“What!?” I immediately growl before he can talk, sensing that something is wrong.
“It’s sealed shut. The fucking entryway has been sealed. Help me pry it open, quick!”
I leave Cat on the bike and rush over to the manhole cover Juan has been working on. Sure enough, it looks like it’s been melded into the ground.
“Did you not check to make sure it was still open before we made this fucking plan!?” I grumble, pulling out my switchblade and working it along the crusty edges of the rusted metal.
“There wasn’t any time,” Juan shoots back. I don’t push him any further. We both know that time is of the essence and a fight isn’t going to resolve anything.
“We need a blowtorch or something,” I grumble. “There’s no way we’re going to be able to cut this thing up before we’re overrun by Dante’s men.”
“What do you need?” That’s not Juan speaking. Catalina has jumped off the motorbike and stumbled over to our side.
“A blowtorch,” Juan says.
Sirens grow in the distance. I glance up at my former bride, expecting to see fear in her big brown eyes—if she’s afraid, she doesn’t show it. Instead, a look of determination comes over her beautiful features. “What can I do?” she asks.
I jump up from the unflinching manhole cover and give her a quick kiss—I can’t fucking help it, her lips are just too soft to ignore. I missed her taste so much; I need more... but more important issues threaten to tear us apart at the moment. I turn her around and we both scan the surrounding area. Small shops and residences line the parking lot, but they’re all dark. “We need to find a blowtorch, or at least something that can open this fucking hatch.” I growl.
“Do you think we can find anything useful in one of these shops?” She reads my mind.
“Let’s go look,” I nod, patting her on the ass for luck. “Keep digging,” I yell back to Juan, tossing him my switchblade in the process. “We’re going looking for fire.”
My hand finds Catalina’s and the warmth of her palm sends a shockwave of heat up my arm. I sneer with determination and whisk her off to the nearest shop. One of these dark windows has to hold our salvation... otherwise we’re screwed.
Approaching vehicles rumble off in the distance. There’s no doubt in my mind that they belong to anyone else but our enemy. No one other than Dante’s men would dare be out after dark—not even the rioters have that much gusto, not yet. I try to ignore the approaching thunder as I tighten my grip around Catalina’s little hand. The escape hatch in the parking lot is our only way out of this. It’s do or die time.
The first door I dig my shoulder into hardly puts up any resistance. We barrel through into the dark store and Catalina is immediately behind the counter, looking for something useful.
“Grab all the lighters you can carry,” I tell her, spotting a display of fireworks on the other side of the counter. “We’re going to have to melt through enough of the steel to get my hands through; maybe then I’ll be able to rip the rest of the hatch off.”
Before I get to the fireworks, I spot a rack of towels down the nearest aisle. I’ll need those. “Find any lighters?” I ask, ripping down the towels and slinging them over my shoulder.
“Yeah,” Catalina chuckles. I look over and see that she’s filled the front of her dress like a pouch. A proud grin crosses my lips. Our eyes meet and a playful slyness dances over her elegant features. Is she having fun!? I knew I fell for this girl for a reason...
Our little moment doesn’t last long. A sudden air rattling roar fills the space between us and we both snap our attentions outside. The source of the roar quickly disappears, but we both spot Juan desperately waving at us to hurry the fuck up.
“Let’s go,” I say and we both rush out of the shop with our loot.
“Wait.” Cat stops in the doorway.
I turn around, muscles flexed and my mind racing. “What’s wrong?”
Cat looks down at the loot in her pouch. “We’re stealing this stuff.” Her voice is filled with guilt.
My head nearly explodes. “Are you kidding me!?” I rush back to her, but when I go to grab her arm, she pulls away from me.
“We’re in the slums, Angel. These people can’t afford to get robbed...”
I bite my tongue as an impatient rage simmers just below my surface. Be patient, Angel. I hear a voice of reason worm its way through the fire. For her. For Cat.
My hand is immediately in my pocket. I rip out my wallet and storm past Catalina back inside the shop. She watches as I empty every last bill onto the counter we just ravaged. “Happy?” I growl, trying to mask how desperate I am for her to say yes.
“Yes.”
“Good. Now, let’s get out of this hell hole.”
Cat nods and turns back to the parking lot. She gets a head start, but it only takes me a few strides to catch up. The last thing I want to do is let her get too far from me. I’ve put so much effort into finally getting her back, so much time into getting this close, that I’m determined never to let her go again. I’ve made a promise to myself to protect her, and it’s not one I’m going to break; not for any fucking reason.