by India Kells
Quincy froze as he was putting Luke’s coat on and lifted his sleeve, and there, on his forearm, was a USMC tattoo. Luke felt tremendous pride at being so close to a veteran, but also incredibly sad that one of his own, a man who’d dedicated his life to his country, was living in utter squalor.
Luke clasped his hand, unable to find anything more to say.
“Follow this building and only cross at the corner if you want to remain invisible to the traffic cams. Be careful, son.”
There were so many people on the sidewalk due to the shops closing an hour earlier. Luke hunched over and made sure to walk as slowly as he could, as to not raise suspicions or be noticed. Staying on the path indicated by Quincy, Luke finally reached the corner and was crossing just as the garage door opened. As he’d expected, the second lot of cars arrived. Luke memorized the plates as they turned away from him and blended into traffic. On the spur of the moment, just as the door was about to close, Luke hurried inside, the steel door clicking closed behind him.
Chapter 11
Sloane groaned in annoyance as she stalked a bunch of thugs that were clearly not as interesting as they’d all first believed. One of Chicago Street gangs had been rumored to be using the tunnels, but from what she could see, there wasn’t enough brain cells among them all to even come up with that idea.
From her vantage point, she was about to call it a night when Devin came through her earpiece.
“Just calling with an update...”
She cut him off before he even finished. “An update about the fools I’m looking at right now? They’re hopeless. If you want my opinion, this is a big, hairy dud. I don’t know who suggested them, but I’m going to pour arsenic in their coffee for that.”
“Sloane, not an update about your surveillance, but about the professor.”
At the reference, Sloane’s body went into battle mode, all thought of the thugs pushed aside. “Was the safehouse compromised?”
Devin snorted. “No, but he’d need to stay there to remain safe. And that professor of yours isn’t tucked up in bed. He took the truck and went downtown.”
“What?” She almost yelled loud enough to be heard from a distance, and if not for the mask, it would’ve probably been the case. She rushed to the car, revving it into gear and speeding away. It wasn’t discreet, but she was beyond the point of caring. “Talk to me, Devin.”
“If you’d allow me to, I would. The GPS in the truck pinged an hour ago, and it stopped downtown.”
“Why didn’t you call me then?”
“Because I needed more information! If he moved, there was a reason. Which is why I’m calling you. After the car stopped, I tracked his cell.”
Sloane accelerated, grateful for the almost inexistent traffic and Devin’s talent to make her presence blurred to the city’s electronic eyes.
“And I wouldn’t be calling now if I hadn’t lost his signal.”
Swerving right, the weirdest thing happened to her; panic seized her. Words had never evaded her before, but her mind went blank, apart from smashing her foot to the gas.
“Sloane, your silence is freaking me out. Please tell me you didn’t smash my Bugatti baby into a wall.”
“Just guide me to the last place you had his signal.”
“Better than that, I’ve just found you a perfect parking spot. Turn left now.”
In less than thirty seconds, the car was hidden from sight and she was standing beside it, Devin speaking in her ear.
“I’ve disabled the camera and some of the lights, but it will only be for a few seconds, so run fast.”
She did exactly that, her eyes scanning for any possible glimpse of Luke, but the street was deserted at that time of night, although her eyes caught on a form huddled in the entrance of a shop. The form seemed familiar, but Devin distracted her.
“You’re there. Exactly where the signal vanished.”
Sloane looked around, and there were so many entry points, it was impossible to pinpoint where he could have gone. “Can’t you check the cameras?”
“Come on, Sloane, it’s me. Of course I’ve already checked the cameras. The professor didn’t appear on any of the feeds around that time. The only people I saw were homeless folks.”
Sloane turned and caught the form in the corner, and it gave her an idea. “Keep the lights out a little longer, Devin.”
Retracing her steps and keeping to the shadows, Sloane went to the man who hadn’t moved. Her first thought was that he was sleeping, but the way he tensed and tried to get to his feet as she approached told her that he was very much aware of her presence, and that reminded her of what she looked like all suited up.
“Easy, old man. I’m not going to hurt you.” It was difficult to sound reassuring with the voice modulator, but that’s all she could offer.
“Never thought I’d see the Vigilante on these streets. If you came for me, you can fuck off.”
Being face-to-face with Quincy had her doing a double-take until her training took over. “You’re not my mission.” Despite the dim light, she recognized Luke’s coat. That meant that Quincy had contacted Luke and the nerdy professor was out there somewhere doing something stupid. “Where did he go?”
Quincy was far from being impressed by her stern voice and not scared at all. “I don’t know what you mean.”
The stubborn man from the tunnels hadn’t softened a bit, and she didn’t have time to negotiate. “Luke is probably in danger, and you know it. I’m here to help.”
When he squinted at her and she clenched her teeth. “Don’t make me shoot you, old man. Where’s Luke?”
It took a few extra seconds and a puff of air, but he finally pointed to a large garage door. “He went in there when the cars came out.”
The cars? “He’s still in there?”
Before Quincy could answer, Sloane was dashing onto the street, getting Devin on the comms.
