Page 96 of The Claiming

“That had better be you, Frankie!”

I yell, but it gets me nowhere as I struggle to catch hold of anything I can to slow my captor down.

My back scratches against the stone floor and as I am bumped along through the dark passageway, I struggle so hard, but I’m losing my strength as my injury affects me more than I realized. Then it stops and a blinding light is shone in my face and as I open my mouth to yell, the glint of a syringe catches against the light and I scream into oblivion as it sinks into my arm.

FORTY-NINE

FRANKIE

As the centurions drag their challengers back to the ceremonial chamber, I check on who’s left in the tunnels.

I notice Susan Harper crawl back from the tunnel that leads to freedom and roll my eyes. Of course she chose captivity. My heart rate spikes when Cassie replaces her and crawls into the tunnel, and as I switch to the relevant camera, all I see is her hooded robe as she crawls on all fours toward the end.

What the fuck is she doing?

I head outside and thrust the laptop into Ali’s arms and hiss, “Keep checking the cameras. Cassie’s gone into the tunnel. Something must be up.”

He calls after me as I turn to go, “Jack is near the end of the tunnel that leads to the riverbank. He’s talking to Karen Halton, who appears upset.”

Knowing that Cassie is crawling toward them is reassuring, but anything could happen to her in there and I’m not taking any chances.

As I race back past the cells and into the ceremonial chamber, I ignore the sight of the newest centurions dragging their captives behind them.

I head at speed through the first tunnel and find Siri waiting in the tunnel chamber, watching Susan Harper being cuffed and dragged roughly along the floor, laughing hysterically.

I don’t stop to ask her what the fuck Cassie is doing and crawl into the tunnel at speed.

As I move down the tunnel, my knee drags against something solid and, as my fingers close around it, I detect Cassie’s phone. I tuck it into my pocket and carry on moving, checking as I go for anything else.

I almost fall into the hole that has opened out in front of me, and my heart drops when I realize its implications. I swing my legs into the hole and drop down into the passageway, shining my flashlight around me. I note the dirt has shifted, almost as if something has been dragged along the floor and my heart drops.

He’s got Cassie.

The torchlight picks up a trail of blood and I swear my world stops spinning. I waste no time and run through the passageway and then I hear somebody yell and the sound of a struggle.

As I move at speed in the direction of the noise, I come across three centurions engaged in a struggle. One is lying on the ground out cold and two are fighting hard.

With a roar, I fly at them, getting between them and as a hand reaches inside his robe, I see the gun strapped to his shoulder.

As if in slow motion, a slight movement distracts my attention and I notice a serpent coiled on the wrist of the other centurion and my mind connects the dots as I fall to the ground, covering the body of the injured centurion who is lying on the dusty floor.

A shot rings out, followed by a low groan and as the centurion to my left staggers back, the centurion with the gun tears off his mask and robe.

“Frankie?”

The severe tones of one of my uncle’s guards demand my identity and I say loudly, “Yes. I’m Frankie Majerio.”

More footsteps approach and as I move, I pull Cassie’s lifeless body against me and as I cradle her in my arms, her breathing is erratic, but at least sheisbreathing.

“What the fuck!” I’m angry and yell at my uncle’s guards. “How did he get here without being detected?”

“He must have been waiting here before we arrived.”

The guard shakes his head as one of the others pulls the mask away from the injured centurion’s face as he groans in agony on the floor, his shattered kneecap in pieces around him.

One of the guards binds the flow of blood and another says gruffly, “Orders are to keep him alive. Don Karim wants to interrogate him personally.”

“Wait.” I call out as they make to haul the centurion away. “Who is he?”

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