scream, she needs us, and I won’t let her down again. I can’t.
A world without my Doll isn’t something I can even begin to imagine. A short time without her sent me into a spiral worse than I’d ever experienced before.
I can’t do it again.
I won’t.
“Jade!”
Dom’s voice echoes down the tunnel to us, sounding much closer. Another shot goes off, and while this one vibrates even worse in the tunnel, my steps don’t so much as falter.
Just a little bit more. We’re almost there. I can feel it.
Low light shines in the distance, and I know it’s more than just Rick’s phone. I can make out the guys as they disappear one by one. The light is just enough to cast their silhouettes as they jump down and disappear out of sight.
I’m the last to make it, and I curse myself for not going in first so that I could get to her first. The second I reach the end, I jump down, my eyes searching the room around us for any sign of her.
Dom, Leo… Is that Hazel?
I do a double-take and realize it is, but I don’t give myself time to worry about why or even how she’s here. All three of them are breathing, and while Leo seems to be unconscious, that's all the time I have to spare for them right now.
On the far side of the room, my eyes find her just a moment before she collides with who I can only assume is Ivan. The gun in his hand falls as she takes him down, and even in the low light, I catch the gleam of metal as she brings her hand up.
They go down hard, but she doesn’t miss a beat as she pulls her arm back before slamming it down full force. I can’t make out what she’s doing from this far away, but if his screams are anything to go by, it can’t be good, at least not for him.
Jade doesn’t stop, though. Again and again, she hits him until his screams turn to moans and then die out altogether with a sickening gurgling sound that I know only means one thing.
Our girl did it.
She faced her monster, and she won.
My cheeks ache as I watch her, my very own goddess of death, delivering punishment in such a beautiful way.
Kratos is the first to move, and I’m not even mad it wasn’t me. No, I'm more than happy to hang back. She’s alive, and she’s won. That’s what really matters here.
“Jade…”
Kratos’ deep voice rings loud around the room, even with his soft tone. The guy is a fucking beast, after all. He can only be so gentle.
I know Ivan is dead at this point, but she continues stabbing him over and over, as if she hadn’t heard Kratos’s call for her at all. I wouldn’t be surprised if she hadn’t. Honestly, I’ve been there. So consumed by the blood, the high of just surviving, that the outside world melts away.
“Killer?” Kratos calls out, trying again, but still, it’s as though he hadn’t spoken.
He approaches slowly, his hands out in front of him as if trying to calm a wild animal.
Walking with sure steps, he circles around her so that he can see her as we all watch.
He hesitates for a moment as if trying to decide how to handle this before he lets out a sigh.
She’s too far gone right now for him to call her back like that. He knows it. This isn’t the first time she’s lost herself to survival mode, but if anyone can snap her out of it, I’m sure it’s him.
He steps forward until he’s damn near right in front of her before he reaches out, snatching her arm out of the air.
His large hand closes around her wrist as she pulls back to strike yet again, but she doesn’t stop like I thought she would.
Instead, she bends her wrist, causing the blade to dig into his forearm.
Kratos doesn’t even flinch as blood drips down his arm.
The cut doesn’t look deep, but I know that knife.
It’s the one I gifted her, almost identical to mine, just in a color meant only for her.
I know from experience how well they cut through flesh, both accidentally and on purpose. I also know it stings like a bitch.
He stares down at her as she attempts to yank her arm free.
She might be small, but fuck if she isn’t a whole force of nature as she wars against him.
But he doesn’t budge. Jade finally gives up, screaming in anger, and even from this far away, I can see the pain on her face as she slams her eyes closed, tears running down her face.
The knife clatters to the floor when she finally releases it, blinking up at Kratos as if she’s just now seeing him.
“He’s dead, Jade,” Kratos says, looking down at Ivan, who’s damn near unrecognizable beneath her. Jade’s eyes follow his gaze, and I watch her as his words sink in. She sags forward as the last of her adrenaline fades. Kratos is there, though, scooping her up and carrying her back to us.
“Hazel?” Trent’s confused shout pulls my attention to him as he sprints over to her.
Huh, so it really was her.
Trent rushes to her, but she barely glances up at him as she leans over Leo, where he still lies in the same spot he’s been in since we got here. He drops to his knees beside her, full of panic, as he looks her over, turning her head this way and that with a hand on her chin.
“I’m fine!” Hazel insists, yanking herself free of his grip before she turns back to Leo.
“He’s out cold. I… I don’t even know if he’s alive,” she stutters, and I’ve known her long enough to know she’s crying just by the sound of her voice.
“You have to help him, Trent. Ivan hit him with the gun and then stepped on his throat,” she sobs, shaking her head before she buries her face in his chest, her body shaking as she continues to cry.