Page 108 of Captured Immune

“Shit,” I mutter.

“Should we fake like we aren’t here?” Tao asks.

“No,” Li says. “These guys look like they’ll let themselves in if we don’t first.”

Tao closes the photo album. “Quick! I’ll hide the pictures. You hide the kids.”

It takes me a second to realize thatthe kidsis referring to me and Arella.

Li clutches Arella’s other arm. “Follow me.”

Practically leaping over the many boxes on the floor, Li takes us to the farthest back corner under the stairs. It’s dimmer back here. A bunch of glass jars are stacked on bookshelves. In the corner against the wall stands a freezer chest that Li shoves aside to reveal a dusty floor. She steps onto one of the wood planks, and up pops a square section of the floor. It’s just wide enough for a person to crawl through.

“Get in,” Li says.

Using the questionable wood ladder, Arella climbs down first. I follow shortly after. The second my head clears the flooring, Li shuts the trapdoor and we’re surrounded by black. There isn’t a single crack of light with how sealed it is. The floor rumbles above us as Li returns the freezer chest back to its spot.

“Can you make me immune?” I ask.

Arella grabs my hand. “Done.”

I imagine a tiny flame on the tip of my finger, and it appears. My little fire illuminates the space that’s just tall enough for me to reach up and barely touch the trapdoor. It’s not wide enough for me to lie down though—not that I’d want to. It’s dustier than hell, with cobwebs hanging along all four walls.

I move my little flame to see Arella. Her face is crumpled with concern.

“Don’t worry, baby,” I whisper. “I won’t let anyone hurt you.” She hasn’t given me permission to call her pet names again, but I won’t correct myself this time.

Without warning, she slams her front against mine and circles her arms around my back. Then she buries her face in my chest. I’m so shocked that I can’t move. A heavy weight lifts off my shoulders as her warmth envelops me.

Eventually, I regain my composure and wrap my arm around her too, squeezing her so tight, she exhales a little breath. The relief that eases through me almost makes me tear up. It’s been eating at me that Arella no longer trusted me or felt safe around me. This is proof that she knows I’ll do anything to protect her. If any of those men lay a finger on her, I won’t hesitate to kill ’em.

Things are quiet for a minute before some heavy pairs of footsteps come stomping down the stairs.

“Then you won’t mind if we look around,” a deep voice sneers.

“Excuse me,” Li says sternly, “we are closed.”

“Dat is what I told dem,” Tao says. “Dey not listening.”

“We aren’t here to shop, ma’am. We’re looking for fugitives. Have you seen either of these two?”

“No. I have been in my shop all day since seven this morning. I have seen no one except my husband because everybody else actually reads the sign that says we’re closed. We’re in the middle of remodeling.”

“I can tell,” a second guy scoffs. “It’s a fucking shit show in here.”

The first guy speaks again. “This will only take a minute.”

“You can’t just barge into someone’s business and trample around like you own the place!” Li shouts. “Get out of here before I call the Enforcers.”

“Wearethe Enforcers,” a third voice says.

“Are not.” The confidence in Li’s tone is unmatched.

“Yes, we are. See?”

Li chuckles. “Fake badge. Also, I’m a Detector. The alarm in my head is going off right now. So you have three seconds to get out before I call therealEnforcers.”

A pair of footsteps tramp on the floor above us. I put out my flame as if the man can see it. Blackness engulfs us as Arella curls into me, gripping my shirt. I clench her tighter, just in case the man has the power to reach through the floor and snatch her from me. Zordi powers don’t normally work between surface level and underground, but I’m not taking any chances.

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