Rory pulled him up to stand between them. “If you make a sound, I’ll break your neck. Understand?”
Logan nodded again, saying nothing. The young wolf was the same height as Logan and, though not nearly as muscle-bound as the other wolves, Logan knew he could do it in a heartbeat. Logan’s own heart raced at the thought of releasing Ian, but he wondered if these two had thought of everything. He had to ask. He cleared his throat. “Do you have the keys?”
They looked at each other blankly. “Keys?”
“The guards carry all the keys. Look on your belt there. I assume you got that outfit from a guard you…uh…dispatched. There should be a set of keys. ”
Rory twisted and sure enough there was a ring with about a dozen keys, none of them marked. “One of these must be it . Let’s go. ”
“Wait a minute. There are security cameras in the halls. Usually there are men in the guardhouse who monitor them. Are they the ones you got these uniforms from?” They glanced at each other before Nicky nodded. “Better move quickly then. Someone will be relieving them at four. ”
Rory slipped the gag over Logan’s mouth again and pushed him ahead of them, out the door and down the corridor to the stairwell. It must be well after midnight, safe enough in these corridors, with no one out in the middle of the night. Logan quickly led the way into the basement and the third door on the left. Rory went to work, trying one key after another until one of them clicked, and the door swung open.
They went inside and flicked on the light, closing the door behind them. There, on a kind of straw pallet in the corner, lay Ian naked and without so much as the blanket Logan had ordered for him earlier. They made sure he lived like the animal they thought he was, sleeping naked and bare on straw like a dog. He sat up, blinking against the sudden light, his chains rattling.
“What do you want?” he mumbled, then his eyes adjusted a bit, and he saw Logan, his hands tied behind him and a gag in his mouth. “What the hell?” He took a closer look at the guards, and a huge grin lit up his face. “My God, Nicky! Rory! What on earth are you doing here?”
Nicky and Rory both rushed over to him, pulling Logan along with them. Nicky, ignoring wolf law, hugged Ian, running his hands over his shoulders and arms, checking for injuries. Rory slapped him on the back. They were speaking in hurried, excited whispers.
“We came for you, Rory and me. ”
“Good Lord! Marco and Caseyaren’t with you?”
“No. They wouldn’t have let us come. We’re the only ones who had any chance of sneaking inside the compound. You wolves are much too big. We were extra lucky by findingLogan’s room on the roster thing they had in the guardhouse to speed things up. ”
Logan hated to think how long it would have taken to locate either one of them without that and cringed even before Ian cut his eyes up at him, his face bitter and unsmiling. He looked away quickly as Rory continued the story and fumbled with the keys to find the one to take the collar, chains, and cuffs off Ian.
“We got him to tell us where they were holding you and here we are. ”
Ian chuckled, but he had a look of pure disgust on his face as he kicked the chains away from his feet where Rory let them fall. “That simple, huh? Well, I’m impressed boys, I really am. Now what’s your plan for getting us out of here?”
“We’ll just walk out the same way we came in. If anyone stops us, we say we’re taking you for interrogation. ”
Logan made a sound and shook his head. Rory impatiently pulled down the gag. “Won’t work. This is where prisoners are interrogated. Theydon’t take them out of this building. They would know you’re lying. ”
Nicky bit his lip and looked at Rory. “Think he’s telling the truth?”
Rory shrugged, but Ian said, “The last time I saw him, his father ordered him whipped. Is his back marked?”
Logan twisted away when Rory moved to work his shirt up, hurt that Ian wouldn’t believe in him. He ordered Rory to put hands on him too, a sure sign he didn’t consider him his mate anymore. What would it prove if he had been whipped? Only that the general didn’t tolerate backtalk any better than Ian did. If they wanted to see his back, they’d have to fight him for a look.
“Just another game they played,” Ian said with a snort, motioning Rory to leave him alone. “Don’t believe a word he says. He’s a fucking liar. ”
Logan knew his expression registered a direct hit before he could stop his reaction, and Nicky shuffled uncomfortably. He turned and looked directly at Logan. “Are you telling us the truth?”
“Yes. That’s not the way out. The best way—the only way is to take the tunnel. ”
“What tunnel? You never mentioned a damned tunnel before!” Ian’s voice dripped with sarcasm and anger. “You’re lying again. It’s what you’re good at. ”
“I forgot before. ” At Ian’s scoffing noise, Logan insisted. “I did. You know my memory was bad for a long time. I didn’t think of it anyway until just now when I saw it as we came down. The tunnel is old, andwe didn’t use it for fear of cave-ins. It’s part of an old mine and not safe in places, but it’s the only way out. It goes under the compound and comes out beyond the fence. I’m telling the truth. ”
“Just where is this tunnel?” Rory asked.
Logan jerked his head. “At the end of the hall. The small door marked Danger—Keep Out. ”
“Let’s try it, Ian. It might be our best shot. ”
Ian considered for a moment and then nodded. “Let’s go. ”