“Oh.” When he realized the gasp had come from Sierra, he clicked the safety back on. He lowered the barrel in exasperation. “What the hell are you doing here?”
“I could ask you the same thing.” After shimmying down the ravine, she sauntered towards him. She started at him through lowered lashes while curling her lips into a wry smile. She must have thought it would come off as mischievous and sexy, but instead she looked like she’d just eaten a sour lemon.
“Goddammit. Is it just you out here?” Derek scanned the lip of the ravine for movement.
“Yup. Just me. And you, of course.” As she smiled at him, her face contorted into a mask of seduction.
He wasn’t having any of it. The last thing he needed was a woman with a schoolgirl crush chasing after him. She could compromise everything. She couldn’t keep a secret to save her life, so there was no way in hell she’d keep this to herself.
He glanced from her to the open door and took a moment to weigh his options. She probably wouldn’t be able to locate this spot again. Hell, she probably couldn’t even make it back to her family’s cabin from here.
“How long have you been following me?”
“Since you left the cabin.”
“Why?”
“Why what?” she asked coyly.
“Why did you follow me?” His patience was wearing thin.
“I saw you sneaking away. It looked like you were up to something, so I followed you to see what you were doing. It’s so boring in the cabin.”
“Well, that was stupid. What if you’d lost track of me? It’s almost dark, and you have no supplies. Do you even know which way the cabin is? You would’ve ended up dead out here.”
“Well, then I guess it’s a good thing we’re together.” She twirled her hair around her finger and stared up at him with mock innocence. “I lost you for a second back there. You were standing around staring at the door. I looked away for a second because I thought I heard something, and you were gone.”
“I fell down the ravine.”
“Are you hurt?”
“A little.”
“Maybe we should head back to the cabin before it gets too dark.”
He glanced from her to the door and back.
“What’s behind that … thing … whatever that thing is. It’s a door, right?”
Derek groaned. He couldn’t leave now, not when he was this close to his objective.
“It’s a door. Come on, let’s go inside.”
He pulled out his flashlight and led her through the opening in the rock. Inside the false rock door was a small vestibule that led to a metal door with a wheel. Derek twisted the wheel several times and pulled. The heavy door opened with a hiss.
“What is this place?” she asked.
“It’s a fallout shelter from the ‘70s. They built it in case shit with Russia ever got less cold. Guess they were right to worry.” He was so awestruck that he’d found the shelter that he momentarily forgot his annoyance with Sierra. “A couple of guys had mentioned it to me when I was in the Marines. I was stationed at El Toro before they shut it down. I didn’t believe them until my dad confirmed it. Even then, I wasn’t sure if it was real or just a tale passed around from man to man.”
He took a few steps into the entryway and felt along the wall for a light switch. When his fingers brushed a plastic protrusion, he flicked it up. Overhead, a bare light bulb buzzed to life, casting a dull, yellow glow around the room. Crates were stacked against the walls. They were numbered but didn’t appear to have any additional identifying information. They could be filled with anything or nothing. He wouldn’t know until he could pry them open.
“Wow, I wonder if Dad has ever heard of it? He loves this kind of thing. He and Kyle are going to freak when they see this place.” She gazed around the shelter.
Derek pulled a flashlight from his pack. He flipped it up and cast the beam into the dark corners. Farther into the shelter, he found shelves lined with dusty flashlights, radio units, and books that appeared to be at least thirty years old. He spotted several boxes marked MREs.
He’d hit paydirt. There was no way in hell he’d share this information right away. He had to think it through. Sierra was a huge fucking liability. Why couldn’t she have minded her own business? He couldn’t let her go back to the cabin. Not yet at least.
While Sierra was preoccupied with the newly lit room, Derek rummaged in his pack. He removed a length of thick rope. Since she couldn’t go back to the cabin, she’d have to stay here while he considered his options.
As he stepped close to her, confusion knitted her brow. Her gaze dropped to the rope. Her eyes went wide. Before she could move away, he lunged and grabbed her upper arm. He gripped it tightly.
“You’re going to have to stay here a while.”
“What? What are you doing?” She struggled to escape his grasp, but he was far too strong. He led her to a metal chair and wound the rope around her to secure her to it. He tied several knots before checking to make sure she couldn’t escape.
“I’m sorry about this,” he said.
“Let me go! What the hell is wrong with you?” Her eyes blazed with a mixture of betrayal and fear.
“I’m not going to hurt you, but I also can’t trust you. Any of you.”
“You can’t just leave me here!” she screamed.
“I’ll come back for you.”
“What? When? Derek, this isn’t funny!”
He chuckled as he walked farther into the compound. He’d deal with her later.
5
Three days earlier …
As Luke readied himself for his nightly perimeter check, Kyle paced back and forth like a caged tiger.
“Come on. Can I please come? I’m ready, I swear,” Kyle pleaded.
“I’m sorry, but it’s
