Chapter Twenty

S aint forced his eyes open and stared at the lid that almost touched his nose. Suck it up, he told himself. If he lost his shit, he wouldn’t be able to help Mia.

He just needed to figure a way out of the damn box.

Tilting his head back, he twisted, craning his neck to get a glimpse of the corners that had been nailed shut. The nail on the right side had been driven in crooked and he reached up and grasped the sharp end of it. Unfortunately, he’d royally fucked his fingers up after trying to dig his way out, so it hurt when he applied pressure. Stupid.

Forcing himself to keep a clear head and ignore his throbbing digits, he tried to twist the nail and push it out. After a few grunts, his fingers began bleeding harder. Stuck on his back, he couldn’t get the right angle or a good enough grip. With a curse, he gave up.

For a brief moment, he considered ramming his knee up and trying to break through the lid, but he didn’t have enough room to build any momentum. He’d probably only end up breaking his kneecap. As he debated what to do, gunfire echoed from the hallway.

Fuck. He hoped to Christ Mia was okay. He couldn’t stomach the alternative.

Once again, the panic began to rise, but he had to keep it at bay no matter how much he fucking hated being helpless and locked in that coffin. Striving to remain logical and in control of the situation, he pretended his fear was a bull and he grabbed that fucker by the horns and wrangled it to the goddamn ground.

He was a tough SOB. He’d been through so much, and he’d always endured. Kind of like a cockroach or a weed—he wasn’t that easy to kill. Somehow, he’d push through and survive this, too. Because for the first time in his life, he had something to live for.

Mia.

Falling for his target had never been part of the plan, yet here he was, ready to bend over backward and do anything for the woman who was far too good, too sweet and too lovely to end up with an uncouth, rough brute like him. But, he would treat her like his queen, the most precious thing in his universe, because that’s exactly what she’d become in such an impossibly short time.

The distant pop of a gun reached his ears. Could his team be there? He sure as shit hoped so.

Out of the blue, the ground began to rumble. Everything shook hard, like an earthquake was happening. But Saint knew better. It was an avalanche.

Yeah, he had a pretty good idea Ex Nihilo was in the house. And thank God for that.

Breathe through the fear.

Thoughts of Mia and a future together settled his nerves, helping him to focus. After pulling in a deep, steadying breath, he turned his hand and slammed his palm against the corner of the lid, trying to loosen the nail. Bam! He couldn’t give up, refused to give in when Mia needed him. After half a dozen hits, it seemed like he was making more noise than progress. Suddenly, he heard voices and froze.

Was Carlisle back? Could it be Mia?

Straining to hear, he nearly wept in relief when he recognized Inda’s voice.

“Rip, over here!” she whisper-yelled.

“Bruja!” Saint slammed a fist against the lid. “I’m in here.”

Boots scuffed across the floor and then Inda’s voice was near his head. “Don’t worry, Saint, we’re here. We’ll have you out in a minute.”

A hammer ripped the nails from the wood and Saint shoved the lid off before Ryland finished removing them. He’d never been so happy to see anyone and resisted the urge to plant a kiss on both of them.

Shaking, he started to climb out and Inda grabbed his arm to help steady him. “You okay?” she asked, her gaze zeroing in on the table full of wicked-looking torture devices and the red marks that dotted his chest from the electric jolts he’d received.

He forced a nod. “Yeah, thanks. But, Carlisle has Mia. We need to find them.”

“So, you got a girlfriend now, Saint?” Ryland teased, mouth edging up.

Normally, he’d respond with a cursory ‘fuck you.’ But, he merely grinned like a fool and warmth flooded his once-empty heart. “Yeah, but she doesn’t know it yet.”

Ryland chuckled, handing him a pistol. “Classic.”

It felt damn good to have a weapon in his hand again. He was about to ask where Pharaoh and Demon were when the floor jolted beneath his feet and he heard Mia scream. A loud crash filled the hallway and Saint was on the verge of racing headlong into the chaos when Ryland grabbed his arm, shaking his head.

It took him a moment to realize the voices were approaching, and he knew surprise would work to their advantage. Saint hurriedly re-covered the box then dropped behind the desk. Ryland was plastered to the dark wall like a shadow, completely undetectable, and Inda was crouched behind a chair.

Clutching the pistol tightly, Saint watched Carlisle yank Mia inside the room.

“You want to be with him so badly?” Carlisle snarled, shaking her so hard, Saint saw red. “Then be with him, you lying, cheating, deceitful whore!” With wild eyes, he turned and opened fire at the wooden box Saint had just escaped.

Chadwick Carlisle’s words signed his own death warrant. The bastard was already as good as dead.

The box broke apart as bullets shredded it and Mia screamed, dropping to her knees.

Saint waited for Chadwick to empty the gun then stood up, revealing his position, weapon trained on the man financing The Agency. Steady and focused, he didn’t blink as he growled, “Don’t fucking move.”

“Oh, thank God,” Mia whispered, her frame sagging as she looked from the destroyed box to Saint. Nearby, Rip and Bruja stepped into the dim light, pistols aimed at Chadwick’s head.

“Money ain’t gonna buy your ass out of this, you sack of shit,” Saint hissed. “Mia, come here.”

