Chapter 17
“Think of the club, think of Val,” Xander hissed.
For some weird reason, Xander didn’t want Jesse on the front line of this battle. Not now. There was too much at stake. If something happened to him. No, Xander refused to go there. And what about Val? What if they’d gotten her pregnant? Jesus Christ, that’s why Xander didn’t do complicated. It fucked with your ability to do the job.
Jesse shook his head and Xander knew by the stubborn look in those brown eyes that there was no changing a Hellion’s mind. Jesse was going in with them.
“Fine,” Gage stated. “Vanier, you stay with Avery. And leave the dogs here. And Avery, don’t even think of arguing. This is not up for discussion.”
For once, Avery Hellion nodded and didn’t sass her father back. Avery was a smart woman. She knew the risks and with her being so far along in her pregnancy, no way could she move fast like she’d need to if things went fubar.
“All right, then. Load up with as many weapons as you can. Let’s go.”
They entered the bunker and loaded up with earpiece comms, bulletproof vests, night vision goggles, face coverings, helmets, guns, and whatever else they could get their hands on. Once they were ready, Xander felt the weight of Jesse’s stare on him as they headed down the dark stairwell to the bowels of the bunker.
The closer they got to the entrance to the tunnel system, the louder the echoes of voices and what Xander presumed was gunfire.
Gage stood at the entrance and signaled at them – two in each tunnel.
Jesse grabbed Xander’s arm just before they were about to go in. They stared at each other but with the goggles on, Xander couldn’t read Jesse’s expression. But if Jesse’s tight grip was any indication, Xander understood and nodded.
For the first time in all his years with the club, Xander’s fear reared up.
Until Jesse muttered. “We got this.”
They sure as fuck did.
With the night vision goggles, they could see clearly enough, and they made their way down slowly, and as quietly as they could, listening for gunfire or voices. Xander heard what sounded like a low-pitched voice and signaled for Jesse to stop.
Xander’s earpiece crackled in his ear.
“Sonny’s here. We got bodies at the exit of tunnel one, nine of them. Sonny said that he didn’t see any other Krypt crew head into the second tunnel,” Gage announced. “Jesse, Xander do you copy?”
“Copy,” Jesse whispered. “Nothing here so far, but Xander just picked up on something. We’re heading down to investigate.”
They continued stalking down the tunnel towards the exit, but the only thing they spotted was the occasional mouse, and the drip of water.
Until Xander smelled something. Something he easily recognized.
He held up his hand and Jesse stopped short.
“Someone was smoking,” Xander whispered. “There’s someone in here.”
He tapped on his earpiece. “Is any of our crew in tunnel two?”
There was a moment of silence until Gage responded.
“No.”
“Sonny might be wrong. I think we got some rats down here. Big ones. We got this.”
Xander motioned to keep going as he and Jesse raised their guns, ready to fire.
Unlike the first tunnel, this one wasn’t a straight line, there were lots of curves and bends. Xander couldn’t see around the next corner yet. A few steps closer and he peered around.
Three Krypt crew. Shit.
He quickly shifted into view, aimed, and fired his automatic rifle. The cluster of rounds was so loud, magnified in the enclosed space, almost deafening.
There was return fire, but Jesse joined him.
Two guys dropped and one turned and ran towards the exit. Jesse got in front of Xander and together, they headed down further, guns still drawn in case the bodies on the ground were playing possum. Jesse ran up and checked each guy, then he turned to Xander and shook his head.
Xander tapped his earpiece. “Two guys down, one on the run. We’re going after them. Unless Sonny can intercept on the other side.”
“Copy. Stay on it.”
Xander kept moving but noticed Jesse wasn’t right behind him. He whirled around and Jesse was leaning up against the tunnel wall, shaking his head and holding his left arm.
“Fuck, you got hit?”
Jesse nodded. “Just a graze. I’ll be fine. Just get me something to tie it up, and fast.”
Xander felt a wave of panic, at the thought of Jesse being hurt or worse, but pushed it aside. Now was not the time to lose his cool. Even though his hands were starting to shake and the rest of his body as well.
He reached for his pocket and the bandana that was still there. Xander quickly pulled it out, wrapped it around Jesse’s bicep, and tied it off. Hopefully, tight enough to stem any blood loss. For now.
“I’m good, thanks. Let’s keep moving,” Jesse muttered.
There were only a few feet left to go and the closer they got to the exit, the more relieved Xander felt.
