Whispers in the Dark (KGI #4)(49)

Deep breaths, Shea. Don’t lose it now.

She sucked in another breath and tried to keep her response calm and focused so Nathan wouldn’t know she was about to come apart.

“Yes, I remember it. It should still be accessible, but who knows what’s been done to the house and the panic room? The house has solar panels and the security system is powered that way. My father was determined that something as simple as a power outage would never put us in danger or trap us.”

“If Grace was just there, then at least part of the house is still intact,” Nathan said quietly.

After giving him directions, she closed her eyes and tried to reach out to her sister just like she’d done ever since they’d last lost contact.

Grace. Please answer me. Talk to me. We’re here. Where are you? You have to tell me. We can help you.

The result was the same as it had been over the last several hours. Dead silence.

She bit the inside of her cheek to control the tears because the very last thing Nathan needed was an overwrought, distraught female to contend with.

Nathan touched her cheek. Just a warm, gentle brush, his fingers idly caressing down to the line of her jaw.

“We’ll find her, baby. You wouldn’t talk to her because you wanted to keep her safe. Have you ever considered she’s doing the same thing for you?”

She glanced over and gave him a watery smile. “Probably. It doesn’t mean I’m not pissed at her for refusing to talk to me.”

He shook his head. “You do so much to protect others and then are so vehement that they not do the same for you. Get used to it. Your days of sacrificing everything are over.”

She jerked her gaze back to the road. “There, just ahead. Take the turnoff to the right, away from the coastline.”

They pulled onto a narrow dirt road that quickly tapered to what looked like an old ATV trail.

“Pull up so we aren’t seen. We’ll have to walk the rest of the way.”

Nathan maneuvered off the trail but then turned the jeep around and backed farther into the woods so they’d have a fast exit if they needed it.

He turned off the engine but put his hand over Shea’s leg when she would have opened her door.

“Not so fast. We need to be clear on a few things first.”

He shoved a clip into a Glock and handed it to Shea. Then he reached into the back for another handgun and an assault rifle. He rummaged in his bag for a moment and then produced several extra clips for the guns. He handed two to Shea and she shoved them into her pocket.

Then he turned to face her. “This is going to be a quick in and out. We go in, see what there is to see and then we’re getting out. Stay behind me at all times unless I tell you differently. If I tell you to shoot, start shooting. If I tell you to run, you get your ass out no matter what I’m doing. Understand?”

She nodded, swallowing back her nervousness.

“If for any reason we get separated, you get back to the jeep and haul ass.”

He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and handed it to her.

“My brothers’ numbers are in there. Labeled Sam, Garrett, Donovan and Joe. You’ll be able to reach at least one of them. If things go bad, do not wait around for me. You run and you keep running and you call my brothers and tell them what’s gone down.”

“I got it.”

Nathan nodded and then opened his door. “Okay, let’s do this.”

CHAPTER 21

SHEA led Nathan through the trees and into a particularly dense section of vegetation. She kicked aside a piece of camouflage netting to reveal the cap that sealed the tunnel entrance. Nathan handed her his rifle before squatting down to pry open the lid. He stared into the darkness for a moment before returning his gaze to Shea.

“I’m going first and then I’ll call up for you.”

He hopped over the side, his feet finding the rungs of the ladder and then he rapidly descended, his head disappearing from view.

A moment later he called softly up to her and she lowered his rifle. She tucked the pistol into her waistband and then went down into the tunnel after him.

When she reached the bottom rung, he wrapped his hands around her waist and lowered her to the concrete floor.

“Stay close,” he murmured.

The pathway was illuminated by dim running lights on the left and right. The air was stale and musty as if the tunnel hadn’t been used for some time. Her gaze was riveted to Nathan’s back and her foot collided with an object on the floor, pitching her forward.

She bumped into his back and he came up short, reaching a hand back to steady her.

“You okay?”

She frowned and looked down at the offending object to see it was a small, leather-bound book. She squatted to pick it up and leaned it toward the light.

Her pulse ratcheted up when she opened it to the first page. It was her mother’s handwriting. The shock of seeing the familiar script wrenched her heart. She rapidly flipped through the other pages and realized it was her mother’s journal. Shea hadn’t known she’d kept one.

Nathan bent down to look over her shoulder. “What is it?”

“My mother’s journal,” Shea replied. “I’m unsure of how it got here. I didn’t even know she kept one.”

How had it gotten here? Unease prickled up Shea’s spine. It seemed likely now that this was the way Grace had come just recently. Had she dropped it? Had she been pursued and caught? Had she left it for Shea to find?