“Way ahead of you. Heard everything. Too obvious to open the big door. Head left, there’ll be a service entrance to the garage. I’m unlocking it for you now.”
Right on cue, there was the side entrance and Sloane went in.
“That’s the reason I lost the signal. He entered the underground garage. And that will happen with you too. Be careful, Sloane.”
The underground parking structure went way deeper than she expected. After level two, she lost the signal with Devin.
Beyond that, cars were scarce, and there was one with a thick coat of dust that made it impossible to decipher the original color.
It was at the end of the parking lot, completely in the dark, that Sloane noticed fresh tire marks and several footsteps, but no visual on entrances or tunnels. Traces of movement were everywhere, in a widespread circle without a particular direction. She was tempted to call Luke’s name, but the risk was twofold: there was a possibility she wasn’t alone, and using Luke’s name would confirm that the Vigilante knew him, and that wasn’t a connection she wanted to confirm.
Beyond the circle, the footsteps of a single individual could be seen closer to the outer walls. Luke must have reached the same conclusion as she had and hadn’t seen an obvious entrance in there.
A more pressing matter was there weren’t many places to hide if someone attacked. Out of habit, she skimmed the guns by her side and was debating whether to leave when she saw a particular spot in the trampled circle where there were numerous rocks and gravel. It was only when she stood beside the anomaly and looked up, that she saw the wide opening, partially hidden by a steel beam. The professor must’ve had the idea to do some explorations on his own.
With only the intention to take a quick peek, Sloane took a few steps back and ran, giving herself enough velocity so she could grab the beam and swing herself into the opening. It was higher than she expected, she could almost stand straight and if she extended her arms, her fingertips could touch both sides of the concrete walls.
Why was that even there? And where did it lead? To the upper parking levels?
She hadn’t considered the dimensions of each space, but that was a possibility. The tunnel was clear and with her goggles, she could see the path carried on in a straight line into the distance.
A faint purring sound made her look back down, just in time to catch a glimpse of two vehicles approaching. She should have known that Murphy’s Law would be all over her on this one. There was only one way to go, and it was forward, and preferably as fast as possible.
It was difficult to run without noise, but she had to find a balance between stealth and speed, especially since whoever had arrived would see her as soon as they popped their head through the hole. The tunnel veered left before going up again. Where was she? She climbed again, this time using rungs set into the concrete wall and guessed she was around level two. As soon as she reached that level, it was clear she was in an older tunnel. The concrete had seen better days, and it was damp, rivulets of water trickling over the walls and into puddles.
They were behind her, but still on her heels, and running had only given her a few extra seconds. She now had a choice of two directions and no sign as to which one Luke had taken. Another possibility was that Luke had left without telling Quincy and what had begun as a fool’s errand was putting her in a tight spot. As sound increased behind her, it was a faint flash of light on her right that triggered her to move in that direction. Maybe she was jumping into a trap, but moving was better than staying there like a sitting duck, waiting for an unknown number of potential assailants.
After a short run, the tunnel turned left again and as she slowed down at a potential opening on the right, the barrel of a gun aimed at her mask. Just as she recognized Luke, he flashed his flashlight at her, and the night vision couldn’t compensate, blinding her. Only when she switched her goggles off, could she see again.
“You!” It was clear he wasn’t expecting the Vigilante. He had indeed switched coats with Quincy and stank in the worst possible way, even with her mask on. She had to admit, with his cap and dark beard, he could pass for a vagrant.
“There’s a crew, possibly the traffickers we’re searching for behind me, Professor Radcliffe. We need to find cover now.”
Luke only nodded and retreated back to where he’d been hidden. With the flashlight, she saw that the tunnel was empty, but not as clean as the main one, confirming that it wasn’t the traffickers’ main route. There were pebbles and small pieces of fallen concrete all around. Luke continued a few feet to an indentation on the left, an old aeration vent leading up. Sloane followed behind and crouched down just as Luke switched off his light. Back in the dark, Sloane activated her night vision goggles again, awaiting the people coming after her.
Light increased in the main tunnel, and she could hear male voices. Seconds later, to be safe, Sloane moved out of sight until they passed. As she expected, they flashed their beam into the tunnel where they were both hiding, but it was just out of habit. They didn’t expect anyone there. Luke was so close, his presence almost distracted her, as images of his naked flesh came to mind.
The echo confirmed that there was more distance between them, so she stood.
“Ten minutes before they exit. That’s the time it took the first car.” Luke’s voice was low.
Sloane nodded. “Stay here. I’m going to do some recon.”
And for the first time, Luke grabbed her forearm. “Not alone. I’m coming with you.”
There was no way in hell she’d let him follow her. “No. You’re safer here. If I don’t come back before they return, wait and leave when they’re gone.”
Her order didn’t loosen Luke’s grip on her. “I know how the tunnels work, you don’t. It’s non-negotiable. If you leave me behind, I’m done helping you and your team.”
