Echoes at Dawn (KGI #5)(21)

Her heart thudded and adrenaline surged through her veins when she saw a burst of light to her right. She whipped around to see a flaming torch make two circles in the dark before quickly being extinguished. Rio uttered what sounded like an animal call, though she sure as hell didn’t know what kind of animal made such a sound and she wasn’t in any hurry to find out.

There was an answering call from the shore and then the sound faded as they continued on their way.

“What was that?” she whispered.

“Shhh,” Rio said. “Not now. Remain quiet.”

Chastened, she hunkered down and stared straight ahead. This whole scene was something straight out of a horror movie or some terrible remake of Anaconda or something. She half expected something to explode out of the water and rip their boat to shreds then swallow them all whole.

She hated the dark. Hated being scared shitless and hated the thought of what was in the water below them.

She only hoped that wherever the hell they were going, they’d get there soon.

Moments later, her prayers were answered when the boat turned and glided into a dark inlet off the main stretch of the river. Alton beached the boat, and Diego and Terrence quickly hopped out to pull it farther onto the shore.

“Let’s go,” Rio said shortly.

He urged her forward and Diego was waiting to lift her out of the front. Rio came next, followed by Alton and Browning.

She paused a moment to gather her bearings and stop the endless shaking of her knees and legs. Rio bumped into her then put his hand on her shoulder to steady her.

“It’s not far,” he said quietly. “Just a hike through the jungle about a quarter mile. I didn’t want to hit the inlet closest to the house. We’ll circle around back and go in through one of the escape routes.”

She arched an eyebrow. “Sounds like you’ve got a place like my parents did.”

“You could say that. I don’t much believe in paranoia. In my line of work, expecting the worst saves your ass.”

She couldn’t argue with that.

He urged her forward once more, but he kept his hand at her elbow, while Terrence and Diego led the way. Every once in a while they’d stop and hold back a tangle of vines and branches so Grace could pass and then they resumed their journey through the dark. It was so dark, she could barely make out Terrence’s hulking figure in front of her.

A few minutes later, they stopped and Terrence and Diego bent, pulled aside what appeared to be camouflage netting and then pulled open a wooden door from the ground. It reminded Grace of a storm cellar, only this was flush to the ground and not readily visible.

Diego dropped down and Terrence stood guard at the entrance, motioning for the others to precede him. Rio held on to Grace’s hand until she found her footing and Diego was waiting, his hands around her legs as she descended.

The smell of dirt and mud was heavy. The ceiling was low and she had to duck, even at her height, so she didn’t bump her head. This was no high-tech escape tunnel like her father had constructed. It was a tunnel carved into the earth, with no lighting, no support.

She ran her hand along the side of the tunnel and felt snned i dirt and a tangle of roots.

Then Rio flipped on a flashlight, blinding her momentarily. He handed it ahead to Diego, who shined it down the tunnel to light their way. Rio then moved in front of Grace to follow Diego, but he reached back to take her hand.

She found comfort in the gesture as he pulled her along behind him. He held her hand tightly, his fingers laced with hers as they plunged ahead.

They came to a halt a few minutes later and Rio pushed in front of Diego and entered a code into the electronic keypad. The barricade that looked like a solid wall of steel suddenly parted.

Once again, Rio reached back for Grace’s hand and pulled her inside the door. They were in what looked like an ordinary mudroom.

“Shoes off,” Rio said, a slight quirk at the corner of his mouth. “I’m kind of picky about getting my floors dirty.”

She wasn’t entirely certain he was serious until the others started shucking their boots. She toed off her worn sneakers and then he unlocked yet another door.

This time, when they entered, it was into a spacious room that looked precisely like a normal residence. It was a living room, with couches, a coffee table, and a huge fireplace, although she noticed it wasn’t a traditional wood-burning hearth. It looked like a gas log.

There was a multitude of comfortable-looking leather chairs and a huge big-screen TV mounted above the fireplace. It looked like a veritable man cave. The perfect bachelor’

s den.

Rio flipped a series of switches, and more lights came on until Grace was blinking rapidly to adjust.

“Welcome to my home,” he said in a somber tone. He extended his arm with a slight flourish. “Mi casa es su casa.”

CHAPTER 12

SAM Kelly stood on the deck overlooking an expanse of Kentucky Lake, gripping the railing as he leaned forward. He was waiting for Resnick to call him back, and he found he had little patience to play a waiting game.

When it came to his family and the members of his KGI teams, he was fiercely protective. With Rio’s cryptic call, he now knew that both were in danger and they all had to be careful of every step.

Already he’d sent Nathan and Shea away. Shea was still vulnerable and fragile, though she was improving with each day. Sam worried, though, that this would set her progress back. Hers and Nathan’s both.