Chapter 503
Chapter 503:
Skye nodded, wincing as she adjusted her grip on the small pistol he’d given her. She tucked the drive securely into the hidden pocket of her dress. “The schematics showed a junction ahead. If we can p>
“Wait,” Alistair interrupted, his eyes scanning the cracked ceiling of the tunnel. Dust was already trickling down in steady streams. “The structural integrity down here is compromised. The primary blast might have triggered a chain reaction in the old mining supports. We need to move fast, Skye. This whole sector is unstable p>
BOOM.
A secondary explosion rocked the tunnel ceiling above them, confirming Alistair’s grim prediction. Dust and chunks of concrete rained down, filling the narrow space with choking gray powder. A massive slab of reinforced concrete crashed between them, severing the path with the finality of a guillotine.
“Alistair!” Skye screamed, coughing as she backed away from the falling debris.
“Skye!” His voice was muffled, coming from the other side of the blockage. “I’m blocked! The ceiling collapsed! Go! Get to the extraction point! Service hatch 4B p>
“I’m not leaving you p>
“You can’t clear this!” Alistair roared, the sound of gunfire erupting on his side. “They’re here! Go, Skye! I’ll circle back through the ventilation shafts! Run p>
Skye hesitated, her heart squeezing in her chest. The sound of automatic fire grew louder on his side. He was drawing them away. If she stayed, she would be caught in the crossfire.
“Go!” he ordered, a desperate command.
She turned and sprinted into the darkness of the north tunnel, tears stinging her eyes.
The tunnel was a nightmare. Flickering fluorescent lights buzzed overhead, casting long, dancing shadows that looked like grasping hands. Her heels clicked loudly on the concrete, a rhythm of panic. She stripped them off, running barefoot on the cold, slime-slicked floor.
She reached the industrial gate. It was a heavy iron slab, rusted at the edges. Skye reached behind her neck, her fingers trembling as she extracted the Black Card she had stolen from Manager King hours ago. It was warm against her skin, a heavy matte plastic that promised access to the highest—and lowest—levels of the empire.
She swiped the Black Card.
The light turned green. The gate groaned open.
Skye slipped inside, expecting a service stairwell.
Al free on be.com
She didn’t find stairs. She stepped onto a plush, red carpet.
The transition was jarring. One moment, she was in a damp utility tunnel; the next, she was in a dimly lit corridor with velvet wallpaper and the cloying scent of cheap lavender perfume masking the smell of stale cigarette smoke and fear. This was the sub-basement VIP area—the place where the casino’s darkest transactions occurred.
She took two steps and stopped. The world tilted.
Her vision blurred at the edges. Her knees felt like water. It wasn’t just exhaustion. It was the air. There was a sweetness to it, a chemical tang she recognized too late.
Knockout gas. Or a sedative pumped into the ventilation.
She stumbled, reaching for the wall. A door to her right opened. Skye tried to push herself into the room, hoping for a closet, a place to hide. The doorway was blocked.
“Well, well,” a voice sneered from behind her. “I knew the rat would find the cheese p>
Skye spun around, fighting the black spots dancing in her eyes.
Amy stood there. The pit boss from the casino floor. The woman who hated Skye for existing.
Amy wasn’t alone. Two massive men in tactical gear flanked her—mercenaries, but not Graves’ men. They wore the insignia of a black serpent.
The Moretti family.
“Lucian is looking for me,” Skye managed to say, her tongue feeling thick. “If he finds you selling me to his rivals p>
Amy laughed. It was a sharp, brittle sound. “The Boss is busy dealing with the inferno you and your boyfriend started upstairs. His empire is burning. He won’t notice a missing pet p>