Underground (New World Series Book 4)

by Janelle Stalder

  Someone blew up...? Air. Suddenly Phoenix couldn't get enough air. Her legs gave out beneath her as panic wracked her body.

  “Phoenix?” Missy's voice sounded distant and foggy.

  “Woman! Get your arse out of here, now!” Tyler bellowed, storming down the hall toward them like a man about to explode himself.

  Phoenix heard her sister say there was something wrong with Phoenix, but she was no longer paying attention to them.

  Trent.

  Was he...?

  Oh god. He'd gone down there. A bomb. The tunnels. A bomb.

  What had she done?

  “Is there a reason why you're carrying me?”

  Pete just pulled her closer, rushing toward the exit. Charlotte had no choice but to hold on tight, her face surely red with embarrassment. As soon as they hit fresh air, she wiggled in his arms to let her down. It wasn't until they were a good twenty feet away from the doors that he finally set her on her feet.

  “Honestly, Pete,” she huffed, straightening her clothes. “I'm pregnant, not an invalid.”

  “You two are my number one priority. I'd carry you up a mountain if I had to.”

  The concern in his eyes melted her heart so she decided to forgive his overreaction. But only this time. If he insisted on babying her for the next eight months she was going to kick him in the balls.

  “Is everyone here?” Vi asked, her face ashen as she looked around.

  Just then Tyler came out, Missy and Phoenix right behind him. Charlotte looked over at a grave looking Bastian. The man radiated anger and danger as he focused on the people still filing out. Pixie stood silently by his side, her hand reassuringly resting on his arm.

  “Where's my brother?” Pete asked, searching the crowd.

  Charlotte looked too, not seeing his bulky frame anywhere.

  “We have a problem,” Tyler said as the three reached them.

  “When don't we?” Pete said.

  “It's Trent,” Tyler said gravely. “He was in the tunnel that collapsed.”

  Charlotte sucked in a breath, her eyes going back to all the faces, praying he was wrong.

  “Oh God,” Phoenix moaned, tears falling from her eyes. Charlotte couldn't think of a time she'd ever seen the Archers leader cry. “He's in there,” she said, speaking to no one in specific. “He's in there.”

  She continued to repeat those words over and over, her legs buckling. She sat on the floor, her distraught face watching the exit.

  Pete crouched down in front of Phoenix, his expression more scared than she ever seen before. Not even in that moment when he'd walked in to find her beaten and chained in a damp cell, wearing only her undergarments, because of her disgusting father and his men.

  “Phoenix,” he said, gripping her arms to force her to focus on him. “Are you sure he's in there?”

  She nodded, her bottom lip trembling. “He had gone down the tunnel only moments before it caved in. All I saw was the dust. I didn't k-know,” she said, shaking her head vigorously. “I didn't know what had happened. He's still there.” Her hands gripped the front of his shirt in turn now. “We have to go back in, Pete. We have to find him.”

  “No one is going anywhere until we make sure no other tunnels are rigged,” Bastian said, coming to stand beside them.

  “What the hell happened?” Tyler asked him.

  Bastian shook his head, his jaw firm with anger. “I have no idea. But I will find out.”

  “How many tunnels have collapsed?” Charlotte asked.

  “As far as I know, most of the west end. Where all our ammo was being stored.” His mouth pressed into a grim line.

  “Who would do this?” Vi asked.

  “I don't know, but they’d better hope I don't find out,” he said darkly.

  Pete stood. Charlotte could see his nervous energy practically vibrating through his body. “We need to go in,” he stated.

  “McKay, I know how you're feeling, but you know we can't until we know for sure there are no other bombs in there,” Tyler said slowly, trying to calm him.

  Charlotte stepped toward him, her heart twisting when he looked at her with eyes pleading for her to understand. “You can't just leave me out here,” she said, hoping her and the baby would be enough.

  “It's my brother, babe,” he said, voice choking. “What if it was Bridgette?”

