Chapter Twenty-Nine
Harper
As Opal and Pearl held her arms behind her back, Harper waited for her moment.
Opal was taller than Harper but not particularly strong. Pearl was about Harper's height and seemed not to be trying very hard to keep Harper still. The dude taping up her ankle was twice her size, but Harper had a mean kick.
She breathed in deeply even as the duct tape covered her mouth. She tried to stay calm and gather her thoughts.
How had she gotten herself into this?
She wished Dash was here with her right now. She found herself wishing she'd gone straight to work and then straight home to Dash's arms.
Most of all, Harper wished she had spent less time antagonizing him and more time getting to know the real man.
When they got back together—and they would find each other again—she was not going to waste a single second.
She would tell him everything. She wanted to be with him for the rest of her life. She would never find anybody who was so good to her. He wanted to protect her so badly, it seemed written into his DNA. He just wanted to be close to her, and god, she wanted nothing else but to love him.
Wait, was that right? Did she love him?
How could she have a sworn nemesis her entire life but then fall in love with him only days after finally falling into bed?
But the connection was beyond physical. She loved the way he looked at her when she talked. She loved the way he had stopped acting aloof and too cool for the things she cared about.
And yet, she knew so little about the real him. Why had they had so much sex and so little conversation?
Maybe because he was a relentless, enthusiastic jackhammer, that's why. Harper could not help but smirk and then laugh as she recalled the dirty joke she'd said out loud in front of Fr. O'Brien.
As soon as she escaped, she would march right over to Dash and tell him they needed to get married as quickly as possible. She knew she wanted him and nobody else, and the sooner they began a life together, the better.
"The fuck are you laughing about?" The square-jawed man was almost finished taping up her ankle. He'd done a decent job of it, and she guessed she could probably walk on it. Slowly, but at least without incredible amounts of pain.
Boosted by her admitting her feelings to herself, and feeling better about her ankle, a wave of raw strength rolled through her. While the man was just about to cut the tape and release her ankle, Harper gritted her teeth and kicked with all her might.
She grunted in disgust as the ball of her foot connected with the man's teeth, and he tumbled backward, his back and head hitting the edges of the concrete stairs.
Chapter Thirty
Dash
Outfitted with headsets, guns, and ammo, the Brute Squad surrounded the sinkhole and waited for Dash's instructions.
"When she showed me the route of the tunnels, she said it goes all the way from the river, down to the basement of the distillery, with several exit points along the way. I don't know if I'm right about this, but I just have a strong feeling she's down there somewhere. I know it sounds crazy, but I need to know; I need to try."
Billy dropped an ammo bag to the ground and opened it up, and began handing out headlamps to everyone.
"When did you get…you know what? Never mind. Thanks, Billy."
Looking around at his friends, Dash said, "We look like we know what we're doing for once."
"You don't, though. But I can help."
All of the members of the Brute Squad turned at the sound of a woman's voice. A small, blonde woman with wide brown eyes was standing to Dash's left, her arms folded across her chest.
"I'm sorry, who are you? Did the mayor send a crew to help?" Dash was confused.
She held out a hand and shook Dash's as she eyed the group. "I followed you from the newspaper. I'm Ainsley Donovan. I've been looking into tunnels for 15 years, and if you don't want to die down there, you'll take me with you."
Dash looked around at his friends. Levi looked skeptical. Holden shrugged and said, "We'll need all the help we can get."
Mike said, "No way, no how, are we bringing a lady down there."
Ainsley shot him a look. "Okay, boomer. I hope your sexism can save you when you get hopelessly lost."
Mike grunted. Alex put up his hands and said, "Listen, we have enough supplies for an extra person since Declan's keeping an eye out for Harper at Crow Bar in case she turns up there. It couldn't hurt to have someone who's familiar with these tunnels."
Those were the most words any of them had ever heard the new guy utter since he arrived last month. He had a strange kind of accent, the type that Dash recognized from that creepy thriller movie set in Minnesota. Alex was the opposite of creepy. He had a wide-open, friendly face who was eager to help at a moment's notice, no questions asked. He could assist Griff and Declan around the bar; he could carry a keg by himself, which was a remarkable feat.
Dash then noticed the way Alex stared at Ainsley, and Ainsley was smiling back at him.
"Thanks, Corn Fed," she said. Did she just…wink at Alex? They were all about to put their lives at risk to find one of Dockside's favorite daughters, and Alex and Ainsley were flirting. Welp. He fits right in. The Brute Squad doesn't mess around when they decide they like someone.
Dash looked at Billy. "Alright then. Billy? Suit her up, and let's find my girl."
Crouching down on his hands and knees, he flicked on the headlamp and got a look around. Below the asphalt gash in the street, Dash saw rubble from the
