He should’ve gotten more sleep the night before, but the anticipation of the day’s activities had kept him awake. He yawned then chastised himself for not being on guard. He needed a stimshot. He knelt to unzip his pack.
“Why is it so hot down here?” Allana tugged at her cloak. “I can barely breathe.”
“The machinery that pumps the water heats the air, I guess.” He scanned the tunnel ceiling and sides, noting the greenery sprouting from every crack and hole, then dug in his pack and pulled out the small injector. He held it up to Allana. “Need one?”
“No thanks, I’m still high on adrenaline.” She studied the water. “The pumps are still running after all these years? I thought gravity ran these rivers? I mean, I just thought they flowed right out of the city by themselves. It’s been a while since the wars. Didn’t think the Confessor was still running things literally.”
“Hmm?” Maddox pulled off his jacket and stuck the injector to his forearm, closing his eyes against the cold sting of the stim. He pressed his lips together as the med yanked his body awake and sent his heart pumping, then looked up at Allana. “Some of the pumps do still run. I’ve seen them, from afar of course. I guess the Confessor realized he had to keep the water out of the city, and that would mean he needs pumps.” His vision cleared as the stim fully lit up his nerves. Every crack in the tunnel looked like a canal and the water had layers, like bubbles of air sandwiched between sheets of blue. Allana might still be boosting on adrenaline, but she was going to crash eventually. He’d have to be ready.
His hands shook and his thoughts cleared. Much better.
He was ready for anything the Sentinels could throw at him now.
Allana flung the wet cloak off and it landed on the concrete with a heavy thud. “Yeah, I guess so. The bastard wasn’t stupid, that’s for sure.”
Maddox stared at her impressive female figure, dressed in only a black skinsuit that clung to her in all the right places. Curves everywhere. He cleared his throat.
“Never seen a woman before?” She raised an eyebrow.
“Well…” His face grew hot and he took a step back. Now was not the time or the place to be having a reaction to someone in his charge. But damn, not only was Allana smart and interesting, she was hot! “I’ve seen a few.” Surely the stimshot was making his reaction more profound than normal, because Sentinels be damned, he enjoyed the sight of her lean body.
“I’m sure.” She kicked the cloak into the water below, the smirk on her face evident in her posture. “Guess we shouldn’t leave anything behind for them to find. I sure don’t want to have to carry this heavy wet thing tomorrow.”
“No, I don’t either. We’ll get new coats from Verity. They’ve always taken care of us.” He pushed his damp jacket over the edge and watched it float away. He couldn’t lose complete track of the mission. He was already dangerously close to straying.
“Yeah. But next time, I want something a bit more practical. Maybe with some pockets.”
Maddox laughed. “I’m sure they’ll give you anything you ask for.” He refrained from a dick comment about ‘with a body like that’. He knew that was the stimshot talking.
“Maybe, maybe not. And now, this thing. It’s driving me crazy. Thank goodness I can get rid of it now.” Allana tugged at her hair, loosening it around the edges and peeling it until the wig came free. Underneath the long blond tresses, black waves unleashed, falling just below her shoulders.
Maddox blinked. Then grinned.
“Wow, disguise?” Maddox raised his eyebrows. Allana’s black hair fit her smooth pale complexion so much better than the blond hair, setting her face off in stark contrast to her blue eyes. “I didn’t even guess.”
“Yep. You could say that. Do I look different?”
Studying her for a second, he debated telling her how much better she looked, but hesitated. “Yeah. You look…tougher.”
She shook her head so her hair fell over her face, trying to hide her smile. “Yeah?”
“Definitely.” He noticed the Lancer in her boot, a newer model than his own, and made a quick check to see that he still had his. He’d almost forgotten. “We’ll need to stow our weapons in my waterproof pack to keep them from getting wet,” he said. “Do you mind?”
She hesitated, her gaze meeting his. “If you try to hurt me, I’ll kill you with my bare hands.”
He swallowed hard. “You can trust me. I’m Verity, remember?”
