“I haven’t,” she says honestly. “I wouldn’t.”
“I know. I was just trying to lighten the mood,” I reply.
“Can we get back to the situation at hand,” Leo says. “Time is of the essence.”
“Yes, it is,” I interject. “And we’re going too.”
“Hen, be rational,” Rhys argues.
“I am,” I say, holding up my hand to stop his objections. “Dahlia is right, we’re sitting ducks here and I won’t have it. Maeve has a key, Rhys, and she has the whole time. It doesn’t do us any good to stay here and you know it, so, we can either go with you, or we’ll search on our own. You choose.”
“So, it’ll be through coercion that you’ll get your way, then?” he asks angrily.
And while I want to shrink away from his anger and the consequences that may come with it, I know that I’m right. I have to stand my ground. “In this, yes,” I answer firmly.
He watches me for a moment, the muscle in his jaw clenching as he weighs his options. The look on Leo’s face is murderous. Probably not a word I should be throwing around lightly right now either…
“Fine.” His tone is one that I know means trouble for me later, but I’ll worry about that after I survive this next threat.
“You canno’ be serious,” Leo thunders. Not only am I his asset to protect, but with me is a woman he cares for and I’m guessing shares real feelings with. I’d be mad, too, if I were him, but I have to stand strong here.
“Yes,” Rhys says decidedly. “You and I will searchwith these two and the rest will follow other leads.”
“Aye,” he says thunderously. “I’ll notify the team.”
We wait in silence while Leo calls someone on his team to relay the plans and I do everything in my power not to make eye contact with my husband. I know he’s frustrated, but so am I.
I can’t keep my promise to fully embrace this life if I’m dead.
“All right, let’s begin,” Leo says. “We’re going to take Albert Hall.”
“Why that wing?” Dahlia asks. “No one’s stayed there in years.”
“Aye,” Rhys agrees. “It’s been closed for renovations since before Father died.”
“Sounds like a great place to hide someone who’s supposed to be dead,” I reply.
Rhys takes my hand in his.
I try to slip away because I don’t like to feel his anger and would much rather face one emergency at a time. Then again, in this life, I almost never get what I want so I shouldn’t be surprised when he squeezes my hand in warning.
We all stay quiet as Leo leads us through another secret passageway. Literally through a painting at the end of the hall of some great lady from long ago. He grabbed the edge of the gilt frame and felt along for the latch while I stood there with my mouth hanging open because everyone else around me knew that this door was here.
Guess I’m alone in my surprise.
We step through the doorway the panting revealed and then pull it closed behind us. On the backside is another painting of a fancy lady in a garden. I wonder if one day my portrait will be a secret door somewhere. Wild.
The steps down are old, slanted stone and the lighting is like something you’d see in a coal mine, dim and dark. I’m glad we changed into comfy clothes and sneakers or else I’d be worried I might fall and break my neck or something. We have to travel single file because stairs are so narrow, like something out of anIndiana Jonesmovie. Leo leads the pack with Rhys in the back like it’s their sworn job to protect Dahlia and me. Honestly, I’m the least important person in this party.
Once we get to the bottom, the passageway opens up a bit before we approach another stairwell, this one going up. We’re clearly underground and I don’t think I like it. The air is musty and stale. We follow Leo up the next set of stairs and I decide I never want to come back here for any reason.
“What is this place?” I ask quietly.
“Secret passage.” Rhys mutters the obvious answer from behind me.
“It was a bomb shelter during the war,” Dahlia says over her shoulder. “Don’t you just love it?”
“Uh… no,” I answer as sweat dots my upper lip and my hairline.