With an inner curse, Sloane had to make a decision, either wait and hope to find a route later, or have a preview now, with the risk of getting caught. She’d never consider the second option if it meant not closing the case faster and saving more lives in the process.
“We wait. If you’re as good as you say you are, you won’t have any trouble finding the path, will you?”
The modulated voice fell flat on the walls but not in the ears of the professor as his handsome face became hard as stone.
Their stand-off was cut short when the shuffling noise returned. Hiding again, Sloane could now detect less talking and more panting. There was effort involved, meaning they had drugs with them.
Once the noise faded again, Sloane touched Luke’s arm as a signal to follow her.
Sloane tentatively checked if the coast was clear when a dark mass smashed into her. The impact felt like running into a brick wall. Not the least prepared, and with a shocking weight difference, there was no way she could’ve stopped the large man’s advance.
Using the wall as leverage and reaching for her guns, she prepared to aim when she was blinded by another streak of light. Vulnerable, disoriented, her eyes took a few more seconds to adjust and when they did, the night goggles showed two forms fighting, with a spinning flashlight nearby.
Luke had his hands full with the trafficker, and the space was too small for her to lend a hand. There was no way she could help him or leave him like that. All she could do was wait for an opening, any possibility to take the other man down.
When the burly trafficker gave Luke a strong enough punch to make him skid a few feet away, she saw her opening.
Aiming for the head, Sloane’s finger had squeezed the trigger when the flashlight spun and blinded her once more. Scared of shooting Luke, she moved her weapon down when shots sounded in rapid succession.
Agony exploded through her torso, emptying her lungs and wracking her with spasms of pain. It was an uncontrollable response and one that could cost her life. Her brain computed that she was wearing high-tech armor, but that didn’t convince her body it was any less painful.
From behind, she heard scrambling and then running before two hands tried to roll her over. When the pain made her curse, the voice modulator sounded distorted. That meant that the bullets had nicked her chest’s comm system, and with that destroyed any way of contacting base.
Hands again tried to turn her over, and she batted at them until a low growl came from above. “You’ve been shot, moron! Let me take a look before you bleed to death.”
Forcing herself to draw a full breath, she could at least reassure him she was fine. “Body armor.” Her voice almost squeaked, which was laughable. Almost.
“Body armor can’t take that many bullets at such close range without them penetrating and causing considerable damage.”
Sloane opened her mouth to explain a bit more when the earth shook. Her initial impression was that she was falling into shock, but it wasn’t a gradual earthquake, more like an explosion. The power of it was so sudden and intense, rubble rained down on them. Luke came over her, covering her with his body like a shield. As soon as it started, the shaking stopped.
Before, she couldn’t breathe because of the pain, now she couldn’t because of Luke’s weight plastered over her. “Move!”
Annoyance was swamped by worry when he didn’t answer. Working through the pain, she pushed at Luke’s body until she could wiggle out from underneath him. Airborne dust clogged her throat, making her cough and provoking all sorts of agony. Through the mist, there were patches of rock and concrete all around them. Carefully, she touched Luke, feeling for broken bones. Turning him over, she almost jumped when he coughed. Grateful he was alive, her relief was short-lived at the sight of blood on his head.
She helped him up until he was steady in a sitting position. At least the flashlight was still working.
His eyes went to her face. “Are you all right?” He looked down at her torso, probably remembering the bullets hitting her suit, and winced, reaching for his head.
“I should be asking you if you’re all right.” The entire sentence sounded like a distorted whining cat. Communication through the modulator was no longer possible, and that meant she needed to remove her hood
.
They were now in survival mode with their entrance dynamited shut. Her identity weighed in the balance, but keeping it secret wouldn’t help her or Luke stay alive. And with the way the good professor had jumped into the chaos, risking his life for the Vigilante, a pure stranger, she had no choice.
As the dust settled, the light shone brighter, their own small haven in the darkness. Sloane reached up to disconnect the comms and unfasten her protective headgear. It didn’t take a strong beam to notice her pink hair tumbling down, nor the complete silence to hear the gasp from the man sitting before her. Gathering her courage, she pushed back her hood before looking up.
“Well, professor, where were we?”
Chapter 12
“You’ll have to talk to me at some point, professor.”
Luke had enough to manage with the ongoing ache throughout his body, analyzing his surroundings, and the uncertainty of coming out of this mess alive that it felt safer to ignore what, or more accurately who, had him so close to losing control.
He was angry on a scale he couldn’t understand, and that was the point of his silent treatment. He had to figure out why it made him want to destroy the walls with his bare hands at the thought. The Vigilante was the biggest secret in town. He was bound to be surprised to discover his identity. Or more accurately, her identity.
“Slow down, Luke. Your head is bleeding again.”
What he thought was sweat from the simple effort of walking turned out to be blood. Head wounds were tricky, but he was quite certain this was only a minor gash. Good thing, as it was evident there wasn’t a chance in hell anyone would come looking for them.
For the first time since he’d started walking, he discreetly glanced at Sloane. He wasn’t the only one in bad shape. There was a bruise blossoming on her cheekbone, and she was holding her middle, her breathing still labored.