She stared a few seconds more, then nodded. “Fine. But don’t forget what I said.” She handed her Lancer to him. “I can kill with these.” She held her hands out.
“I know you can. I won’t forget, nor will I betray you. You can count on it.” He slipped both weapons into his pack and zipped it up and sealed the over-flap. Lancers could withstand rain and some water, but not submersion. “Now let’s go. Umm, tunnel number twenty-six, forty-four.” He scanned the branching tunnels. “There. That one.” He pointed. He peeked at her again, trying not to stare at the beauty in black.
“How much farther till we’re out of the city?” Allana’s voice broke and trembled, all signs of the toughness she’d just displayed, gone. “That tunnel looks a lot smaller. A whole lot smaller.”
Maddox turned. Allana didn’t seem like an assassin any more. Not even in the dark skinsuit. She looked a little afraid and a lot like a woman who needed a strong bit of comfort. Something he wasn’t used to providing. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m not a fan of small spaces,” she said. “And that’s pretty small.”
“We’ll hurry through it.” He wanted to give her a pat on the shoulder, or some other gesture to show her he’d take care of her, but pulled back. He’d make sure she was safe, but he couldn’t console her any more than he would a male assassin. No matter how pretty she was. She wasn’t really weak. She was probably stronger than he was. Besides, he might try to pat her on the arm and she might take it the wrong way and break his.
“Yeah.”
“Come on. You’ve been through worse already today.” And she had. Who knew what she’d had to do to kill the Confessor. What he wouldn’t give to find out. “We’ll be out of the city before you know it.” He hoped.
“Then let’s get this over with.”
They headed down the concrete walkway along the side of the smaller tunnel. The water gushed below them, rushing by in its escape from the city. Leaves, paper, and little bits of debris that had made it through the grates swirled along the top of the roiling current, making trails of bubbles in the wake.
Though they only had about five and a half feet to stand up in, the water was likely more than seven feet deep at this point, though it was getting shallower the farther they traveled from the main distribution point. The deeper the water, the smaller the tunnel felt.
“What’s that?” Allana jumped, almost knocking Maddox to the ground.
He stumbled backward, grabbing the railing and barely keeping from falling. His pulse lurched to his throat, throbbing as he gasped.
“What?” He grabbed at her but she moved ahead and began stomping and kicking, the sound reverberating off the walls.
He joined her just as she kicked something large and furry off the ledge.
“Oh, my god.” She leaned against the wall, breathing heavily. “I’ve never seen a rat that size. Her chest heaved.
Maddox’s stomach turned. “Ugh.” Rats. He hated the germy creatures. They’d told him there were rats down here, but he hadn’t seen any during training and he’d blocked the information out of his memory. And they certainly hadn’t said the rats were so big. “Me, too. But they’re better than Sentinels. Let me lead. We need to get out of here before the Sentinels catch up. I’m sure they’re scouring the tunnels by now.”
“I hope he doesn’t have a family waiting around here.” Allana stepped aside to let him pass. “Are you sure we can’t have our Lancers? I could’ve taken that rat with a short shot.”
“They won’t survive being submerged long.” He moved around h
er and farther into the smaller tunnel. “Besides, ricochet in here would kill us both. Maybe even with one shot. Is that how you want to go?” He looked at her and she shook her head. “Glad you’ve got kicking skills.” He grinned.
“Hurray. Verity didn’t teach me to kick rats.”
“But you did a great job of it.”
She smiled then moved on.
The tunnel narrowed and Maddox had to stoop a little to walk upright. He didn’t have the heart to tell Allana what was coming up. He could already hear how heavily she breathed. Ever since the kiss, he seemed more aware of her every action. Maybe it was just the stimshot, but he didn’t think so. He knew he shouldn’t get closer to her, let his guard down. One way or another she’d be out of his life soon, so what was the real harm? The whole thing was a ticking time bomb no matter what happened, so why not enjoy the time together?
He heard her sharp intake of breath.
