Page 67 of Love Me

“She’s sensitive about them.”

“She has hundreds.”

A sigh tumbles from my lips. “You can’t fault us for what we love.”

“I wonder if you said that more for her or for you.”

“You know me so well.”

“Stop being sarcastic. Let’s get to work.”

Smiling and feeling more centered, I change into my black coveralls.

“How is it going with Bailey?”

“Someone should wrap that girl in cotton… she’s exasperating with all that softness. There are fuckers out there who would take advantage of her.”

“Ahh, careful or I might think you’re developing feelings.”

“Shut up, she’s… I just never met someone like her, that’s all.”

“You’re wound up.”

I slip in the earpiece and put on the tech glasses. We check the com and verify that the infrared is working.

I listen to Hunter as he directs me onto the property, staying out of the guards’ sight. He instructs me on my movements—when to move, where to go, and the pace to maintain.

At the end of the property, I push away some leaves and branches and find a metallic door on the ground, hidden in plain sight. I pull at the lock, but it doesn’t give way, so I use a bobby pin to open it.

Turning my flashlight on, the underground tunnel reveals itself. I climb down the steel ladder and land on the cement floor. Dust swirls in the air, and a musty smell lingers heavily around me.

“Do you see this?” Three tunnels. This will take me weeks to cover. “It’s impossible to say which one leads where.”

Something catches my attention from the corner of my eye. I move toward it, removing the tarp, and uncover an ATV.

Sweeping my hand over it, there’s no dust and I don’t see any rust. So, someone used it recently.

“This will take forever,” I mumble.

“Do you have other things to do? Places to be?”

He has a point. “I’ll start with the one on the right.”

Lamps that should light up this place are embedded in the ceiling. After a while of palming the wall, I discover a difference in texture. It’s metallic and has no handle.

“This is a door.”

I scan the frame with my goggles.

My father and Cillian will probably work even harder and longer with this information, sending us on even more missions.

“Can you open it?” Hunter asks.

I touch the surface and find a slit to insert a card.

“It has to be Felix’s key card,” I say.

“How do you know?”

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