“This is called being prepared.” I keep my voice just as quiet.
A finger jabs into my side. “Who’s the brat now?”
I should be focused. And I am. But I’m also smiling. And that’s weird.
CHAPTER 84
Cassie
The trees are thick enough that they block out a lot of the afternoon sun, but ahead of us, brightness signals that we’re almost through.
The trail we were on ended a few yards back, so I carefully follow Hans’s steps through the underbrush to the edge of the tree line.
Hans lets go of my fingers and holds his hand palm down, lowering it a few inches toward the ground.
I have no idea what the fuck that’s supposed to mean, but I stop walking.
He stands completely still for several long seconds, listening or waiting for something. And I take the time to look around.
Before us, in an overgrown yard, is a dilapidated gazebo.
At one point, it was probably a great place to hang out. Sitting on the benches that line the circular interior, sipping coffee while raindrops bounce off the shingled roof. Or having sex with your hot neighbor in the privacy of the backyard.
I push away the urge to reach out and grab Hans’s perfect butt, and look around at the rest of the property.
It looks like the lawn hasn’t been mown all summer, and the paint is peeling off the back of the house.
I narrow my eyes. Why does the color of the house look so familiar?
Hans startles me by crouching down and rushing out of the woods and across the few yards to the gazebo.
I expect him to go around it, maybe hide behind the railing, but he steps into it. And… lifts a panel in the center of the floor.
What the hell?
Staying low, Hans looks over his shoulder and gestures for me to come forward.
Following his lead, I try to make myself small as I cross to him.
“You first.”
At his command, I look down at the black hole in the center of the gazebo floor.
“Um…” I whisper my hesitation.
Hans pulls a flashlight out of his pocket and aims it down, revealing metal rungs.
Oh, well, so long as I don’t have to just jump in.
Forty percent of me rebels at the idea of climbing down into some dark pit behind a random abandoned house. But the other sixty percent of me is soaking up the rush of adrenaline.
Abandoned house.
My eyes dart back to the house, and my mouth pops open.
That’s why I recognized the color. This is the abandoned house at the end of our cul-de-sac.
“Butterfly.”
Right. The pit.
“Okay, okay.”
It’s awkward to get my feet lined up, but once the soles of my tennis shoes connect with the rungs, I lower myself into the ground.
CHAPTER 85
Hans
I follow Cassandra into the tunnel and drag the lid back over the entrance while still aiming the flashlight down.
The air is damp and cool, but I walk this path once a week, checking for signs of disturbance and making sure the exit stays clear, so I know there are no critters living in here.
The tunnel structure was built offsite in custom-designed sections, and then when the city received a surprise grant to upgrade the sewer system, and all the roads were torn up, there was a three-day period when some extra heavy machinery showed up.
That machinery tore up a path between the back of my house and the abandoned house. Something about a bad septic tank. And because I’m a good neighbor, I made sure new sod was laid the moment they finished filling the dirt back in.
My neighbors got upgraded utilities, and I got a new exit strategy. A win-win for everyone.
The tunnel isn’t wide enough for two people to fit side by side, so I hand Cassandra my flashlight and move ahead of her.
The glow she points at my feet is more than I need to make it through the couple of curves. I’ve taken this path with light, no light, holding my breath… But I’ve never taken this path with someone.
We stay silent as we go, but when my steps slow, Cassandra leans around my side and shines the flashlight forward.
“The other door.” She’s still whispering, but I can hear the understanding in her tone.
When I left her in the safe room last night, I know she went through the closets because she put on my sweatshirt and stole a pack of Skittles. I assumed she must have also opened the final closet door, revealing the back entrance to the safe room. Which is where we are now.
Same as the other door, this one has a palm reader mounted to the wall beside it. I place my hand against the surface, and we listen while the locks disengage.
There’s no such lock on the entrance at the gazebo. But I do have a way to flood the tunnel with a substance that will render anyone inside unconscious. So there’s that.