Page 43 of Wicked Obsession

As they grew closer to the house, the hall narrowed, and he was forced to let go of Langley’s hand. This time he was more worried about what was in front of them than behind them, so he took his phone and led the way. When they reached the hallway that formed a T near where they’d started, Ryder paused. They could continuestraight ahead or take that second spiral stairway he’d spotted earlier.

The wine cellar and the tunnel the mercenaries had used was on the lower level. The escape system had to run underground, too. At least partially.

He opted for the stairs, descending at a slower pace than he normally would have, worried that Langley would try to keep up with him if he didn’t. The lower level was more of the same—dust and spider webs. At first there was only one choice of direction, but that changed quickly.

Ryder struggled to keep himself oriented as the hallways twisted, turned, and intersected with other corridors. Maze was too mild a word. Labyrinth fit better. But the passage changed from wood to stone and that added to his confidence that they were on the right track.

Until they hit a blank wall.

There was nowhere to go, and they’d need to turn around and try another passageway. “Fuck,” he muttered.

“There could be a trigger to open a doorway,” Langley suggested.

“There’s nothing obvious, and it should be, since there’s no reason to hide it on this side.”

“It’s worth looking before we backtrack, isn’t it?”

“Yeah.” Reluctantly, he released Langley andmoved a few steps over to get a better look at the entirety of the stone wall. If there was a release mechanism, the only way to hide it would be with rough, textured rock.

There were several patches that looked promising, but Ryder chose to start with the least obvious choice—a spot about a foot off the ground. It would have to be somewhere everyone could reach it, like it had been in the closet. Crouching, he used his fingers and the phone’s flashlight to examine the stone.

As he searched, Langley moved closer, leaning over him. He could swear he felt the heat of her body and it distracted him momentarily. Taking a deep breath, he refocused his attention on the job at hand.

It was so small, he nearly missed it.

Ryder ran his fingers over it a second time before tripping the mechanism. The doorway that appeared was small, so short he had to duck to walk through it. This hallway was clean and that made him frown. Everything had been filthy up until now. There was also a lighting system lining the walls on either side. It was turned off, but it strummed a warning against his senses. He left the secret door opened a crack, just in case.

If he was correct, turning left would take them back to the house. “Don’t say a word,” he ordered, voice barely a breath of sound. Reclaimingher hand, he headed to his right, moving as stealthily as possible.

After a few moments, they hit a fork in the corridor. He turned right again.

Ryder stopped short when he spotted a staircase complete with railings on either side. This one wasn’t spiral, but a straight, normal set of stairs. He didn’t like this. They couldn’t be back at the house, but this didn’t look like an exit to the woods either.

There was only one thing to do. “Wait here,” he whispered against her hood where it covered her ear.

Freeing his hand, he leaned the pack against the wall next to her and crept up the stairs as silently as possible. He heard voices before he reached the door which was standing ajar. He arrived mid-sentence.

“—office is a waste of time,” an unknown man complained. “It’s a big house—they’re hiding somewhere.”

“Yeah,” unknown man number two agreed, “but Harp’s calling the shots, and he thinks there are more tunnels. He wants schematics.”

“We haven’t found jack shit.”

“Then we finish the job and tell him there’s nothing here.”

Office. Fuck. They were in the tunnel that connected the mansion to two outbuildings—theoffice and the pool house. That meant they’d left the secret passage and wound up in the passageway the mercenaries had used to gain access to the house.

Not wanting to tip them off, Ryder slowly, carefully backed away from the door and went back down the stairs. Langley straightened from the wall she leaned against. “Wha—”

He moved quickly then, putting his hand over her mouth, stopping the word short. It was too late, though, he knew it. Her voice had carried upstairs.

Grabbing her hand, he started to run.

Chapter 18

Langley didn’t ask any questions—she ran. Ryder had told her to stay quiet, but she’d had to ask what he’d seen.

She heard footsteps coming down the stairway behind her and adrenaline went into hyperdrive. They weren't trying to be quiet, but what was the point? She and Ryder were sitting ducks if they didn't reach the secret passage in time. This tunnel was long and smooth with no crevices or hiding places to conceal them. Once they passed the split for the pool house, the tunnel was completely straight. Shooting them would be like target practice.

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