40. Forty
The chain link fence surrounding the small building is almost laughable as we pull up to the equally flimsy looking gate. Sure, I never got a look outside the concrete walls of Omni Biomedical, but between the endless revolving door of armed Minders, and John’s friendly reminders, I was well aware of how locked down that place was. I glance between Ray and Silas, amazed, once again, they managed to get me out.
Based on the lack of security here, I don’t understand why Dane didn’t want me to come along on this little excursion.
It doesn’t look like it’s going to be much of a challenge with or without me.
Silas slips out of the van and pulls a small kit from his pocket as he walks up to the sliding gate. I watch as closely as I can from my seat in the back of the van, stretching and craning my neck when he crouches down in front of the lock. I can’t quite see what he’s doing to open the gate, but only seconds pass before he turns to wave us forward.
Ray wastes no time climbing into the front seat, grinning wildly at me in the rearview mirror like he just remembered he brought me on my first little misadventure.
“Okay, you ready?” He flicks his eyes over to Silas. He’s pushed it open just enough for the van to pass through. It’s hard not to admire the way the single street lamp illuminates his face, highlighting his sharp features and giving him an otherworldly grace that sends a shiver down my spine.
“Doesn’t really seem like this is very high stakes,” I say, turning my attention back to Ray, “considering what we’re in for tomorrow.”
His face hardens, abandoning the delight that was softening his features.
“Madeline,” he says my full name with a grave tone and my heart hammers in my chest at his sudden change. “If we don’t pull this off, tomorrow is over before it starts.”
My stomach plummets.
Of course.
Of coursethis wasn’t just a fun little adventure for me to join in on. This is another step in this whole damned plan. Yet here I am, distracting the two players who are actually supposed to be here right now.
God, I can’t believe how stupid I am.
I drag my shaking hand over my face, overcome with stress all at once.
Ray grabs my wrist and pulls my hand away, sensing the tension building, the guilt threatening to choke me.
“Look, you’re going to do fine. We just have to be a little stealthy right now. No getting caught.”
He pulls the van through the gate and parks in the first open spot. When he looks back at me I have to take a steadying breath, desperate to calm the blood rushing in my ears.
“You go first. Silas will be at the van in the third parking space.”
I nod in response, not questioning Ray’s instruction, especially not since he just reminded me about the obvious importance of this outing. As quietly as I can manage, I open the door and slip out of the passenger seat. I close the door behind me and wince at the too loud sound in the too quiet night.
With my feet as silent as I can make them, I follow Ray’s instruction, practically tiptoeing around, as I make my way to the third parking space. Every one of my muscles is tensed to move as soundlessly as possible, primed and ready to escape if needed. My heart pounds in my chest and it feels so loud, like it’s going to be the sound that gives me away.
A shuffling sound starts up behind me and I freeze.
What the hell do I do?
The noise turns into footsteps, and they’re so close, but I can’t move. I might as well be a damned boulder on the asphalt right now.
Dane was right, I shouldn’t be here.
I should have listened and stayed in the bunker. Someone is coming and who knows what they’ll do when they catch me.
I can only think about all the ways my stupid, impulsive decision will drag us all down.
Two strong and unyielding arms band around me, one across my torso and the other covers my mouth and nose.
I scream on instinct, my mind drowning in adrenaline the moment my air is restricted. My scream dies as I’m lifted and swung around, the world melting into a blur as it spins past me.
And spins.
And spins?
My confusion outweighs my panic, and I’m suddenly inundated with the sound of laughter, low but light, in my ear.
Rayner.
“Oh, you asshole!” I hiss. Even my muffled scream would have destroyed any chance of being sneaky so I don’t care about being quiet anymore.
Ray sets me on the now unstable ground and doubles over. He’s wheezing in whole-hearted delight about scaring the hell out of me.
