Chapter 37
Chapter thirty-seven
Raegan
We pull into a bar parking lot in the middle of the night.
I’ve been here before, but I’d been too distracted at the time to really take the place in.
The bar takes up half of the building strip with its own parking lot and outdoor seating both in front and in back.
String lights hang over the outdoor seating with warm lighting and an inviting atmosphere.
Television screens hang in the corners, protected by an attached gazebo, with different sports games that patrons cheer for. I can even hear them hollering for their teams inside.
“Must be a big game night,” Kellan says, slamming the driver’s door shut.
We pile out of the massive black car and stroll to the door.
A bouncer shifts to block the entrance, then nods respectfully when Aiden’s face is illuminated through the hood.
The bouncers open the door for us and stare each of us down like they are memorizing our faces.
They pause a bit longer on Alice—who is definitely too young to enter a bar—and Sam—who looks younger than he is—but he doesn’t stop them.
I guess Aiden bringing them is permission enough to let that slide.
“Welcome!” The bartender shouts over all the noise with a smile. “Take any seat you can find. Oh! Aiden!”
“Yahaira,” he greets. I can only hear him because I’m so close. “Can we speak in private?”
“Of course! Jillian, cover for me, okay?” Yahaira flips the bar up and passes through, then waves our group after her. We walk through an employees-only door, then down a couple of hallways to an office door. She takes out a ring of keys and unlocks the door.
Jackson closes the door once everyone’s inside.
“You’re all going in?” she asks skeptically. “I think they have a patrol checking the floors at night. And I’d watch out for motion-sensor lights. Bobby said he saw lights popping on through the windows last night.”
Pushing my hood back, I look at Alice.
“That shouldn’t affect us,” she answers, following my lead to reveal herself.
Yahaira nods and hands Aiden three keys. “We’ve had manual locks in place on each of the doors since the bunker was discovered. I know you can use your gift, but if you don’t mind using these so we can put them back in place when you’re done, I’d appreciate it.”
“Thank Yaya,” Aiden says, his hand closing over the keys. “Keep an eye out in case we were followed.”
She laughs and puts her hands on her hips. “If anyone tries to interrupt the games tonight, all hell will break loose. Plus, there’s a heavy mix of norms with us. You’re safe from this side.”
I give Dane a quizzical look at the term ‘norms’, and he whispers in my ear, “Non-gifted humans.”
Ah.
Aiden unlocks the hidden door in the floor, swinging it open to reveal a pit of darkness. I swallow the lump in my throat. The mental wounds from James are still fresh, even though I’ve talked myself through it.
Dane finds my hand. “I’m right here, babe. I won’t let go.”
I nod, nerves twisting my gut the longer I stare at it.
“Jack. Scout ahead,” Aiden orders. My shadow stalks to the opening and hops in, disregarding the ladder completely. Aiden passes Kell a flashlight. “Take point.”
Alice extends her hand to Aiden and the last flashlight in his grip. “The least you could’ve done is pack enough for the rest of us. I’m not going down there without that.”
“So much fear...” the bartender suddenly says, her voice sounding off. She reaches out to me, her gaze transfixed on me as she licks her lips. “Just a taste...”
Dane shoves me behind him, and Aiden snatches her wrist. “Snap out of it, Yaya.”
She blinks, her eyes still focused on me. Then she looks at Aiden. “Sorry, Master. She smells so good.”
“Fucking vamp,” Dane mutters.
“Is that you, Dane? I hardly recognized you. I see you’ve come a long way from the last time I’d seen you.”
“Fuck off, Yaya.”
“Always so ornery.” Yahaira shakes her head. Her dark eyes find mine. “I could help, if you’d like,” she nearly sings, her voice a soothing lilt that tugs at my chest. “Take that fear away. Or just a nibble to take the edge off.”
Dane’s hand tightens on mine. “Don’t accept it, Rae. She feeds on strong emotions, but if she takes too much, you’ll be numb the rest of the day.”
“That’s enough, Yahaira,” Aiden demands, his tone serious. “We’ll take it from here.”
She nods and smiles. “Of course. Good luck tonight.” Yahaira waves, then leaves the three of us alone. The rest have already gone down the ladder into the tunnel.
Aiden closes the distance between us, and Dane moves to the side without letting go of my hand. “Most of this mission is going to be in the dark. Are you up to it, or would you like to stay in here?”
“You mean you’re not just going to push me down there if I take too long?” I try to tease, but there’s an unexpected edge to my voice at the recalled memory when he’d done exactly that.
