“Okay.” Realizing that he was in danger because of her, she stood on tiptoe and kissed his cheek. “Please don’t get hurt.”
“Remember, I’m a survivor and so are you.”
He watched her until he could no longer see her on the stairs and turned the opposite direction.
Some relief came to him knowing Pao would take care of her.
He made his way down to the second floor and opened the gym door. He couldn’t see anything through the darkness. “Lindsay?” Just as he expected he received no answer. “Lindsay? Novah told me what happened. I’m Egan and I’m here to take you to safety.”
“How can I trust you?” came a low voice.
“You can’t, not really, not until we get the hell off this evil paradise island. If we don’t hurry this is going to get really messy and probably bloody.”
She didn’t come out of hiding and he didn’t want to go on a hide and seek game.
“I don’t believe you,” she whispered.
“Listen, you have a choice. You can stay here and take your chances against Langley’s security team or you can come with me and get the hell away. Your choice.” Gritting his teeth, he counted in his head…One-one thousand. Two-one thousand. Three-one thousand. Four—
He heard rustling and then she walked out of the dark. In the dim light from the hall he could see that her eyes were red and her skin pale.
“You need to follow everything I tell you,” he firmly told her.
She nodded.
“Ready?”
She nodded again.
He took a step over the threshold and the punch to his chin came out of nowhere. He heard Lindsay scream as he steadied himself from the hit. He blinked as another fist came toward his face. Joe looked pissed off. Was this anger related to Egan spilling coffee on his crotch. The man probably had burnt balls. He could see where that might make a man cantankerous.
Egan dodged several more attempts at Joe’s wayward punches then jabbed the man in his solid gut. He might not see worth a damn through those Coke-bottle glasses, but the man was built like a steam engine. The hit to his torso took him back a few steps, but he came again, angrier than ever. Egan realized this man was out for blood and if that’s what he wanted he’d get it.
Joe clutched Egan’s shirt in a tight fist, dragging him across the threshold and flinging him against the wall across the hall. Recovering fast, Egan rammed the other man like a linebacker would to his opponent, slamming him against the wall. They grappled, fists flying. Clothes tore. Blood splattered.
Egan had Joe down on the floor, pummeling him to a pulp until he was out like a light. He pushed himself up off the unconscious man only to hear from behind him, “Don’t move, Banks.”
Lifting his hands, he slowly turned, meeting the harsh glare of Banner.
“What the hell are you doing, buddy?” Banner looked like he could bite nails in half.
“This isn’t what Langley wants you to think it is. You and I know each other, Banner. Follow your instincts. We’re friends.”
He lowered his gun slightly as if he were absorbing Egan’s words, contemplating the history between them. “Our debt is paid in full. I’ll hold security off as long as I can but if they catch you there’ll be nothing I can do to help.”
Understanding the magnitude of what Banner was saying, Egan gave his buddy a nod. “Lindsay, let’s go.”
They pushed through the door and quietly made their way through the shadows. Then he heard Lindsay say,” I’m tired of these bastards.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
THE UNDERGROUND TUNNEL was cold, damp and creepy, and Novah couldn’t remember ever being so worried. Not just for her own safety, but for Egan and Lindsay too.
Her thoughts went to Finley. She and Egan would have to come through this safe for their daughter.
“We’re almost there,” Pao said as he shone the flashlight ahead of them.
“What exactly is this place?” She couldn’t see anything but directly in front of her.
“Years ago it was the bootlegger’s way to transport illegal booze and evade the law. These days it’s to transport people to and from the resort.”
“Is it safe if it’s that old? I thought most of the underground prohibition tunnels had collapsed.”
“The tunnel has been reinforced. Langley spent a pretty penny on the project too.” Pao moved ahead as they smelled the crisp woodsy scent of the outdoors. “Stay here and let me look around first,” he told her.
She wanted to argue, mostly because she didn’t want to be alone in the tunnel, but Egan had asked her to listen to Pao.
It was eerily quiet in the cool space and dark surrounded her. She could hear the ominous sounds of dripping water and the squeaks of rats. Her spine tingled with fear. The pitter pattering of tiny rodent feet echoed off the cement walls. She took a step back as the scurrying grew louder. Swallowing against the cotton ball dryness in her throat, she turned and started for the outside and ran straight into a brawny chest. Screaming, a hand came over her mouth to cover the sound. She started to fight when a light shone on Pao’s face.
“Shh!” he warned her. He dropped his hand from her mouth.
She took several steps and felt a blast of cooler air, thankful that her lungs filled with oxygen. Following him up a grassy bank the moonlight offered a purple glow into the thicket of woods.
Although she had no clue where they were, she sensed that they were still close enough to
