“Kit, you’re my priority. I owe them nothing.”
“Sully, please. I don’t think I can live with myself if we don’t try. Except for him trying to waterboard me that one time, he was really kind to me.”
I clenched my fists, frustration growing inside me. “Going back is risky.”
“I know.”
I swore under my breath, raised my pants leg, unstrapped the gun, and handed it to Kit. “You know how to use this. Stay behind me.”
“No, I should lead the way, since I’m familiar with the tunnel.”
“All right, then, but as soon as we get to them, I need you behind me.” I took his face in my hands and kissed him hard. “If we’re outnumbered and there’s no way to save them, we leave.”
He nodded, and I gave him the small flashlight I’d brought with me. I hadn’t wanted to use it when following Scott through the woods, afraid the beam would give our position away, but I didn’t take any chances with Kit. “Lead the way.”
We didn’t speak as we hurried through the tunnel. I stared after Kit’s back, pride filling my chest. How composed he was, even after being kidnapped. Did he know how brave he was to try to save the very men who’d orchestrated his kidnapping?
“We’re almost there,” Kit said.
I tilted my head. What was that? I caught Kit by the arm and pulled him back, reaching for his hand to turn off the flashlight at the same time.
“What—”
I laid my hand over his mouth and whispered into his ear, “I think someone found the tunnel. Listen.”
Scuffing of shoes on the ground echoed in the tunnel. A single person based on the pattern. Were they aware of us? Had they seen the glow of a flashlight?
“… not sure where it leads,” a voice said. “I’m following it now to see if we can find the boy. Javier won’t be able to save him this time.”
Kit trembled against me.
“I can’t risk taking a shot and alerting others,” I said directly into his ear. “Stand back.”
I inched around him to put my body between him and the approaching man while holstering my gun and unsheathing my knife from the scabbard.
Were there more than one?
No other voices or footsteps were audible. He must have been talking on his phone, and from the words I’d just overheard, he still had no idea he wasn’t alone in the tunnel. His conversation must have drowned out the sounds of our footsteps.
We stayed pressed up against the wall. A light drew closer and closer. Any second now, he would discover us. I waited until he was almost upon us. Then I charged. He raised his arm too late. I was already on him, knocking the gun from his hand and shoving the knife to the hilt into his stomach.
He fell to his knees, gasping, hands clutching his abdomen. The gun clattered to the ground. Gritting my teeth, I pushed him onto his back, yanked the knife out, and ended his misery by slicing it across his throat. He twitched a couple of times, then stilled, blood pooling around him.
A retching sound behind me pulled my attention away from the deceased man. Kit was doubled over, throwing up his guts. My hands were covered in blood. I wiped the blood on the knife on the dead man’s pants and shoved it back into the sheath. I had no choice but to wipe my hands on my shirt.
“Kit, are you okay?”
“Just give me a minute.”
He straightened and inhaled deeply with his eyes closed.
“Why don’t you stay here and I’ll go up alone?”
His eyes flew open, and he shook his head. “I’m fine. Let’s go.”
“We need to go the rest of the way without a light,” I said. “Stay behind me.”
We hurried through the tunnel as fast as the darkness allowed.