34. Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter thirty-four
Peter
As the bookcase slowly swung away from the wall, I barely had time to recognize the blast door behind it as someone stepped into view.
Not just someone, though. She looked a lot more stressed out and pale compared to the image I saw only a couple of hours ago, but there was no mistaking who was standing in front of me. “Hey, Hummingbird.”
She let out a tense breath as she nodded. “Hey, Shield.”
While we had confirmed the other person’s identity, neither of us moved.
As an act of good faith, I slowly lowered my gun, trying to look as friendly and non-threatening as possible.
“As you know, I walked the property. There’s nothing here, but it looks like you had fun doing some yard work last night.
” She nodded, but didn’t move or relax her stance.
“Do you need help packing, or are you good to go?”
Hummingbird let out a tired sigh. “All my belongings are packed, and I fit what I could of my snacks.”
There was tension and hurt in her voice, and I hated the sadness I saw in her eyes. I wanted the power to make it go away. “I brought two empty totes with me. Edith insisted.”
A small smile briefly flickered across her face. “Sounds like her.”
Now It was my turn to nod as I slowly put my gun back in its holster.
“She and Lynette mentioned not wanting you to leave anything important behind.” I glanced around, looking for any clues to tell me more about the woman standing in front of me.
“I was also told there was a way to move everything from here to my truck without going outside. I’m assuming we have to go down through the door you’re protecting to make that happen? ”
Her eyes flicked to the left before looking straight at me again. “Yeah.”
“Is everything okay?”
Hummingbird slowly nodded again. “Yeah. I’m just… Well… No one else knows about this aside from Lynette and Tech, but…” She trailed off and let out a tense breath. “Fuck it. You’re literally here to collect me and keep me alive. I need to get the hell over this.”
I took a step forward but stopped short when she tightened her grip on her gun. “I promise I’m going to do everything in my power to keep you safe.”
“I know.” The words came out as a tense whisper.
I need her to let me in. “Is there anything I can do to make you feel more comfortable with this?”
She let out a defeated sigh as she lowered her gun and put it back in her holster. “No. I’m just tired and jumpy.”
“Same.”
Hummingbird studied my face for a moment before nodding slightly. “Follow me.” She spun around, stepped into the doorway, and headed to her left, disappearing from view.
Not wanting to be left behind, I rushed over and was stunned to see her making her way down a narrow set of stairs. “What is this place?”
She stopped long enough to glance over her shoulder. “This is my sanctuary.”
The significance of her words was not lost on me as I followed her downstairs.
I was blown away by the very impressive bunker I stepped into.
What immediately caught my attention was a small painting of a hummingbird.
It matched the one in Edith’s office. Lukas painted that.
Does he know? Does she? “Where did you get that painting?”
She glanced over and then smiled. “The hummingbird? Edith gave it to me as a present. Said it was beautiful and reminded her of me. With that kind of compliment, how was I to refuse?”
Edith wasn’t wrong.
“Why isn't it packed?”
A sad sigh escaped her lips. “I didn’t know if there was going to be room for it, so I only packed the most important items.”
Something to ask about later.
“Well, the way you’re looking at it tells me it's important.” I walked to the small painting and carefully lifted it from the wall. “Would you like it wrapped in something soft and packed in a tote, or would you like to hold it?”
Hummingbird stared at me for a moment, and I nearly got lost in the depth of her hazel eyes. “You really mean it.”
“Of course I do.”
She let out a tense breath. “Well, if it fits in Edith’s tote, I’m happy to pack it in there.”
I nodded. “Okay. And if it doesn’t, I’ll buckle it into the front seat. Anything else?”
She glanced at the duffle bag and blanket sitting on top of two blue totes. “That’s it.”
“What about upstairs? Any books, blankets, trinkets you want to take with you? I promise you we have plenty of room in the SUV.”
“Aside from the rest of the food, everything important is already packed.”
I nodded. “Okay. Do you want to load up before or after we wipe the computer stuff?”
Hummingbird gave me a tight smile. “I don’t actually need the extra tote, so we can wipe the tech now and make one trip.”
Her response surprised me. “Are you sure?”
She rolled her shoulders and crossed her arms over her chest. “Absolutely. I’ve already backed up the files I wanted. All we need to do is contact Tech.”
It was abundantly clear she was antsy and wanted to get going.
She wasn’t the only one.
After several messages back and forth, the important files were backed up again on another secret server Ryan had. He told us he would wipe the computer remotely once he had confirmation we were off the property.
Once that was done, Hummingbird took one last look around the room, brushed a tear off her face, and looked at me. “Ready when you are.”
Her strength and bravery were both awe-inspiring and heart breaking. I glanced around, noticing another blast door to my left. “Is that the secret exit?”
She nodded. “Yep.”
While I wasn’t surprised by Hummingbird’s minimal conversation, it was a little unnerving having her watching my every move like a hawk. The need to make her feel safe and comfortable was overwhelming. “How would you like to proceed? You opening the door? Or me?”
Letting out another tense breath, she slung the strap to her duffle bag across her shoulders and grabbed the grey and purple blanket and one of the totes. “I have to unlock things, so I'll lead out.”