  She would do anything for her sister. How could she fault him for the same? Nodding slowly, she saw his whole frame relax an inch, knowing she wouldn't hold this against him.

  “I'm going too then,” Tyler said. “I can move faster than any of you. We'll cover more ground that way.”

  Charlotte saw Missy swallow and knew exactly how she felt right then.

  “Where's Bridgette and Roman?” asked Pete.

  “With Sam,” Pixie answered. “They're tending to some people who were injured.”

  He turned to Charlotte. “I want you to go and find them. Stay with Roman. He'll keep you safe while I'm gone.”

  Tears burned her eyes but she blinked them away. How strange that now Pete trusted her life, and the life of their unborn child, with a man who had once been his greatest enemy. Things had changed so much since that day Ludwig told her to infiltrate the rebels. Had it only been a short time ago that she'd stood outside the Bull’s Eye, her nerves shaking, steeling herself to go inside and see the boy with the pale green eyes?

  “I'm going too,” Phoenix said, standing up. The woman looked like a strong wind would knock her down. Her eyes were haunted, her lips pale against her white face. All that sass and confidence Charlotte was used to seeing was completely gone.

  “I think you should stay here,” Missy said, walking slowly to her sister as though she were scared she was about to bolt at any second.

  “No,” she said firmly. “I need to find him.”

  “The less people that go the better,” Pete said. “It's dangerous, Phoenix.”

  “You think I give a fuck? I'm going! He needs me.” The last three words barely made it out, her voice failing her.

  “If it were you,” Charlotte said, looking to Pete, “I'd be saying the same thing.” They shared a look. “Just let her go.”

  He sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. “Fine. Let's move. The rest of you get further away, just in case.”

  Bastian gripped his arm. “Be careful,” he said lowly. “I don't know how unstable the other tunnels are.”

  Pete gave him a quick nod before the three of them walked off. Charlotte watched until she could no longer see them, her hands placed protectively against her stomach.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

  The halls nearer to the entrance were deceptively normal. Everything was intact, and any debris hadn't blown this far. It wasn't until they got closer to the western side that their boots started to crunch over dirt. The closer they got, the more her heart raced in pure, unadulterated fear. The kind of which she'd never experienced in her life.

  Even worse than when Missy had returned after her awful attack. Then she'd been gutted because all she wanted to do was protect her from ever experiencing anything horrible again. Now - now she felt lost. As if a life line had been ripped away from her.

  She got it. She finally understood what he’d meant when he said he wanted nothing bad to happen to her. Knowing Trent could be hurt...or worse...was her worst nightmare coming true. Someone had literally punctured a hole in her chest and was squeezing the life out of her heart.

  How could she have been so blind? Whatever was between them wasn't simply fun. And he had figured that out before her. That was why he kept reacting so badly to her insisting that was all that was between them.

  Why hadn't he just spoken up and said something? Hit her upside the head and say, “wake up!”?

  There had been a special spark there from the beginning, they'd both just been too stubborn to admit it. They'd danced around each other for so long until Tent had finally kissed her. And once that initial contact had been made, all had been lost. She'd b
een too stupid to fully admit it, even to herself.

  How could she live without that now? Why did she have to be so stupid and pick fights with him over nothing? So what if he was possessive and gruff sometimes? That was who he was. Didn't it make her heart beat a bit faster? Those feminine needs inside her burn? Why couldn't she just have admitted it before and given in?

  Now she might have lost it all. The one man who sparked her interest had possibly been ripped from her and she'd just let it happen. She felt crazed as they came to the hall where she'd stood, watching him walk away from her. From them.

  They kept walking, the destruction now clear as they went to turn the same corner Trent had, and were stopped by a wall of earth and broken concrete. It was all destroyed.

  “Fuck,” Pete breathed, grabbing his head.

  “This is not good,” Tyler said, his voice filled with anger. “There's no way to get through.”