“You okay?”
“Yeah, just want this over with.”
Truth be told, his worry about her was real. Since she hated small spaces, she might flip out when she saw what was up ahead. One more change of tunnels and they’d be almost out, so maybe that would be enough to keep her moving. He glanced at his wrist screen out of habit. Dark except for his biometric watch. Twenty more minutes, tops, and they’d reach the next junction. And that’s where things got really small. He didn’t mind enclosed areas, but even he felt a little odd in the tiny tunnel that led to the outside.
He put his hands on the cool wall and steadied himself as he crouched. Walking along the wet concrete made him uneasy. Falling could prove to be a fatal mistake if he broke his leg or got washed away by the current into a recycling tank. Allana mirrored his actions and placed her hands on the wall and moved silently beside him.
After several minutes, he couldn’t stay quiet any longer. “So, I know we’re not supposed to talk about the job, but maybe you can tell me why you decided to become an assassin? It’s an odd choice. Maybe talking about it will take your mind off this long walk out of hell.”
She jumped at the sound of his voice, then stared. “For a woman? Don’t tell me you’re a dickhead who thinks women can’t do these jobs as well as men. I’ll fucking flip you over my head and into the water and escape on my own.” Her hands coiled into fists on the concrete wall.
Maddox smiled. Better than having her afraid. “Of course not. It’s just that being an assassin is a pretty serious job choice.” One I could never do. He paused to step over a piece of jagged biolumen strip that had fallen from its mounting on the wall. “And it’s not a guaranteed job, either. Most don’t make it out of training, so I hear.”
He held out his hand and Allana took it and stepped over the debris.
“Most don’t. I did.” She shrugged. “My family, except my father, was executed for supposedly selling secrets.”
“Wow.”
“They didn’t. He did. When the police came, he blamed my mother and brother. They were executed.”
“That’s horrible!” He didn’t have the heart to ask why she wasn’t blamed.
“He was my first mark once I became an assassin.”
Maddox swallowed and gripped the slippery wall. He’d asked and she’d answered. He couldn’t really complain that he’d gotten answers he didn’t want. “So you went into training at how old?”
“Twenty-two.”
“Wow, you got the number one job at Verity. At a young age, too.” He ducked even more under a low ledge that spanned the narrow tunnel. “You’re a hero.”
“Maybe some will think so. As long as we make it to safety, I’ll at least have completed my job. I need to get this information in the right hands so Verity can regain control of the city. After that, I don’t know what I’ll do—if I’ll continue this job or find another. There won’t be much need of an assassin in a peaceful city, but there are other cities.”
“That’s a good thing.”
“Yes, but I need to make it happen. Otherwise, the job is only half done. And I need to finish what I start. Always.”
Maddox stopped and studied her face, wishing he could smooth out the lines of worry that formed there. “We’ll finish it together.”
3
Maddox perched on the edge of the creaky platform and peered at the dark water below. The stench of Sulphur and algae rose from the swirling current and he wrinkled his nose. Allana was not going to like this.
The last sewer junction before they were out of the city was barely a five-by-five square of concrete with four smaller passageways feeding from the center block. The roof in this area hung low and rusty pipes ran above in a crisscross of diverging flows, liquid gurgling and sputtering as it tricked or gushed through the overhead conduits. Thankfully, the brackish water was barely a few inches deep in the center, as most of it channeled into the one larger tunnel that led off the intersection headed to recycling for the rainers. He stared at the small side-tunnel they’d have to crawl through for the remaining distance.
Number sixty-four twelve.
A shaft mainly used for easing runoff during flooding would now serve as their escape from the city. The tunnel system was comprised of thousands of these overflow shafts, but they needed this one in particular if they were to make the rendezvous. He double-checked the number.
Yep. That was the one.
“Let’s go.” Would he be able to coach Allana through the tight space? He had to.
“You’re kidding.” Allana bit her lower lip till it flushed deep red. “We have to crawl through that?” She clutched her hands together.
