Chapter 18

Langley didn't ask any questions—she ran. Ryder had told her to stay quiet, but she'd had to ask what he'd seen.

She heard footsteps coming down the stairway behind her and adrenaline went into hyperdrive. They weren't trying to be quiet, but what was the point? She and Ryder were sitting ducks if they didn't reach the secret passage in time. This tunnel was long and smooth with no crevices or hiding places to conceal them. Once they passed the split for the pool house, the tunnel was completely straight. Shooting them would be like target practice.

Her heart raced as if she'd sprinted a mile. She started to look over her shoulder to see how close the men were, but Ryder tugged her hand, moving her along. When would the mercenaries turn on the lights? The darkness was their only concealment and it was meager. A flick of the switch...

They reached the apex of the fork where the tunnel split into two branches. Instead of heading straight, Ryder took a sharp right, leading them down the passage to the pool house.

Langley opened her mouth to ask why they weren't heading back to the escape tunnels, but shut it again without speaking. Not only wasn't it a good time to ask questions, but she knew why. There was no way for them to outrun the mercenaries and they'd never make it to the secret passages in time. The tunnel they were in now didn't provide any more concealment, but it was better than being caught in the main corridor.

At least the pool house offered a chance of hiding. It included a gym with a complete set of equipment which would help shield them, and better yet, there were two additional exits.

She gave up worrying about where they were headed—she'd trust Ryder—and focused on running. Her feet and legs hurt, and she was aware of every step. Adrenaline couldn't block the pain but she firmed her jaw. She wouldn't slow them down no matter what it took.

Grimacing, Langley thought she heard the footfalls gaining on them and her heart lunged from her chest to her throat before dropping back to where it belonged. She ignored her pain and ran faster. It wasn't her imagination, not when Ryder had picked up his pace as well, pulling her along with him.

They reached the staircase up to the pool house. By the time they arrived at the top, Langley's legs shook and she panted as if she didn't run regularly.

The door was closed, costing them precious seconds as Ryder pushed it open.

In the darkness, the pool area appeared eerie, the lights glowing under the water the only illumination. The tables, chairs, and chaise lounges presented obstacles, forcing them to cut left and right. It put more burden on the muscles of her legs and she had to swallow her gasps of pain.

"Here!" The shout sounded loud in the quiet of the pool house, and she fought off a wave of dizziness as adrenaline and fear exploded inside her.

Ryder swung her in front of him, putting himself between her and the guys chasing them. Shielding her with his body. She swallowed a sob. He wasn't wearing his tactical gear, he didn't even have the backpack any longer. There was only a leather jacket that wouldn't protect him from anything .

Langley tensed, expecting a shot to ring out, but the men didn't fire their weapons.

She headed for the gym. The back exit was somewhere in that vicinity, although she couldn't remember where, not exactly.

They had to get out of here before reinforcements arrived. It wasn't a matter of if they brought in more men, it was when . Her breathing sounded loud and she tried to slow her respiration, not wanting to give away their location.

At the last instant, she spotted the sunken hot tub and swerved to avoid it. Her muscles screamed in protest at the abrupt motion and Langley struggled not to cry.

Where was the door to the fitness center?

She had to find it. Ryder had already put himself between her and the bad guys—she didn't want him to have to fight it out, the two of the trapped in the open because she couldn't find the damn door.

There!

Langley fumbled with the handle, nerves making her clumsy. For an instant, she feared it was locked, then it turned beneath her hand. She pulled with her full strength, but the door fought her. Then it released with a suddenness that knocked her off balance. Ryder caught her, an arm going around her waist to keep her on her feet .

At least the pool area had been faintly illuminated, but the darkness in the gym was absolute. She didn't see the elliptical quickly enough and banged into it. This time she couldn't stop a gasp—the hard, sudden impact gave her no chance to fight it off.

Sound carried in the building.

A man's voice drifted from the pool area to the fitness center. "We found them. Pool house." A pause. "Do we still need to take her alive?" Another pause. "Yeah, fuck. Got it."

Alive? Why did that sound worse than being killed immediately? Instinctively, she glanced at Ryder, but it was too dark to see his face clearly.

If the mercenaries didn't catch her, it wouldn't matter what their plans were for her. They needed to escape and she needed to focus on what was important—they'd called in reinforcements. In minutes, they'd have more than two men to worry about.

She had to remember where the exit was.

The stair stepping machine loomed large, and she hoped its shadow would hide them for a few seconds. Long enough for her memory to return. The door outside had to be somewhere in the back. Langley headed that direction, Ryder right behind her.