I picked up the remaining tote and followed her, extremely curious about what was behind door number two. Hummingbird opened the door to reveal a golf cart and a decently lit cave tunnel. What is this place? “Okay, curiosity’s got me. Why the golf cart?”
A half chuckle came out. “It’s a bit of a walk. You’ll see.” After we loaded the totes and bag onto the back, she hopped into the driver’s seat. “Let’s roll.”
I sat next to her and rested an arm on the back of the seat, holding onto the dash with my other hand as she drove down the narrow tunnel.
The initial silence was a little uncomfortable, but probably because I’d only ever talked to her through the app and never in person.
I also didn’t know what to say. I didn't know if I should have said anything.
Why is this so hard?
Her knuckles were white from her tight grip on the steering wheel the entire drive.
After taking a turn, another blast door came into sight, and Hummingbird slowed the cart to a stop. She immediately looked up and let out a sigh. I glanced over and saw a screen showing four camera feeds of the mine entrance. “Is that what’s on the other side of the door?”
Hummingbird nodded and hopped out of the cart.
I immediately followed suit, blocking her path to the door. “Wait! I need to clear the area before you can go out there.”
She closed the distance between us, putting us nearly nose to nose, and stared me straight in the eyes with a barely bridled fury that I hadn’t seen.
“I haven’t made it this far in life without dying by running into rooms before checking for danger.
I’m just unlocking the door so you can do your damn job. ”
“Oh.” I cleared my throat nervously as I stepped to the side. “My apologies. You’re right.”
Hummingbird opened and closed her mouth a couple times and then let out a tense sigh as she walked to the biometric lock. “I… Well… Thank you.” When the lock released, she flipped her hood up before reaching back and pulling her gun from its holster before looking at me again. “After you, Shield.”
I didn’t miss the sarcastic tone of how she said my code name.
It wasn’t long before I cleared the space and returned to the door. Minutes later, everything was loaded into the back of the SUV. When I shut the door, I let out a sigh. “Well, now to get out of here.”
She narrowed her eyes at me. “Let’s get in the car, then?”
I shook my head. “No. The mommas want my visit to look business as usual in case the property is being watched. I have to walk out the front door and take the long way back here.”
Hummingbird opened her mouth to say something but then shut it and nodded. “I don’t like it, but I get it.” She gestured to the secret door. “Let’s do this.”
The ride back to the bunker was silent again, and even though she looked fine, I'd been through enough training and life experiences to know Hummingbird was stressed and struggling with a lot of emotions. She reminded me of Quinn and Lianne a bit, and I was glad to be here, helping her.
She led me inside and back upstairs and crossed her arms over her chest as her focus bounced between me and the front door.
“I’ll lock up behind you and then batten down the hatches as I make my way back to where you parked.
And before you get all bent out of shape, I promise to stay behind the blast door until I see you standing there.
Besides, it’s not like I don't know how to defend myself.” She patted her hip.
I let out a tense breath and then nodded. “Okay. I’ll see you out there.”
It went against all of my training to walk out of the house and leave her standing there, but it was the plan.
I had to trust Lynette and Edith. Glancing around the yard, I once again shook my head at the destruction, still impressed at what Hummingbird did.
It also was a stark reminder of what was at stake and the lengths people were willing to take to get what they wanted.
Reminding myself for the dozenth time to act like it was as normal of a day as possible, I walked the perimeter of the open area, hugging the tree line.
As I slowly made my way to the mine opening, all I could think about was Hummingbird.
How efficient she was. How she moved like a seasoned professional when we were packing and loading up.
How there was so much anxiety and stress rolling off her.
How I had to hold myself back from offering a hug.
How much I was attracted to her. It was the last two parts that surprised me the most. I hadn’t expected to feel any certain way when I saw her, but the second I realized she wasn’t going to shoot me, I wanted to do anything and everything to make her never feel the need to defend herself like that again.
I shook my head. Keep your head in the game.
Nothing looked amiss as I walked back into the mine entrance and cleared the space. Feeling confident, I walked to the door and glanced up at the camera. “It’s time.”
Seconds later, there was a faint metallic click, and the door swung open. Hummingbird had her gun at the ready as she came into view.
“I cleared the area. It’s safe.”
She arched her eyebrow and shot me an incredulous look. “I know. I watched you. Maybe I want to be overly cautious.”
We walked to the SUV, and I opened the door to the middle row. “I’m glad you have the blanket. I need you to cover yourself with it after you get in and buckle up.”
Hummingbird clenched her jaw but nodded. “Even with the tinted windows, you still want me covered and hidden from prying eyes.”
“Exactly.”
She glanced back at the secret entrance and took a deep breath before she let it out slowly. “This was a hell of a home. It did its job so damn well, and I made a lot of happy memories here. I’m going to miss it.”
I stood there silently, not wanting to rush her. The woman had already been through so much. The least I could give her was time to say goodbye.
With tears in her eyes, she pressed her hand against the door and mouthed something I didn’t quite catch. After nodding and sniffling, she turned around, climbed into the back seat of the SUV, and pulled the blanket over her as she laid down.