“You think they’re down this way?” Dalton asked.
“No idea,” Ryder said. “But where else could they be?”
“Underground.”
Ryder grimaced. He hoped that wasn’t the case, because finding them then would be difficult, if not damn near impossible, and would require explosives and some heavy-duty tunneling. “Let’s just hope this leads us to them.”
He and Dalton walked side by side, the rest of the hunters close behind. Other than the sounds of their footsteps on the cement floor, Ryder heard nothing. No voices, no movement. With as many demons as Lou had picked up on his image scanner, Ryder had figured there would be movement, some sound.
“There’s light up ahead,” Dalton said, pointing with the barrel of his laser to the end of the tunnel.
“Yeah, and I just saw a shadow to the right of the tunnel exit. Get ready, everyone.”
They crowded together, and when Ryder gave the signal, they rushed the tunnel exit. Ryder pivoted to the right and Dalton to the left, the rest of them following suit, weapons ready to fire.
No one was there.
“They’ve gotta know we’re here,” Trace said.
“They do.” The room was long, with doors along each side. They looked like they might be the kind used for storage. There were chains and locks on each door.
“Okay, let’s start busting open these doors,” Dalton said.
Ryder nodded. “I’ll take the right, you take the left.” He took half the team with him, the others went with Dalton. “Be ready.”
Lasering the locks open was easy. They pulled the chains, and drew open the heavy doors. Once inside, they found nothing but empty rooms. Ryder and his team checked all six of the rooms on their side, and found them empty.
Shit.
Ryder turned to see Dalton busting open the last room on his side of the corridor. He checked it and came out, shaking his head.
Well, sonofabitch. Where were the women? And the black diamond?
And the goddamn demons?
They gathered in the center of the hallway. “Now what?” Rico asked.
“We missed something,” Ryder said, frowning. “They have to be here.”
“Maybe they left when they heard us coming,” Punk said.
“Could be.” Ryder didn’t like this. If they left, did they take Angie with them?
“What about upstairs?” Dalton suggested.
Ryder shrugged. “That’s as good a suggestion as any. I’m out of ideas. Let’s go. I’ll bring up the rear.”
The others began filing up the stairs, but something stopped Ryder.
A noise. Faint, but enough to make him turn and move back to the center of the room again. When the sounds of the other’s footsteps quieted, he crouched down and listened again.
“Ryder, what are you doing?” Dalton commed. He stood at the top of the stairs, looking down.
“I hear something, Dalton. Give me a minute of quiet.”
“Demons?”
“Don’t think so. Just need a sec.”
“You got it. If you have demons down there, yell and we’re back there.”
“Yeah. I’ll let you know.”
As soon as it quieted down again, he took his ear comm out, craned his head from side to side.
He heard it again, looked down at the floor.
Yelling. Someone was yelling. The sound was muffled, but he could definitely hear it.
It definitely wasn’t demon. It was human.
And it was coming from beneath the floor.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Can you hear me? Help me!” Angelique was screaming now, her voice growing hoarse from shouting as loudly as she could.
She’d heard voices above, the tromp of footsteps moving over her head. They walked like humans. She didn’t know how she could tell the difference. Maybe it was the movement. Fast and deliberate.
So she’d started screaming, hoping they could hear her, praying she wouldn’t be left alone in this cold, dark room.
“I’m down here!” She ran over to the wall, pounded on it, hoping someone would be able to hear the banging.
Please, please find me. Don’t leave me here.
But the footsteps moved away and everything went silent.
Oh, no. Please, God, no. She wanted to cry, to sink to the floor and give up.
Angry at herself, she sniffed and threw back her shoulders. Dammit, she wasn’t going to quit. She swallowed, coating her throat, and started pounding and screaming again.
“Help me! Someone please, I’m down here!” She pounded, over and over again until her hands throbbed.
Then, miraculously, someone pounded back. She heard shouting, as if someone had his mouth right to the floor, trying to communicate to her.
Tears filled her eyes, and she laughed. They’d heard her! She beat her fists against the wall in acknowledgment.
The ceiling around her began to chip away, and she recognized the humming of a laser.
It was the hunters. They were using the laser to melt through the floor above her. She huddled in the corner and averted her gaze from the UV light, staying out of the way as tiny pieces of the ceiling began to fall.
“Angelique? Isabelle?”
She tilted her head back and whispered a prayer of thanks. “Ryder! It’s me.” She ran to the small hole in the ceiling.
“Are you alone or is your sister with you?”
“I’m alone. I don’t know where Izzy is.”
“Okay, we’re going to punch a bigger hole so we can pull you up, because we can’t find any other way down there. Get as far back as you can and cover your head and eyes.”
She moved to the opposite corner and shielded her head and face. Pieces of the ceiling came crashing down. When it stopped, she hurried over to the hole, never happier than to see Ryder peering in at her.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.”
“Are you strong enough to hang on to a rope while I pull you up, or do I need to come and get you?”
“I can do it, no problem.” She’d do anything to get out of this prison.
He threw the rope and she wrapped it around her arm and hands, hanging on tight while they drew her up and out. As soon as she was on solid footing again, she threw her arms around Ryder.
“Thank you for hearing me, for finding me.”
He squeezed her tight. “I’m glad I did. You did a good job screaming.”
She laughed and refused to let go, needing to feel human touch. His touch. “Thanks.” When Ryder pulled back and studied her, he frowned, sliding his thumb across her cheek.
She didn’t even realize she was crying.
“Darlin’, are you sure you’re okay?”