6. Zan

Iran a hand through my hair, glancing down the street again. "Where the hell are they?"

Thanks to the necklace, I could easily track her, and I knew she was close. But the scent wasn't as strong as I was expecting. They were either in a room with thick walls or underground.

"I'm sure they're fine," Pax responded, unable to hide his unease. "But we need to get into the tunnel before PARA makes their rounds."

The cover of the tunnel was open a crack, and I lowered my gaze, seeing that Tim was right where we'd left him. He was unconscious, with his hands bound behind him, lying on the floor of the tunnel. We'd found him after Pax and I couldn't finish the other task. Even though our father would be furious, I couldn't bring myself to care when I had no fucking idea where Kali was. They were supposed to be back to the tunnel before us.

"Zan, calm down," Pax said under his breath. "You can't run off searching for them when PARA is everywhere."

"It would take me minutes to get to her?—"

"No," Pax snapped. "We had a plan. And part of that was no splitting up. We can't leave Tim here alone. Viggo is with her. She's fine."

I shifted my stance, biting the inside of my cheek to keep from arguing. He was right. We couldn't afford to mess this up by one of us getting left behind. I swiped my hand over my jaw, my pulse thudding when I spotted her coming out of a building. Viggo was right behind her, and I instinctively took a step forward when I noticed the hoodie she was wearing. Something she hadn't had on earlier.

"Finally," Pax mumbled. "Let's get the hell out of this city."

Viggo suddenly stopped, getting the attention of a woman who was walking past him. I frowned, tilting my head to listen.

"…watch this building for the next hour. If you see fire or smoke, then alert someone so everyone can evacuate." Viggo's eyes stayed locked on the woman's. "You will not remember me. Do you understand?"

"Yes," the woman answered.

Viggo released her and then glanced at Kali. "Happy?"

Kali didn't answer, confusion in her gaze as she stared at him. He shook his head and then strode forward, heading my way. Kali jogged after him, and I bent down to move the cover of the tunnel.

"Where's Jill?" Pax asked once they got closer.

"Dead."

I snapped my head up at Viggo's answer, my eyes searching out Kali. She had her hands stuffed into the hoodie pocket, and when my gaze landed on her face, fury slammed into me. Her cheek was bright red, no doubt from someone hitting her.

"That wasn't me," Viggo drawled. "Some guy was down there with Jill and shot me in the fucking head. I was out for five minutes."

"Is he dead?" I asked, my voice deadly.

Kali met my gaze. "I killed him."

She was trying hard to keep her emotions contained, but the crack in her voice gave her away. Even after everything, she still felt like she was betraying the Clovers. There was the tiniest tug of guilt that I quickly shoved away. I'd taken her from that damn group because if I hadn't, they would have killed her.

She might hate me for what I did, but at least she was alive.

"Come on," Pax urged. "You first, Kali."

Without a word, she jumped down into the tunnel, and Pax went next. After glancing around to make sure no one was around, I followed with Viggo right behind me. Once we were all in the tunnel, Viggo climbed back up the rope to situate the cover while Pax flung Tim over his shoulder.

"The scout should have parked the truck about a mile away," Pax said. "Glad we don't have to carry him all the way back."

Kali was already walking away, her hand grazing the wall in the darkness, her steps confident. Pax went after her while I hung back to wait for Viggo. Once the cover was secure, Viggo let go of the rope, landing next to me.

"If we ever have to use this tunnel again, we need to be careful. That bunker is a mess, and the Clovers will know it wasn't PARA since I covered it up." Viggo sighed as we slowly moved farther into the tunnel. "Kali will be their first guess since she knew about the bunker."

"The next time we come here, it won't be stealthy," I said, making sure to keep my voice low. "They're guarding a building just like Dad thought. 1403. Whatever he wants, I bet that's where it is."

"He wanted to see if we could get inside."

I scoffed. "There was no way. Not with just me and Pax."

Viggo glanced at me from the corner of his eye. "When we do that, leave your girl at home. Because there is no way she'll help us storm into this city when innocents may get hurt. She's all torn up over just those two Clovers in the bunker."

I clenched my jaw. There it was again. The uncomfortable tightness in my chest that refused to go away. Even if Kali wouldn't admit to me how she felt, I could tell when something was bothering her. These human deaths were taking a toll on her. And in return, it was affecting me. Her pain was churning my stomach, making me feel something that I hadn't felt in years. It wasn't the human lives that were plaguing my head, it was knowing that she was hurting.

She would never fucking forgive me if she found out what my family was planning.

"Oh, and fair warning." Viggo's voice pulled me back to the present. "We were in a room full of weapons, and she had ample time to sneak something. Be prepared if she tries to stab you in your sleep."

"Great," I muttered.

When we'd brought her back, I made sure there was nothing in my room that she could use as a weapon against me. The only wooden thing in there was my dresser, and I'd been checking to make sure she hadn't been messing with that.

Viggo nodded toward Pax. "If we can entrance that Clover, it could help a lot. He's a leader."

"I know."

"Jill had a tattoo." His gaze slid to me. "Kali lied to you about that."

I blew out a laugh. "Did you expect anything different?"

"Fuck," Viggo grumbled. "She's going to get you killed."

"We've been surviving since we were kids. There's no shortage of people trying to kill me."

"She's different. You've let her in." He paused. "You've never hesitated to kill anyone who was a threat to you. Her group literally tortured you. Yet here she is. I know you're a stubborn asshole and won't listen to me, but just be fucking careful with her. If Dad finds out about her?—"

"He won't," I interrupted gruffly. "And she won't kill me. I'm not stupid."

He snorted. "When it comes to her, you are." He let out a laugh, purposefully trying to ease the tension before slinging his arm over my shoulder. "But it's okay. That's why you have me and Pax."

My gaze darted to Pax, who was still carrying Tim ahead of us. The Clover we should have just killed, but instead we're risking ourselves to bring back. If we entranced him, he could prove useful. But if our father found out what we'd done, he wouldn't be happy. My heart thudded uneasily. I didn't hide things from Amaros often, but when it came to Kali, it was becoming a habit.

I wasn't doing this for Kali. We needed to scout inside Project Hope before we attacked, and this was the perfect opportunity.

At least that's what I kept telling myself.