Until he heard a cracking sound and pieces of the tunnel ceiling began to rain down over them.
Jesse
They were almost free of the tunnel. Hopefully, Sonny would take out that remaining Krypt member, and if not, Jesse was determined that he Xander would finish the job.
Until the fucking ceiling collapsed around them. Thank fuck they had helmets attached to their night vision goggles because getting a concussion right now was the last thing they needed.
Jesse waved away the cloud of dust and looked around, realizing that they were now trapped. Enough debris had fallen that the exit to the tunnel was no more. He could hear the distant echo of gunfire.
“Xan!” Jesse turned around, looking for Xander, hoping that his partner was okay. Xander was right behind him, covered in dirt and dust.
Jesse tapped on his earpiece. “Tunnel two is collapsing. We’re trapped. We can’t see the exit anymore or go back. Copy.”
“I’m coming to get you guys,” Sonny replied.
“Be fucking careful, yeah? Is that guy still on the run?”
“The target from tunnel two has been eliminated. No other targets on site. Hold tight.”
“Fuck, we don’t even have any water with us,” Xander muttered. Then he pulled out his phone and switched the security back on.
“We’re not going to be here that long,” Jesse reassured him. “I hope.”
“This is goddamn creepy,” Xander confessed. “Always hated it down here and now I know why. I thought this thing was bomb-proof.”
Jesse barked out a laugh, despite the pain in his arm “It is. And relax. The whole thing didn’t collapse, just part of the ceiling. The tunnel itself is still holding strong.”
“Really? These piles of rock and rubble, the ones that are taller than me, prove otherwise,” Xander snarked and pointed to the exit.
“At least we weren’t in that section when it happened. And nothing is foolproof.”
“I’m gonna kick Sonny’s ass hard when I get out of here. Indestructible, my ass. Next time, just shoot the targets, don’t use fucking explosives.”
“Shut up and conserve your energy.”
“Make me.”
“Make me? What are we, ten?” Jesse snapped. “Button it and help me move some of this debris out of the way.”
“I’m no engineer, but don’t we risk de-stabilizing the tunnel further?”
“You want to get out of here or not? There’s really only one option.”
Xander nodded. “Fine, but I’ll move this crap. You rest your arm. You don’t want to risk further damage.”
“I got grazed. Fuck off.”
Xander shook his head. “I see we’re back to that.”
Jesse gave Xander a middle finger and walked over to the pile of rubble that stood in their way. He wasn’t going to stand here and do nothing, sore arm be damned. He’d been hurt worse, once when he crashed his sled, and broke bones. This was no different. He bit back the pain and moved forward.
Until Xander came up behind him and grabbed hold of his ass. Jesse startled.
“Don’t push me with your snarky attitude,” Xander warned. “You know that turns me on.”
“Now?”
“What can I say? The thrill of the hunt gets my blood pumping hot and fast. Don’t tell me you’re any different.”
Jesse turned around and leaned in close, so close they shared one breath. “My pain is overriding my sex drive at this point. Now stop talking and start working.”
They began to remove the pieces of shattered concrete, one heavy chunk at a time, starting from the top of the pile.
“I’m gonna crawl up this mountain of debris to reach the top,” Xander announced.
“Careful, it’s not stable.”
Xander ignored Jesse and started to climb. Then he slowly started removing the debris, handing Jesse pieces that were too heavy to be thrown aside. But there was a lot of rubble. It’d probably take a couple of hours to clear it all away.
He fought back the urge to panic. It was only natural. But they had their crew on the other side, working to help them. It’s not like they were stuck in a well in the middle of nowhere.
Jesse heard faint voices and reasoned it was Sonny on the other side. When his earpiece crackled at the same time, relief flooded his body.
“It’s gonna take us a bit to get all this shit cleared,” Sonny explained. “You guys okay?”
“I was grazed by a bullet but I’m fine. Xander’s doing the heavy lifting.”
Xander worked methodically but quickly. Jesse was impressed and reached for the smaller pieces, and they began to finally see a bit of light at the top of the tunnel.
“As soon as we get an opening, I’ll pass you water.”
“Never mind that. Just work as fast as you can to get us the fuck out of here.”
Just then, Jesse heard another rumble overhead, and more pieces of the tunnel fell to the ground around them.
“Shit, Sonny, it’s getting worse!”
Then, there was no more time for talking. Pain or no pain, Jesse helped Xander clear as fast as they could.
Xander was right. Indestructible, my ass.