“I’m sorry, Princess-” another break of hysterical laughter, “but it was too good! I couldn’t miss an opportunity to see that!” More wheezes take over before he yanks me into a hug. “No one’s here, they don’t even have functioning cameras. I just wanted to see you go all Mission Impossible.”
I don’t understand his reference, but the cloud of stress evaporates entirely as he squeezes me tighter. My relief mixes with lingering dizziness and suddenly I’m laughing alongside him.
“Are you two done goofing around?” Silas steps around one of the clearly marked vehicles, and despite his chiding tone, he’s smiling when he steps into the light. He jerks his head to the side, a clear direction for us to follow. “It’s open, Ray.”
Ray drops a kiss on top of my head before jogging ahead and slipping into the open door. He doesn’t sit in the driver’s seat like I expect, instead he places himself lower, angling for the space just below the steering wheel.
With one swift movement he pries away a panel and pulls out a nest of different colored wires, carefully separating out two red ones and two brown ones.
I break my silent observation to ask the question starting to pull at the loose bits of my mind. “Aren’t they going to notice if one is missing in the morning?”
Ray doesn’t answer, entirely focused on the delicate moves he’s making.
“Tucker contacted one of the employees and paid her to stay home for the day.” Silas’ voice floats to me from mere inches away, and I have to make a concerted effort not to lean back into his solid frame while concern tightens the back of my neck. The feeling seems to be mutual when he rests his hand on my back, the subtle warmth of his touch seeping through my shirt and into my skin.
“She’s the one that was supposed to go to the Giordano compound?” A knot forms in my stomach, the building, gnawing anxiety telling me something is going to go wrong.
“Yes.”
Just a single word. No context or further clarification.
Has he thought about what the outcome might be for her?
My anxiety spikes as I wring my hands and stare at the cheery logo on the side of the van. The grinning maid with her frilled apron and feather duster feels so ominous in front of me, and all I can think about is the employee.
Have any of these men considered what would happen to her if she was found out as an accomplice?
I turn to see if any of those thoughts are streaming across his mind too. He studies me with his hand now resting on my waist, warming me despite the chill. His face has the same hard lines I’m used to, but there’s a level of calm to him, a reassurance he’s sending my way.
“She’ll be okay, right?” I have to say the words, have to ask the question. If not to ease my own guilt and anxiety, then at least to make my concerns known.
I refuse to be the silent bystander while another person is getting hurt. I refuse to be the cause of another innocent person’s suffering in that way.
“She will be fine, Madeline.” There’s so much woven into the way he’s looking at me, but I can’t tease any of it out. I know he doesn’t want me to worry, but the dread still sits heavily in my stomach.
Behind me the company van roars to life and Ray lets out a triumphant whoop, celebrating his own genius. I turn back, watching as he slips out and dusts non-existent dirt from his clothes before taking a couple steps forward, crowding into my space.
“What Mr. Chatty isn’t telling you, Princess, is that Tuck has wired enough money for her to leave this shitty job behind entirely if she wants to. She could live real good for years. She stays home tomorrow, and we’re golden.”
I let out a silent sigh, my muscles relaxing and the pit in my stomach starting to resolve.
Good. She will be okay.
“Okay, good.”
“See, bud?” Ray slaps Silas’ arm, with a shit eating grin on his face. “Sometimes you gotta use your words, not just your dick, to make her feel better.”
I stifle a giggle, and I can feel Silas tensing behind me. No wonder he was never interested in getting closer with Ray. He’s the picture of a delighted man, so eager to earn any little bit of amusement from those around him, even at the cost of irritating the gruff man behind me.
We hold mischievous smirks for a moment longer, enjoying the lightness of the moment, before Silas finally speaks.
“We need to get moving.”
“Dibs on the girl!” Ray shouts, still looking at me, still smiling that heart melting smile of his.
Silas rubs his hand along my back, and I turn to face him. He’s waiting for my approval, waiting to see if I want to stick with Ray or go along with him.
“Hey, dibs is dibs,” Ray reminds him, and I look over my shoulder to see him widening his stance and crossing his arms.