“No.” He shook his head. “I’m not kidding. It’s not as small as it looks. We have to go that way to make it to our meeting place.”
“Not a chance.” She shook her head and turned to go back through the larger tunnel. “I’m sure there’s another way. There has to be.”
Maddox grabbed her by the shoulder and twirled her to face him. “Yes, you can do this, Allana. You have to. It’s the only way out for us. The only way to freedom. The only way to Verity.”
“You don’t understand…” Her eyes widened.
He wanted to pull her close, stroke away the fear that he saw in her gaze. No time for that. They had to move now. “No, you don’t understand. This tunnel is the only tunnel that will put us anywhere near the rendezvous point. All the other paths to the outside are the same size, and they come out farther from where we need to be. This is the one we have to go through. You have to trust me, trust Verity.”
“But it’s so small.” Her shoulder quivered under his touch. “We won’t fit.”
“There’s plenty of room.” He squeezed her shoulder then dropped his hand. “And we have no choice. I promise it will be okay. Verity knows what it’s doing.” What he wouldn’t do to hold her for a moment. Close. He shivered.
“I know.”
“And you’ve worked hard for this. Trained. A long time, I’d imagine.”
“I know.” She chewed her lip.
“And you have a duty…”
She sighed and stared at the ground. “Yes, I know. I’m not ready for this. They didn’t tell me I’d have to go through such a small space.”
He placed his hand under her chin and tipped it up so he could meet her gaze. He brushed her hair from her face, the dark locks sliding away and leaving her pale skin exposed. Her eyes lit with tears.
He shouldn’t be getting close. Every fiber of his being told him he was making a mistake but she needed him. He felt it. He kissed her on the forehead, sensing her tension soften under his lips. If they had more time, he’d kiss her again, maybe on the mouth. Put her at ease. Show her that she really could trust him. “I know you can do this.” He whispered. “You have to. This is what you’ve been training for. Verity would never have entrusted you if they doubted you would be successful.” He smiled, hoping it would lessen her worry. “Right?”
“I failed this part. Small spaces. Someone covered for me. So, Verity doesn’t know
I can’t do this.”
“You think you fooled them? You just showed them you could find solutions, and not fail. The same for today—you won’t fail because I’ll help you. I’ll be with you the whole time. We’ll do it together.”
She was so close. He could yank her to him in the space of a heartbeat.
Her tears flowed freely, sliding down her face. He wiped them away, the dirt on his finger leaving muddy track marks across her cheeks.
“My father…” She stiffened and looked down. “He locked me in a small box. He did…things, to me.”
“This isn’t a box.” He pulled her close, feeling her body melt into him. “You aren’t alone and we have a way out. Besides, you’re stronger than he ever was.”
She nodded against his chest. “I know.”
“You can do this, Allana.” He savored her small warmth against his chest and slid his hand up to her neck and kneaded her muscles. If only they had more time…
She jerked her head up. “What’s that noise?”
Maddox listened, adrenaline freezing his veins. The unmistakable rhythmic tromping of boots, far away but approaching, echoed through the pipes. “Oh, fuck! Sentinels.”
“They’ll catch us.” Allana backed away and bumped against the wall. “We’ll never escape. There’s nowhere to go.” Her whisper echoed against the trickle of water.
“The hell we won’t escape! They won’t know which tunnel we’re taking. Not if we hurry. I didn’t come this far for them to find us standing around chatting. Let’s get out of here.”
“Okay.” Her voice grew stronger.
“I’m right behind you.” He motioned her.
Allana scooted into the small corridor and started crawling ahead through the trickle of water. Maddox looked back, the beams of the incoming Sentinels burning a pin-point of light through the mist in the big tunnel. Pretty far away but getting closer by the moment.
How many were there? Probably a whole company. They’d split into every tunnel under the city and not stop looking till they’d caught them both and dragged their lifeless bodies to the surface.
Wicked Legends: A Dystopian Paranormal Romance and Urban Fantasy Collection Page 46