He stepped around it and motioned for her to join him. She walked around the edge and stopped, looking curiously at the large metal door embedded directly into the rock that made up the back wall of the cellar. He punched in the code for access and it slid open, the dark, earthly smell of the tunnel behind it hitting them in the face as it became exposed.
“What is this place?”
“My family has owned this property for thousands of years. Before there was a house here, there was another, and another before that. All fallen into ruin over the years and replaced. Beneath them all was this series of tunnels, hidden away. If you go far enough back in our history, my ancestors would have lived in these caves before houses were a thing that people were privileged enough to enjoy.”
“Wow. That’s incredible. Have you been through them?”
“No. I’ve been just inside them, but never very far back. There is a map and a flashlight on the wall a little further down, but I never felt a need to roam around in a subterranean shaft. I don’t know if they are still open or where they go.”
“You’ve not looked at the map?”
“I have, but they are only as good as when they were created. Some of the tunnels may have sealed themselves off through erosion or ground movement, and who knows if they still open out anywhere.”
“How many are there?”
“Tunnels? It starts with only two, but they fan out in different directions.”
“I can’t believe you’ve never explored them. Where’s your sense of adventure?”
“I know where one of them goes. It’s the rest that are a mystery,” he said. He seemed to be about to say something else, but he stopped, instead cocking his head up to one side. His hand shot up to silence her. They listened for a moment as voices filled the house above, men shouting out for Dane to come out. They grew louder as they moved through the house and found their way to the open stairwell into the cellar.
“Fuck. Stay here. Don’t make a sound,” he said, walking out the door and closing it behind him before she could protest.
He was angry as he went to meet what he was sure was a group of Black Talons who had somehow had the nerve to just waltz into his house and confront him. This was getting out of hand. How could he keep Adriana safe like this? How could he keep their child safe? He’d thought getting the FBI involved would end this, but it had apparently only fueled the fire.
“What are you doing here?” he barked at them.
“We came to ask you about that little dog and pony show over at your construction company,” the big guy that kept appearing to give him grief said. All this time and Dane still didn’t even know his name, not that it really mattered to him.
“My misfortune. What does it have to do with you?”
“Oh, I think you know exactly what it has to do with us. Hey, where’s that sexy little redhead of yours? I’ve not seen her for ages. I really wanted to get to know her a little better while we had her at our place, but you know how it is; I had business to take care of and just didn’t make it down there to get a good sample of what you find so intriguing. I bet she has a sweet pussy. Is it red down there too?”
Dane was flooded with fury but he couldn’t lose his cool. What he had to do right now was think. The most important thing was to get them out of here and away from the entrance to the tunnels before they snooped around too much and found her. He immediately started shifting, letting his dragon expand into the large open area of the cellar and then shooting straight up through the roof, tearing through the upper floors and shooting out
He turned to look back once he was clear, watching as they shot out behind him, one by one. He didn’t have time to make sure they all exited as he quickly found himself under attack by several of them at once. He fought them off, sending two of them to the ground pretty quickly, but they just kept coming.CHAPTER TWENTY-THREEAdriana
Adrianna couldn’t hear much past his footsteps up the stairs and some shouting. There was a loud crash and what sounded like thunder, and then only sounds dampened by the earth and rock around her as they seemed to have moved away from the house and into the outdoors. It was pitch black in the tunnels without any light coming in from the room beside her.
Remembering what Dane said about the flashlight and map, she stepped further back into the entrance, feeling her way along the wall in search of them. She was still feeling for it when she heard voices outside the door again. They weren’t Dane, and they definitely weren’t friendly. She heard the shelf being moved and someone speaking to her through the door.