Chadwick emitted a rage-filled sound, unable to do anything as Mia fled to Saint’s side and he wrapped a protective arm around her. As much as he wanted to immediately lodge a bullet in Carlisle’s brain, he hesitated. One, he didn’t want to kill the man in front of Mia. Even though he wasn’t really her father, she’d believed he was up until just recently. And, two, they might be able to garner important intel from him.

When Ryland pulled a pair of zip ties from his pocket, on the same wavelength, Saint nodded. Taking Carlisle prisoner was the smartest decision. After securing the ties around his wrists, Ryland tapped his comms and reported to Braxton.

Once again, the floor rolled and shifted beneath them.

“We need to go,” Inda stated, motioning for them to move.

“Pharaoh and Demon are heading for the southwest exit. Guards have all been neutralized,” Ryland reported. “Banshee confirmed massive avalanches have made the area unstable.”

“How do we get out of here?” Saint asked. “Is there another exit?”

Carlisle stared at him defiantly.

“I suggest you tell us now before this whole place comes down,” Ryland snapped, shoving him out the door.

“North corridor,” Carlisle finally revealed in a begrudging voice.

“Let’s go.” Ryland shoved the man forward.

Meanwhile, Saint tightened his arm around Mia, looking down at her as they moved forward at a clipped pace. “Are you okay?” he asked.

She nodded bravely and he pressed a kiss to her temple. Dust and dirt covered her pretty blonde hair, but as soon as they were safe, Saint planned to wash the chaos from each golden strand.

Once they reached the north hallway, they abruptly halted. The floor in front of them had split right down the middle and Saint quickly gauged the distance. It was about a three-foot jump to the other side. Definitely doable.

“Everybody ready to jump?” Ryland asked.

“Go ahead,” Saint said.

Ryland easily leaped across the divide, followed by Inda.

“You’re next,” Saint told Carlisle. But the other man paused and looked down into the deep, dark crevice, as though contemplating whether or not to jump inside. “Don’t even think about it.”

But before he could jump, another epic rumble tore through the hallway, nearly knocking Saint off his feet. Without hesitation, he covered Mia, trying to protect her from the rocks that lodged loose from above and began to rain down.

Instead of the ceiling caving in again, the ground opened further, as though an otherworldly force tore the jagged crevice farther apart, widening the fissure. Powerless to stop it or move back in time, Saint felt the ground slide away from beneath his boots.

Then he, Mia and Carlisle fell into the endless black abyss below.

◆◆◆

Mia cried out, losing her grip on Nik as they plummeted into the yawning hole. Somehow, she managed to snag hold of a rocky outcropping and stop her fall. Breathing hard, hanging on for dear life, she glanced down into the innards of the mountain. Jesus. It was a deep, bottomless black pit with no end in sight.

Where was Nik?

She didn’t see him or Chadwick and her heart crashed against her ribs. Had they fallen all the way down? Was the man she loved lying somewhere down there, broken on the rocks. God. They’d never be able to reach him. Never be able to get his body out of there.

Just before a sob could tear from her throat, Nik called her name. A wave of relief moved through her and she tilted her head back, looking up. He was perched on a narrow ledge almost directly above her.

“Mia, hang on, okay?”

“Yeah.”

“We’re okay!” Nik called up to Inda and Ryland.

“Hang tight!” Inda called down. “We’re going to look for some rope!”

“Roger!” Nik responded.

Mia’s heart sped up and she hoped they’d hurry. She didn’t know exactly what was happening, but it seemed like multiple avalanches were triggering collapses all over the place. Time was running out fast and the danger increased every second they spent hanging on to their precarious positions.

“Mia…” It was Chadwick, calling for her, and he sounded like he was in pain.

Unable to stop herself, she looked down and spotted him. She wasn’t sure how she’d missed him before, but she chalked it up to blind terror. Somehow his zip ties had broken and now he was clinging to a perch barely a foot below her.

“Help me,” he pleaded.

Above her, Nik called her name. “Mia, ignore him. Eyes up here. On me.”

She glanced up and tears made Nik blurry. “I think I can reach him,” she said.

“Don’t do it,” Saint gritted out.

Her attention shifted back down below to the man who she’d believed was her father for the past twenty-four years.

“Please, sweetheart. Don’t let me die. I can help you. We can fix things. Still go out and have that dinner together. You might not be my daughter by blood, but you’re the only family I’ve ever known. Don’t let me fall, Mia. Please…”

Emotion closed her throat and words eluded her. She knew better than to believe him now, but that naive little girl still wanted so desperately to trust in him. To gain his approval.

Swallowing past the lump in her throat, she let go of the rock with one hand and began to reach down. He was right when he’d said he could help them. If Nik’s team could interrogate Chadwick, they would get all sorts of answers.

“ Mia ,” Nik ground out, his voice like a steel blade. She froze. “Take. My. Hand.”

She looked up and met his charcoal eyes, flooded with concern. And palpable fear.

“Do not risk it,” Nik told her, mouth set in a flat line. “He isn’t worth it.”

Nik was right. Looking back down, she met Chadwick’s desperate face. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. Then she reached up and Nik’s big, warm hand curved around hers. At the same time, Chadwick launched himself up and grabbed her ankle.

A scream erupted from her mouth as his fingers dug into her skin and his heavy weight tugged her downward.