  “We have to try,” Phoenix insisted, even as her brain knew he was right.

  “It could take days to get this all out,” Tyler replied.

  A deep groan sounded as though the earth itself moaned in pain. The three of them stilled, listening. Would the walls around them hold?

  “It's not safe in here,” Tyler said. “We should leave.”

  Phoenix looked at Pete who had remained silent, his face showing the battle that warred inside him. A look that was mixed with fear and understanding of just how bleak their situation was, and then determination to retrieve his kin. He didn't want to leave either.

  Another groan vibrated within the walls and ceiling. Pete looked torn, his eyes flying from the piles of earth separating him from Trent, and the empty hall that would lead them to safety - and Charlotte.

  “McKay,” Tyler said, looking at him with knowing eyes. “We need to leave until everything has settled.”

  Phoenix felt the same hesitancy as he did. She'd come this far, she didn't want to just turn away and leave Trent again. Part of her knew though that Tyler was right, getting through the wall of dirt in front of them was going to take days, and more hands than just the three of theirs.

  She saw when he'd finally accepted defeat, his shoulders dropping as his eyes took one last fleeting look at what was once a hall. Her own body tensed in denial, ready to fight to stay and not abandon their rescue mission. Tyler must have read it in her eyes, his own turning to pity as he reached out to grab her arm lightly.

  “Come, lass,” he said. “There's is not much we can do. At least we tried.”

  She shook off his hold, her anger rising. Not at him, but at the hopelessness of the situation. Unfortunately he would have to take the brunt of it. “Tried?” she said, shaking her head as she stepped back from him, inching toward where Trent was lost. “What have we done but walk in here?” Tears burned the back of her throat.

  “Phoenix,” Pete said gently. “I want to help him just as much as you do, but Tyler's right. The ground is still reacting to the aftershocks. We don't know how stable anything is. It's too dangerous to stay, and we need more help to dig through this all.” He gripped both her arms. “I promise we'll come back. I'm not giving up.”

  How could she just walk away - again? Drops of tears slipped over, running down her cheeks silently.

  “Come on,” he urged, forcing her to take a step away. Each one hurt more, but she let him push her, knowing she didn't have the strength to do it herself.

  Tyler led the way as they moved quickly. Another groan reverberated, this one much louder than the others. They all looked back just as parts of the ceiling where they'd stood gave way.

  “Jesus,” Pete whispered.

  “We need to move faster,” Tyler said.

  This time she didn't argue.

  What the –? Trent blinked, trying to clear his vision. The back of his head throbbed, a pounding headache already starting behind his eyes. The table he'd dived under was barely withstanding the weight above it.

  Memory started to come back to him as he tried to move. A sharp pain shot through his shoulder as he tried to sit up. Looking down, he winced at the way his left arm hung at an odd angle, useless. Dislocated.

  Just great. He did a quick check of everything else and figured he was reasonably unhurt. Considering the whole tunnel had exploded around him, he was lucky to even be alive. Only a small section of the room he'd run to when he saw the tunnel in front of him collapsing in had made it through.

  He coughed, his lungs and throat feeling as gritty as the floor beneath his palms. Part of the ceiling had collapsed, only the area around the door still at its original height. Where he hid beneath the table was too low for him to stand up straight.

  This shit was bad. Whoever had rigged the tunnel knew they'd just stored the ammo there, affording them maximum destruction. It was either really smart or really stupid. Depending on whether or not Bastian found out who it was. The man didn't seem like the type who appreciated having his things destroyed.

  Which begged the question, who would do something like this? Trent crawled forward pushing on the dirt that now blocked his way. It was solid, the tunnel completely caved in.

  Fuck, had Phoenix been hurt? How many tunnels had been rigged? His heart faltered at the thought of her being buried beneath dirt. What if she hadn't gotten to safety? What if she is was -

  He couldn't even think the word. He needed to get out, now. It didn't matter that she wanted nothing to do with him anymore, he still couldn't stand the thought of anything happening to her. Determination filled him, his muscles shaking with the need to get through what stood in his way of reaching her.