Dane’s head whips around to stare at Aiden in surprise.
Right. No one else knew what he’d done to try getting me to spill my secrets.
Aiden’s eyes close, cutting me off from the spark of pain I catch there. “No.” He opens them, his expression controlled once again.
I know it’s unfair to jab him about it now. He’s already apologized—already shared his regrets with me over what he’d done in the past. And now that he knows the effect the dark has on me, it’s hitting him that much harder when he remembers what he’d done.
“I want to do this,” I tell him honestly. Not that I’m fully prepared, or I won’t have any problems. But I’ll push myself to get through it because I won’t let that fear hold me back. I won’t give Gordon that control over me still.
He nods. “Dane and I will stay with you. If you need to leave, you and I will do that while the others finish the mission.”
The out he’s giving me releases the knot of tension in my chest.
Dane lifts his glowing hand between us. “I’ll light our way.”
Aiden takes the ladder first. He pauses a few rungs down and holds his hand out to me.
I take it, turning and moving down until his body surrounds mine.
“Tell me whatever you need, Raegan,” he purrs in my ear.
I nod, my body still stiff as we descend into the dark.
“That’s not enough. I need to hear your voice. Talk to me.”
“I’m okay,” I manage, focusing on my breathing and one step after another.
There are a couple lights in the distance now that I can see the bottom, which I assume are Kell and Alice.
The group is waiting for us; for me. I’m slowing everyone down.
“I need to get off this ladder,” I mumble to motivate myself to hurry the fuck up.
But Aiden hears it. He loops his arm around my front and scoops my legs out before we drop. Thankfully, it isn’t more than four or five feet before we land, but it’s still enough time for my stomach to leap into my throat as I choke on a gasp.
“What’s wrong?” Dane whisper-shouts from above us. He rushes down the ladder and jumps to skip the last few steps.
Realizing Aiden’s still holding me when Dane reaches us, I pat his chest. “Put me down. I’m fine. I was giving myself a pep talk, not asking for a trust fall exercise.”
He sets me on my feet. “Let’s catch up to the others, then.”
The jump was a great distraction from the dark, but now that we’re walking in it, my nerves are fried again. I keep waiting for his voice, waiting for the moment my mind taunts me.
Dane’s hand and the flashlight on Aiden’s phone light the way while they both stay on either side of me like guards.
There’s a long stretch of quiet. Of shuffling feet and hushed whispers. Of breathing and scuffed shoes on stone. Enough quiet that I can feel the claws sinking into my mind, ready to bring me back to the water pod.
“You could have said something to me,” Aiden begins, almost accusatory. I nearly trip with how quickly I halt. He takes my arm and keeps me moving. “Don’t stop.”
“Excuse me?”
“The dark. When I’d told you to take the ladder, you never said anything about it bringing up bad memories. Or you could have given me a half-truth that you were afraid of it.”
“Do you think that gives you some sort of excuse for forcing me down there? For making me believe I was falling into a pit and might break something at the bottom?”
“All I’m saying is you could have given me something. That was all I asked for back then. Something real. That could have been it.”
“And then what? You would have gotten off my back if I just told you I was scared of the dark? That would have been it?”
“Maybe. We’ll never know.”
Is he serious right now?!
I fist my hands, anger flooding through me at the balls of this man to put the blame on me for what he did. I’m preparing a slew of insults to slam him with when he tugs my arm to prevent me from knocking into someone.
“We’re here.”
Wait. Already? I look at him in surprise, and he smirks at me. Did he...? Was he just trying to rile me up to keep my mind off the dark?
“One tunnel down, one more to go,” he says, leaving my side to unlock the next door.
That bastard. He did.
Dane laughs beside me. “Even I could tell he was just saying shit. You were so tense, though, and it seemed to be working, so I didn’t say anything.”
Damn.
Assholes.
I forgot how many damn stairs were in the tunnel between the bunker and the Tower.
As much as I hate them and I’m gasping by the time we reach the wall leading to the final room, I’m grateful they were enough of a pain in the ass to keep my mind occupied.
We’ve had to stay silent for the last twenty-minute stretch to make sure none of the wandering patrols could somehow hear us.
Kellan stops at the ladder, turning to wait for Aiden with the final key. Sam is fast asleep on his back, likely lulled to sleep by the constant steps up, up, up.
Dane tugs my hand, drawing my attention to Aiden gathering everyone around him.
“Partner up,” he orders.