He was trusting her to get them out of here. She couldn't let him down .

Her eyes had become accustomed to the dim lighting and she spotted something ahead and toward the right that looked promising. Before she could lead them that direction, Ryder took her hand and tugged her down behind the shoulder press machine. To her left, she saw two men enter from the pool area, the brighter room behind them making their silhouettes obvious.

Afraid to so much as blink, Langley looked at Ryder. His face gave her no hint as to his thoughts, but he kept his gun trained on the men as they entered the gym.

Her breathing seemed impossibly loud and her blood was pounding through her veins. Langley worked on controlling her emotions. She was an ambassador's daughter. She'd kept her self-command in many challenging situations. Nothing this dangerous, but damn it, she could do it.

Think now, feel later.

Indistinct murmuring reached her ears. Langley held her breath and strained to hear what was being said. This time, she couldn't make out the words.

Ryder never took his eyes from the men.

Some of her tension eased as the mercenaries turned the opposite direction. It would only buy them a few moments, but maybe it would be enough to get—

The control panel for the gym's lights were over there. Did they know that? Were they headed that direction to light up the place? Langley lightly touched Ryder on the shoulder and pointed to the ceiling. He looked confused and she pantomimed pulling a cord and used her fingers to indicate rays of light. She saw realization dawn.

Pointing off behind them, she tried to indicate there was an exit. She wasn't sure he understood her message completely, but while the mercenaries were out of view, Ryder gestured for her to stay low and go that way.

Ignoring the pain in her thighs, calves, and feet, Langley ran in her crouched position to what she thought was a hallway.

There was a brief hum, and then the lights came on. They were dim at first, the kind of bulbs that needed to warm up before they were at full strength. It wouldn't take long. Were the mercenaries heading this direction?

The lights helped in one way. She saw clearly now that it was a corridor ahead. They made it there without being spotted, but the bulbs were shining brightly now.

There were five doors and she had no idea if any of them led outside or not. She searched her memory, trying to come up with where they went, but damn, she'd been seven years old the last time she'd been here.

Something flashed in her brain .

Locker rooms—one for men, one for women—and a bathroom. That left two doors, but she'd never used the rear exit. To reach the cabin, she'd always gone out the front.

Ryder inclined his head, signaling her to move. He remained between her and the gym, continuing to use his body to protect her. She had to pick a door and she wasn't sure she'd get a second chance to get it right.

She heard a new voice speak, then another. The reinforcements had arrived. Her eyes went wide and her attempt at calm went down in flames. Time to make her best guess.

Lunging down the hallway, she opted for door number four.

It was dark and she froze. They weren't outside. Ryder nudged her deeper into the room, closing the door behind them. Now it was pitch and she whispered, "Phone?"

He turned the flashlight on, holding it up and moving it in a semi-circle. There were shelves, buckets, and a couple of barrels containing who knew what. It was storage. She'd led them into a room with pool supplies.

Her breath rasped as fear morphed into terror. Before she could clutch at Ryder, the flashlight picked up another door at the back of the room and settled there. That had to be the door out of here. Had to be. She inclined her head toward the exit before she ran to it. There was a barrel full of pool lane dividers blocking the way and she grabbed hold of it, rolling it to the side.

After handing her the phone, Ryder pulled one of the metal shelving units in front of the door to the gym, the screech loud enough to drown out a rock concert, and then rolled a couple of barrels in front of that. He was looking around, perhaps searching for something else to use as a barricade, but Langley had goose bumps on her arms. They couldn't stay any longer, she knew it.

"Ryder," she whispered fiercely, "let's get out of here."

Using his shoulder, he nudged her behind him and took a moment to check out the door. Langley almost bounced with impatience, with her body's need to run, but she battled back the urge to push past him.

When he decided the coast was clear, he slipped the deadbolt and eased the door open a crack. Sunlight blinded her after the darkness of the storage room. Ryder waited a moment and then pulled it open farther. Taking her hand again, he stepped outside.

They were on the side of the building, with nothing except manicured lawn in front of them. Nowhere to hide if they needed it. They were completely exposed. Completely .

Her fingers tightened around Ryder's. This was scarier than the building, than the tunnel.

He jerked his head to the left, indicating they should head for the rear of the pool house. She nodded. They'd nearly reached the corner when a man wearing tactical gear swung around from the back side, weapon up and aimed directly at them. Langley couldn't prevent her gasp.

It was Finn Rowland.