“Fuck.” It only took a split second for me to make my decision, though it wasn’t the one I’d make if I had any other choice.
I took a couple of semiautomatics from the table, shoved one into the holster at my waist while keeping the other in hand, and then grabbed Benoit by the arm.
“Let’s go,” I said roughly, leading him toward the entrance to the underground bunker.
“Wait, what’s happening?” He tried to pull out of my grasp, but I only held him tighter as I spun to face him.
“What’s happening is I need to get you somewhere safe, so do us both a favor and do what the fuck I say for once.”
Benoit blinked but nodded, though it didn’t escape my notice that he swiped a weapon of his own off the table as I dragged him away. I didn’t care to fight it, not when it was possible we’d end up needing it.
A shot was fired in the distance and I moved faster, Benoit keeping pace with me. Bypassing the main house, we headed toward a small shed designated for the purpose of storing dust shields, though it really contained something far more important—and something that would come into use tonight:
The tunnel to my underground bunker.
27
BENOIT
MY ADRENALINE SPIKED at the sound of the gunshot, and I hurried down the ladder after Dimitri and landed in darkness.
It was pitch black and suffocating underground, but I supposed it was better than getting shot, though Dimitri had so many weapons on him and was in such a mood that I didn’t put it past him to not use them on me.
“Keep moving,” he snapped, grabbing hold of my arm again and pulling me along behind him.
“This would be a lot easier if there were lights.”
“It’s a tunnel.”
“Exactly. Our tunnel at home has a lighted path, so maybe you should get with the times.” When he grunted in response, I added, “Aw, you didn’t think you were the only one with an underground lair, did you?”
All of a sudden my back hit the wall hard and Dimitri’s forearm was pressed up against my neck, making it hard to breathe.
“I’m going to ask you this once, and don’t even fucking think about lying to me,” he said. That dark, deep voice did things to me, things completely at odds with my current situation. Ishould’ve been terrified. Alone, unable to see my surroundings, with a man who hated me now and had an arsenal.
I was so incredibly fucked up.
“The men outside. Are they yours?”
The question was so unexpected that I could only blink. “What?”
But the anger I could feel vibrating off him only grew, and this time when he spoke, his voice echoed off the walls. “Did you bring these men to my door, Benoit? Answer wisely, or I won’t give a fuck about any promises I made to get you back to them in one piece.”
Appalled and offended, I shoved him away from me enough that I managed to take in a gulp of air. “I have nothing to do with whatever’s happening here. We don’t attack unprovoked.”
The silence that followed was deafening. I couldn’t see his face to know what he was thinking, if he believed me or not. I may have still had a tracker in my arm, but my brothers weren’tthisreckless. King and Dimitri had come to an agreement, and that would be honored. Whoever was knocking on Dimitri’s door wasn’t anyone I knew about.
When he didn’t put a bullet through my skull and towed me along behind him instead, I figured my answer had been accepted. The lack of apology, though, rubbed me the wrong way.
There was a beep and then a door opened to my right and I was shoved inside, stumbling into something that sent pain shooting through my knees.
I let out a string of curses and had to steady myself, my hands landing on something a lot softer.
Huh.Was that a mattress?
I pushed down on it again, and yep, it was definitely a mattress.
“Seriously, what in the primitive hell?” I said when the room remained dark. It made me claustrophobic—the air was heavy and sweltering. “Millions of dollars and you can’t manage to turn on a light? Invest in some A/C? You’re in a desert, for crying out loud.”
