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Hannah descended the narrow staircase, the jagged stones pressing into her already bruised feet. The air grew cooler as they moved deeper, the dim light casting freaky shadows on the damp walls. It smelled damp, like earth and mildew.
Midway down, their path was obstructed by a formidable gate. Thick metal bars stretched from floor to ceiling, secured by a heavy-duty padlock and a chain wound tightly multiple times.
“This gate hasn't been used in years,” he noted, giving the chain a firm tug.
“It doesn’t look like it’s going to open now, either.” She eyed the lock skeptically. “Do you have a key?”
A hint of a smile played on his lips. “Sort of,” he replied, unslinging the semi-automatic rifle from his shoulder. “Stand back.”
Oh, shit.
Was he about to?—?
Tom aimed at the padlock, and Hannah flew backwards, pressing herself against the wall. The deafening crack of gunfire echoed through the enclosed tunnel, and the lock shattered, the chain clattering to the ground in a cascade of metallic links.
“That should do it.” One strong push and he shoved the gate open.
They stepped through into a narrow alleyway. Hannah looked up at the high walls on either side. Arabic graffiti adorned the concrete, and discarded cigarette butts littered the ground.
“Where are we?”
“A back alley behind the embassy.” He gestured for her to walk in front of him. “We need to keep moving. This is a perfect spot for an ambush.”
A distant explosion shook the ground beneath them. They both instinctively ducked. The reverberations sent a chill down Hannah's spine.
“The embassy will be breached soon,” Tom said grimly, pushing her forward. “They'll realize you're not there and start searching the surrounding area. They'll know you had help.”
Her heart sank, but she kept walking. “They won't stop until they find me.”
“I told you, they aren’t going to find you.”
She glanced over at him, fighting the rising panic. “How do you know? Where are we going to go, Tom?”
Tears welled in her eyes, but she swiped angrily at them. She didn’t want to cry in front of him, but she was so damn scared.
He stared fixedly ahead. “I know a place where we can rest up. Keep moving.”
They continued through the alley, emerging into the sunlight on the other side. The street was quiet with hardly anyone around.
Tom led her along the sidewalk, keeping to the shade. “We’re making good time.”
Hannah nodded, grimacing as she trod on a pebble. Her feet were so ruined. She didn’t even want to look at them. Once they got somewhere safe, she’d treat and bandage them. Until then, she’d just pretend like nothing was wrong.
Tom strode along next to her, hardly breaking a sweat. “Do you do this sort of thing often? You know? Rescue hostages, get people out of hostile territories, that kind of thing?”
He hesitated for a beat. “I used to, when I was active.”
“But not anymore?”
He shook his head. “Not these days.”
She caught the flicker of pain in his expression and wondered what had caused it. The long story he wouldn’t talk about. The scar that hadn’t healed.
None of her business, she decided. Although she was curious.
They kept going. At the end of the street, he pulled her behind a palm tree.
“Wait here.”