Yegor hadn’t thought of that, and he knew Sergei was right. The men in the bunker loved nothing more than the hunt.
He backed away from Sergei since he could tell he wanted to hit someone again.
“You need to shut Decso up,” Sergei said.
Yegor frowned. “How?”
“You’re hunters. Use your imaginations. And hurry up. Ryder is my kill. You better not have given the other hunters a head start, or I swear I’ll take your heads instead.”
Sergei had never liked Ryder. Ryder had a quick tongue, which he could never do anything about because Terrier was always there. Times had changed, though, and he wanted his reward for putting up with those two pricks for so long.
Sergei looked around. “Where’s Nestor?”
“I saw him going down to Level Six,” Pavel said.
Sergei thought that was odd. It didn’t sound like Nestor. He decided it was worth looking into. “Pavel, with me. Yegor, get your shit sorted out and head down to Level Six. Time to go hunting, boys.”
Ryder was tired from fighting the two douchebags and didn’t know where to go. She ended up near the spot where she’d awakened, but away from where she’d slept. She was still curious who had created the protective ring around her.
She took a seat on a boulder and let out a deep breath. This was the first time she’d been truly on her own. Ryder had thought she was before, but the two hunters had spoiled that just like they always did.
It had been years since Ryder had seen stars. That had been back when she was a child before Afana’s men took her. She stared up at them now and wondered who was out there. Was anyone watching what was happening down here? If they were, she hoped they cared.
I’m free, and I’m going to get Terrier and the others out. No one should be trapped underground and kept like animals for the rest of their lives. But I need people to help me.
Ryder sighed. She didn’t like asking others for help. It felt like weakness, but she knew that was her biggest weakness. She needed to get over it if she was going get Terrier, the kids, and the women out.
Terrier headed down the tunnel where he thought Ryder had disabled the cameras. Although if he was being honest with himself, he had no idea if this was the right tunnel. It just seemed as good as any other.
He saw a shadow moving ahead of him in the darkness. So much for hiding down here. He turned to go back the way he came, but then he heard a stifled cry. This wasn’t like Samantha’s sad weeping. There was fear in this one.
A sick feeling twisted his gut. Terrier knew what the men were capable of if they were left unsupervised down here, and he couldn’t abandon one of the women if they were in trouble.
Even if it meant getting caught.
He moved closer to the crying, and to his horror, he saw that it was Natalie. Her braid was untied, and her brown hair hung messily over her naked breasts. Her top had been ripped open and pulled down over her heavily pregnant belly, and tears streamed down her face. She was being held by a man he knew—Shane, the head traitor hunter. He had a knife at her neck and his hand over her mouth.
“Keep walking, Terrier,” Shane sneered. He was a big guy, like Terrier, and as far as Terrier was concerned he was the worst of all the assholes in the bunker—which was saying a lot since this place was filled to the brim with them.
Terrier spread his hands in front of him. “I’m not looking for trouble. I’m just passing through.”
“Then go,” Shane told him.
Terrier edged around the traitor hunter, keeping his eyes on him the entire time, hoping and waiting for Shane to drop his guard. Then, it happened. Shane lowered the knife from Natalie’s throat, and Terrier took his chance.
He ran at them and got Shane in a headlock, pulling him away from Natalie. She broke free of Shane’s grip and scrambled away from the grappling men.
Shane tried to fight, but Terrier’s hold was too strong.
“Why don’t you mess with someone your own size, you son of a bitch?” Terrier growled. He slammed Shane’s skull against the tunnel wall with a loud thud, and Shane’s body went limp in Terrier’s arms.
He let him go, and Shane collapsed into an undignified heap on the tunnel floor. Terrier thought about killing him, but Natalie looked like she needed him more. Her entire body trembled like she was in an ice storm, and fresh tears streamed down her cheeks.
He went to her side. “Did he hurt you?”
Natalie shook her head as she tried to pull her top closed to cover her breasts. Her quaking fingers didn’t seem to work, and Terrier averted his gaze.
“Let’s get you to Mama Lou,” he said.
“Samantha,” Natalie said in a panic. “I need to find Samantha.”
“I found her,” Terrier said quickly. “She’s safe. I took her back to the kids’ room.”
“Oh, thank God,” she breathed, relieved. “And thank you, Terrier.”
“Are you okay to walk?” he asked, giving Shane’s motionless body one last look. He’d let him live—this time.
“Yes. I’m just a little shaken.”
He held out an arm to support Natalie as they walked, trying not to notice the way her slender shoulder fitted under his so perfectly. He had no business thinking that way, he told himself sternly.
They got to the edge of the tunnel and found Mama Lou there with Peter. They both had dark brown skin like Terrier. Mama Lou had a full figure, and her regal face, with its high cheekbones and knowing eyes, was capped with an afro. She always had a stern look on her face that melted into a smile when she saw the kids. They
