Static burst from the device, and then a muffled voice said, “Angelo, confirm?”

Another voice said, “Guarding the entrance, sir.”

So he wasn’t alone. I held the gun steady, far enough away that he couldn’t make any sudden moves, but close enough not to miss. “Kick your weapon over,” I said. “No sudden moves, or I will put a bullet in you.”

The guard pulled his weapon from its holster and, holding it with two fingers so I could see he didn’t intend on using it, he set it on the ground and kicked it toward me.

“Do you have a tranquilizer gun?” I said, and he hesitated. “In sixty seconds, you’re going to be unconscious. If you ever want to wake up again, I would recommend giving me everything you have.”

With a frown, he reached inside a pouch and produced a handful of syringes. “This is it.”

“Good,” I said. “Kick them over, turn around, and strip.”

Reluctantly he did so, and slowly he undressed, mindful of his bad arm. I waited impatiently and glanced over my shoulder, sure I would see Benjy at any moment. But he didn’t come back. I couldn’t decide whether to feel relieved or hurt.

No—he was carrying two innocent children, and the other adults had their hands full, too. He was doing exactly what I’d told him to do and staying safe. I wasn’t about to get upset over that.

At last the guard stripped down to his underwear. “Kneel,” I said. “And toss your sling over here, too.”

“But—”

“Do you want a bullet in your brain, or do you want a nice nap?”

He grumbled but gingerly pulled the sling over his head. His arm was bandaged, and some blood seeped through the fabric. I felt a pang of guilt, but I was going to need this more than him.

Once he knelt on the dirt floor facing away from me, he put his good hand on the back of his head, and I finally dared to move. Picking up the nearest syringe, I uncapped it with my teeth and wasted no time crossing the distance between us. The needle was half an inch from his neck when he spoke.

“When I don’t come back, they’ll go looking for me,” he said. “You can’t hide down here forever.”

“Luckily for you, you’ll be asleep.” With that, I shoved the needle into his neck and pressed the plunger. He groaned, but a heartbeat later, he collapsed face-first into the dirt.

I waited several seconds to make sure his chest was rising and falling steadily before I picked up the sling he’d discarded. I tucked my arm safely inside it, along with the syringes he’d dropped. I stuck his other weapon in my pocket, but when I turned to rejoin Benjy and the others, I hesitated.

He was right. Others would come looking for this tunnel when he didn’t come back, and there was already someone guarding the entrance. If two guards had slipped through the Blackcoats’ defenses, there was no telling how many more would join them.

I took a deep breath. Benjy or the Blackcoats. My own chance at survival, or theirs.

Death is inevitable for all of us. The only thing that really matters in the end is how we choose to live.

From the moment I’d handed Scotia those codes, I’d made my decision. Being a coward wasn’t part of it.

I looked once more into the darkness and said a silent goodbye to Benjy. If I made it out of this alive, he was going to kill me.

With that, I picked up the guard’s flashlight and started back toward the entrance to the tunnel. If anyone tried to go after those kids, they were going to have to go through me first.

XVI
EXECUTION

Ten feet from the entrance to the tunnel, I crouched in the darkness and eyed the guard who stood amongst the shattered remnants of the cabinet. He, too, was young, and he kicked a piece of wood, holding his hands above his head in victory when it skittered to the other side of the room.

Before he could lower them, I crawled out of the tunnel and jammed a second needle in his neck. By the time he turned around and saw my face, the tranquilizer was already pumping through his veins.

“You...” His eyes rolled back into his head, and he collapsed.

I closed the door of the tunnel behind me. There was nothing I could do to hide the guard’s unconscious body, not when he had a good eighty pounds on me, but I could conceal the opening of the tunnel. Dragging one of the metal tables over to the corner, I shoved it against the wall and hastily scattered a few tools on the shining surface, doing my best to make it look used. It wasn’t the best hiding job in the world, especially not with the guard lying unconscious right in front of it. But with any luck, if anyone else came down here, it would buy Benjy and the others a few more minutes.

Once everything was done, I looked around the workshop. I had two guns now, along with enough tranquilizers hidden in my sling to take care of anyone stupid enough to get too close. If I stayed at the base of the stairs—

A scream echoed through the house, and I tensed. Hannah.

My feet were moving before I had the chance to think. Adrenaline shot through me, and I scrambled up the steps, making as little noise as possible.

The foyer was empty. Heavy silence settled over me, and seconds ticked by. Maybe I’d imagined it, or maybe it hadn’t been a scream at all. Or maybe Hannah was dead, and—

A muffled sob echoed down the grand staircase. Drawing my gun, I crept up along one side to the second floor, careful not to make a sound.

“Where is she?” Mercer’s voice cracked like a whip in the distance. “This is your last chance.”