I chuckle at his silly posturing. As if he could mockingly intimidate Silas into anything.
“Whatever. Get her home safely,” Silas grumbles, rolling his eyes and turning away, but before he has the chance to take a full step, I grab his bicep. My hand looks comically small against the mass of it, and something in me flutters at the physical reminder of his size.
I turn him back towards me and rise up on my toes, stretching as tall as I can, and placing my hands on his chest for balance. He gets the hint, bending down so I can kiss him. It’s just a peck, but it’s something I need to do. To tell him with my actions that, even though I’ve been ‘dibsed’, I want to be with him too.
“That was very sweet, Princess,” Ray says while watching Silas’ disappearing figure. I roll my eyes and take a step towards him to even the imaginary score he might be keeping.
His hand braces on the back of my head and pulls me into him, his grip is gentle but possessive, and the kiss feels the same. I almost find myself wishing we could push this further, extend the kiss and our night together, but he breaks away first, pulling me from him.
“Can’t start that now, Princess, or I’ll never take you back to them.” He sits back into the driver’s seat and leans across the center console, unlocking and opening the passenger door for me to climb in.
The halls of the bunker are silent as Ray and I walk towards our rooms hand in hand. Only the low humming of the ventilation systems fills the air between us.
Hopefully Dane’s asleep.
I don’t hold onto that hope too tightly, though, every light is illuminated, as if someone had gone through every corner of every twisting tunnel looking for something. Looking for me.
Shit.
I push back against the anxiety threatening to rise. I’m not going to feel guilty like a wild and disobedient teenager who snuck out of the house. I’m a grown woman, and I just had fun for the first time in a long, long time. I’m not going to let Dane’s terrible attitude ruin that for me.
I take a deep breath and release Ray’s hand before walking into the dining hall, the hair rising on the back of my neck telling me that a confrontation is coming. When I turn the corner and enter the dining hall, Dane is sitting at one of the tables, and he’s gripping onto a glass full of amber colored liquid, looking like he’s ready to explode at any moment.
When our eyes connect, it feels like everything else falls away entirely, and the only thing I can focus on is his face. His clenched jaw. The stitches holding his cheek together. His eyebrows drawn close, low on his brow. The absolute, clear, and utter distrust beaming out at me.
He doesn’t break his heavy stare, doesn’t even blink when he brings his glass to his lips and drains the remainder in one gulp. The only indication he’s even tasted it is him drawing his lips back into a grimace before schooling the rest of his face back into his standard scowl.
Ray and I just stand there, steeped in his anger. I don’t know what we’re waiting for, but I’m not going to be the first to move. I’m tense, standing tall and locking my knees, ready to be yelled at or dragged away at any point. I keep my focus on Dane but I feel Ray’s quiet presence beside me. He seems calm, like he’s not letting the stress of this standoff affect him, if he’s even experiencing any in the first place. He’s just standing with me as his usual collected self, giving me an anchor of calm I can hold on to.
Dane looks away first, and I blow out a breath, proud of the small victory.
He stands, placing his fists on the table, his posture demanding attention, demanding that we listen to him.
“We leave in fifteen hours. Don’t fuck this up.”
His words burn into my skin and leave me raw. Everything about this job, every miniscule detail, has been so meticulously calculated by him, and here we are. So close to the finish line. So close to finally achieving his goal. There’s nothing he wouldn’t do to make sure he comes out on top and that we’ll all come out of this alive.
I can feel my heart thudding at the reminder of just how close we are to the end, just how near I am to being truly and wholly free. I can’t ruin this, not only for the prospect of my freedom, but also for my boys. They need to get out of there safely, I need them to come home whole and safe and well.
I nod and excuse myself, tamping down on the thoughts swirling around. I can’t worry about them right now. The only thing I can do is go to bed and rest as much as I can before coming face to face with the rest of my life.
Fifteen more hours.