Page 36 of Fervent

“What are you—”

The door opened, Cleft’s eyes widened, and Jax pulled the trigger.

No warning.

No hesitation.

The blast ricocheted down the tunnel, through my ears. Voices echoed, but Jax was already yanking Alex to her feet. I shoved him out of the way and tossed her over my shoulder, and we stepped over Cleft’s body and into the office.

“Why the fuck did you do that?” Rafe shouted at Jax. He nudged Cleft’s body out of the way and slammed the door before turning the lock. He set me on my feet then grabbed a chair and wedged it underneath the knob.

I stood frozen in place, arms wrapped around myself. I couldn’t rip my gaze from Cleft. He stared at me with unseeing eyes, his head at an odd angle, as if he’d fallen and broken his neck. Blood pooled from underneath his brown hair, and the edges of my vision started to go red again. The gunshot rang in my ears, a continuousbangthat muffled all sound, even the thump of my heartbeat. I felt it at my throat, my temples, pounding through my chest.

“Alex.” Rafe shook my shoulders, and my attention snapped to him. “That’s it. Look at me.” But his worried gaze swerved toward the back of the room.

I turned and found Jax fingering one of the oversized portraits of his mother. He lowered his arm, glanced at Cleft, and his face went pale.

“He deserved it.” His jaw slackened, as if he couldn’t believe he’d pulled the trigger.

“Jax!” Rafe shouted as footsteps thundered from the tunnel. “Punch in the fucking code!”

Blinking with a jolt, Jax dragged his gaze from Cleft and hurried to the door that stood between us and freedom. His fingers trembled as he entered a string of numbers, but nothing happened. “Fuck!” He rested his head against the door, closed his eyes for a few moments, then tried again.

Someone banged on the door leading to the hall. “What’s going on in there? Cleft?”

Rafe and I exchanged a glance, and his fingers threaded through mine. The doorknob jiggled.

“Hurry,” Rafe told Jax in a loud whisper.

More beeping. More cursing. More footsteps.

“Open up!” That sounded like Brock, and the consequent body-slam that shook the door supported my suspicion. I jumped, and Rafe and I backed toward Jax, who wrenched the heavy door open. We scrambled up the darkened staircase, but Jax stalled at the bottom to close and lock the entrance.

“Can they get through there?” Rafe asked.

“No. Door’s made of steel and no one but me and Cleft knows the code…knew the code.” He slumped toward the bottom step. “I killed him…”

“Get the fuck up,” Rafe said, taking a step downward. “You can have a pity party later.”

Jax’s features hardened in determination, and he began climbing the stairs. He squeezed past us and opened another door. The three of us entered what must be the basement of the house. Decades worth of furniture and art cluttered the space between the slab walls.

Rafe slid the hood off his head and shrugged out of the jacket. “Can you get that fucking thing off her neck now?”

As I pulled the hoodie on, covering my breasts, Jax shuffled through several keys until he found the one he was looking for. I tilted my head back, baring my neck. The lock clicked over and the choker fell free, dropping to the floor where the chain pooled around the collar.

I drew in a deep breath, but it didn’t quite fill my lungs. “Can we get out of here now?” I wouldn’t be satisfied until this place was behind us. I didn’t know if I could handle getting this far just to have Lucas toss us back into that tunnel. I thought about the women still trapped down there and shuddered.

“What about the others?” Rafe asked, as if he’d read my mind.

“We’ll figure it out after we get the fuck outta here.” Jax strode toward another door, and we climbed another flight of stairs. Entering the ground floor of the estate was like stepping into an alternate reality. The decaying brick and stone, the dusty rooms, the darkness—all of it was gone, replaced by open spaces that allowed the sunlight to stream through the windows. My bare feet glided across the smooth hardwood in the dining room.

I’d been here before, sitting at that very table with Lucas as he wined and dined me. A whole world of horrors had existed at my feet, several layers below the earth, while he’d attempted to work beyond my indifference with his charming smile and conversation.

Jax led us through a French door, but the alarm started its countdown. Cursing under his breath, he punched in a code, silencing the beeping with a sigh of relief. Sunlight hit my face, and I nearly gasped at the warmth, the blinding brightness. I lifted my chin toward the sun and closed my eyes for a few seconds. A slight breeze ruffled my hair. It was almost too much, after being confined in darkness for so long. Rafe tugged on my hand, and we padded over the grass, like silk underfoot.

“My van’s parked over there,” Jax said, pointing to a shaded spot between two trees just off the driveway. We changed direction and Rafe came to an abrupt stop, his attention locked on a gas generator standing a few feet from the house.

“Does that thing supply power to the tunnel?”

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