  The space that reamined clear wasn't large enough for him to be able to move the dirt from the tunnel into it, but if he could clear enough away from the top section and create a smaller tunnel, it was possible he could crawl his way through. That was, if he could make some sort of ceiling above him to hold any further dirt from burying him alive.

  The odds were against him but that wasn't going to stop Trent from trying. If only he could tell how far he'd need to go before reaching a clearing. Not to mention moving with his arm dislocated was going to be a bitch.

  Looking back at the table, he decided it was his best bet at this point. He'd have to break it into thinner pieces and create a makeshift ceiling as he went, using the legs as poles to help shore it up.

  Tearing off his shirt, he quickly ripped it, binding his arm against him so he wouldn't move it more than he needed to. Using another strip, he covered the lower part of his face so he wouldn't inhale anymore dirt and debris.

  Then he set to work. If he was alive, he'd find a way to get to Phoenix. That was all that mattered. And despite the dire circumstances of his current situation, Trend had never felt more alive in his life.

  Hold on, Phoenix, he thought as he started breaking down the table. I'm coming for you.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

  They needed food. Lake had gone through her aunt's pantry only to find she had little to last her if the Upper section remained as it was. With everyone still being held hostage inside the Community Center, there would be no one at the bakery or butcher shop. Her aunt normally went to both every other day for fresh food.

  Already it had been two days, and their supplies were getting low. Not to mention that her aunt's cold didn't seem to be getting any better. Lake needed to head back to the doctor and see if he had anything she could give her.

  “I'm going out,” Lake announced, her eyes taking in her aunt's frail form grimly.

  “Is that a good idea? What if a soldier or a rebel sees you?” she said, looking at her with clouded eyes.

  “We don't have a choice. You need medicine and we need food supplies.”

  “How will you get them?”

  Lake tried to give her a reassuring smile. “Just leave that to me, Auntie.”

  “Stealing is against the bible,” she said. Lake tried to not roll her eyes.

  “Desperate times call for desperate measures,” she pointed out. “I
f it makes you feel any better, I'll leave payment so they get it when they're released.”

  Her aunt considered this. “I suppose that would be alright.”

  “Perfect.” Lake stood. “I won't be long. Stay in bed, and don't answer the door for anyone. I'll have a key and will let myself back in.”

  She gave a weak laugh. “I don't think I'll be going anywhere.”

  Lake pressed her lips together, unhappy at how sick the woman appeared. “I'll try not to be too long.” She dropped a kiss on her head and left.

  Hopefully the streets weren't as patrolled as before, she prayed as she made her way down. If any of the soldiers recognized her she was screwed. She couldn't afford to be away any longer than necessary.

  Stopping at the front door of the building, she pressed her face close to the glass in order to glance down both ends of the street. It was still as eerily empty as before. Both a blessing and disturbing at the same time. Making her way out, she kept close to the building, hoping to God Ludwig hadn't placed men on the rooftops where she wouldn't notice them.

  Her first stop was the corner store. She'd get what she could there before heading to the doctor's apartment, since it was on the way back. The door was, unsurprisingly, locked when she pulled on it. Taking out her tools, she began picking the lock, a talent she'd learned from Sam years ago, and one that had often come in handy. It didn't take long before she heard the deadbolt click over in success.

  “You surprise me.”

  Lake yelped, literally jumping at the sound of a male voice. A male voice that she'd instantly recognized, and had her heart racing. She spun to see Ludwig Tennebris leaning against a light pole in front of the store, watching her with interest.

  “What are you doing here?” she asked, pressing a hand to her chest.

  His eyebrows rose, a small smirk tugging at his lips. Those dark eyes raked over her, making the hairs on her arm stand. His dirty blonde hair was swept back away from his face, accentuating his high cheekbones and angular jaw.