She scanned her surroundings to make sure she wasn’t being followed. Then, she scanned them again because she couldn’t remember if she’d checked both sides.
Ryder laughed. Maybe just one more drink…
Terrier made his way down the metal stairs two at a time. He knew that Sergei and the others would be after his head, literally. He’d decided to hide in the tunnels off the bottom level of the bunker.
Afana kept the women on the lowest level, and the entryway to the heart of the bunker was located there, too. It led to the engines that kept this place going.
Air, water, and power were all run from down there, forming a maze in which Terrier could lose Sergei and the others. The trickiest part would be getting down there without being seen, which was hard when you were the biggest man in the bunker. Everyone knew Terrier.
He made it through the first level with ease. That was where the advisors worked and Afana lived. He liked to look down on his cattle to make sure they didn’t stray. The next level was where Afana’s advisors lived. They told the generals on Level Three what to do, and the generals governed the people below them.
Then, he hit Level Four, one of the floors where the men lived, and a nosy hunter named Decso blocked his path on the stairs before he could head down farther.
“What did you catch today?” Decso asked Terrier. Decso liked to be involved in everything, even when he wasn’t welcome. Especially if he wasn’t welcome it seemed. It was as though he couldn’t see the cues people gave when they didn’t want to be bothered. He had an unusually round head, with round glasses to match. The glasses were too tight, so it looked like they were being eaten by his head.
“No luck today,” Terrier said, trying to weave around Decso without having to shove him out of the way. The last thing he wanted to do was draw unwanted attention to himself.
Decso raised an eyebrow and looked at Terrier’s empty hands. “Nothing? You’ve never come back with nothing before.” He looked behind Terrier. “Where the hell’s Ryder?”
Terrier paused. He wanted to tell the man to mind his own fucking business, he held his tongue instead.
“Terrier?” Decso snapped his fingers in front of Terrier’s eyes. “Earth to Terrier!”
Terrier walked around Decso. “He’s taking a shit.”
“And the others?” Decso pushed Terrier for an answer.
“How the fuck should I know?” Terrier shot back gruffly, hoping that would put an end to the interrogation. He kept walking and didn’t look back, but he knew that Decso would question Sergei and the others once he found them. With any luck, he’d be long gone by then.
He hustled down the stairs, but he came to an abrupt halt when he reached Level Six. He cursed under his breath. He was having the worst fucking luck today.
Vera, as round as she was tall, was in his way. If you knocked her over, she’d probably roll along the floor like a ball. Terrier arched his head backward, praying to the gods that she hadn’t noticed him. She was one of the loudest, most aggressive women in the bunker.
Her eyes landed on him immediately, and a huge grin spread across her face. Vera hoisted her overly-ample cleavage in her hands and shook it gamely at Terrier. “You want some, baby?”
Terrier backpedaled until he collided with the wall. He swallowed hard. There was nowhere else to go.
“Don’t be scared,” she crooned, trying to sound sexy but just sounding creepy. She leaned into Terrier, her lips too close for comfort. He flinched away from her.
Vera started cackling, revealing teeth the color of an old cedar plank. “You’ve got the biggest dick here, and you don’t even know what to do with it. Vera will show you, you’ll see!”
She grabbed for Terrier’s junk, but he pushed her aside and made a run for it.
Vera’s laughter echoed behind him as he ran down the tunnel. “If you change your mind, I’ll be right here waiting!”
As Terrier had feared, Decso talked about his encounter with Terrier to anyone who would listen. Even worse, he was telling everyone that he didn’t think Ryder had come back to the bunker.
Most of the hunters ignored him, except for Eric and Jones. They were always looking for traitors, and even if Ryder wasn’t a traitor, he was out there on his own and good for the taking.
They were the fastest runners in the bunker, and they wasted no time taking off to find Ryder.
Chapter Ten
Leandro quickly caught up with the girl, who was making her way through the swamp and looking pissed off. Leandro didn’t blame her. This swamp fucking sucked, and he wished for the millionth time that she’d chosen a different route.
Swimming through this filthy water meant all kinds of horrifying shit was matting into his fur. He didn’t dare change back to human form, though. Insects would swarm him like he was a bug buffet. He thought of all the insects nibbling at him, and a shudder raced through his body.
The mysterious woman stopped wading, still hip deep in the muck. Leandro stopped, too, hiding behind a fallen tree. She wiped the sweat from her face, which looked like it was glowing from the sun beaming down on it.
She drank from her flask, then brushed the drops of excess water off her lips. He wanted those lips on his, and the idea made Leandro smile. I don’t think she’d want to kiss my snout.
She didn’t seem angry by the time she’d finished drinking. She actually had a devilish grin on her face, and her cheeks were flushed, which confused Leandro. It was like she had drunk alcohol, although
