Castor is growing desperate. He thinks I don’t know but I do. I’ve lived with him long enough to know when he’s on the brink of a panic attack, and the mine really did him in. If he wasn’t panicked about being underground to begin with, he definitely is now. He’s controlled, but he’s still human, and even if he hates when I pick up on the way his hand clenches and unclenches or the way his shoulders are tensed up to his ears, I know damn well that he’s one smart-mouthed comment away from snapping.

Helena has, thankfully, learned how to shut up. It was my initial goal to fuck her hard enough that she couldn’t speak and maybe give the both of us some peace and quiet, but Castor managed fine on his own to shut her up.

I’m keeping her close by still, making my own leash of keeping my hand wrapped around her throat while we walk. She should be on her knees, thanking me for that alone. God help either of us if Castor loses his temper again. If she thought his anger was bad enough during her interrogation, she has no idea what she’s in for if Castor blacks out. Hell, the whole mine might come down on all three of us.

Helena flinches when Castor steps over a small hill of rubble, making it shift. It’s almost cute, seeing her so scared. Luckily for her, it’ll take me more than a few minutes to get hard again, or else I’ll take her ass myself this time.

She moves over the rubble, letting out a frustrated huff when my grip tightens around her neck. “Don’t you two have a map?”

I shift, my eyes snapping immediately to Castor.

Shut up.

“No,” Castor answers curtly.

“Why not? Can’t read one?”

My hand tightens around her neck the instant that I see Castor’s hand twitch.

Shut up, shut up, shut the fuck up.

She laughs, seeming to notice Castor’s subtle movements.

“I guess not. Do we need to stop so you can sniff the trail like a dog before you can find a way out?”

I move before Castor does and I push her up against the wall, my knife against her throat before either of them can move.

“I don’t think you heard me clearly before, bitch, so let me spell it out for you. If you don’t shut the fuck up, I’m going to make that gun in your ass look like foreplay. Your tongue has been a privilege for you to keep. I can fuck you just as well without it.” I flick my knife along her lip, nicking her just enough to get my point across. Her face is a snarl, but there’s a flicker of fear in her eyes that knows I’m not bluffing. I am, this time, but she doesn’t need to know that. She should be grateful of all the times I’ve saved her ass, but do I get any fucking thanks for that?

She should be on her knees worshiping me for everything I’ve done for her. She’s alive because we want her to be. I kept her fucking fed, I saved her from the morons she calls friends and I allowed her to touch me. I saved her from having her throat ripped out by my best friend.

She should treat me like a fucking god for everything I’ve done for her.

“So, what are we going to do? Wonder blind through an unfinished cave system?” Her voice is shaky, and I smirk.

“Scared, doll?”

The fear is gone, replaced by a scowl.

“Well, it’s not on my bucket list.”

“I’ll have to remember that.” I drag my knife away from her face, letting it graze across her throat, only leaning down to speak when I feel Castor’s eyes leave us both and his footsteps recede further down the hall. “Do us all a favor and shut up, or I’ll give a real reason to scream.”

Castor’s shout makes both of us jump.

“I’ve got something!”

We both quickly move around the bend and when we come up on a similar wall of rock, I almost think Castor’s hallucinating like a starving man stuck in the desert.

But then I see it—-right at Castor’s eye level is a small hole, similar to the one Helena crawled through earlier. It’s not enough for me to crawl through first, and certainly won’t fit Castor’s bulk, but the light peeking through on the other side is enough to give Castor blind hope.

I’m not sure if I should tell him that light doesn’t necessarily equate a way out, but I don’t get a chance to speak before he’s climbing on the rocks, gripping the larger boulders tightly as the weak shelf shifts under his weight.

“It’s clear,” he calls out to us both. He jumps down and zeroes in on Helena. “Your turn.”

Her brows lift.

“What?”

“This should take us back through the south tunnel to the exiting system. Go to the other side and move the rocks while we pull them out from here.” He pushes her towards the wall of rocks, and she hesitates, glancing back at the both of us with a feigned irritation.

“Why can’t you?”

Oh my god. She really does have a death wish.

He takes a step towards her and his hands curl into fists.

“You were very eager to run a few minutes ago,” he says through gritted teeth. “Feel free.”

I step between the both of them before Helena has a chance to piss him off more. “If you’re scared, doll, I’d be more than happy to hold your hand.” I flash her a mocking smile, and her face curls in anger, brandishing a cute shade of red.

“Hardly,” she hisses. “I’m just admiring the audacity. After all the shit you put me through, you need my help.”

My eyes narrow, making a show of raking her over with my eyes. Is it possible for someone to survive without a tongue? I’d be upset if I can’t hear her stupid retorts, but maybe she thinks she’d look prettier without one.

She’d look prettier with blood running down her face, but I’m unfortunately running low on time to create a duplicate of that scar on her chest.

My hand brushes over my knife, a motion that makes Helena clam up, the defiance in her voice snuffed out. “You could ask nicely,” she says quietly. “I’m a person too, you know.”

Oh my fucking god.

Castor pushes past me, charging up to her in three quick steps. He pushes her against the rocks, ripping my sidearm from its holster and placing it under her chin.

She trembles, and I can see the beginnings of a plea on her lips.

I almost reach to snatch the gun away before Castor does something stupid but instead, he gives her a sweet smile and cocks the gun. “Please.”

He releases her a second later, flashing me a look that I don’t want to even attempt asking about. It did its job well enough, and Helena makes quick work of climbing up the rocks and squeezing into the tight opening.

She struggles, even as small as her body is now, the hole is still a challenge for her to push through. Her arms tremble and her body flails as she tries to crawl through, but she doesn’t bother asking for help. She won’t, she’s far too stubborn for that.

She yelps as the rocks shift again, and I can’t help but snicker at the way her ass jiggles from the sudden jolt. “Careful, doll. I’d hate for you to get hurt.”

She doesn’t answer.

Smart girl. Maybe she does have a brain after all.

After a moment, her legs finally slip through and she falls through the gap. Her body thuds as she crashes to the ground but there’s no movement. No grunts of pain or sounds of her scrambling to her feet.

My heart lurches and I step forward, calling out when I can’t hear her moving.

“Doll?”

There’s no answer. She’s utterly silent. She can’t be hurt. That fall was less than 7 feet. She’s fine. She’s fine, right?

Castor gives me a look, that blackened look of anger thankfully gone, but in its place is a look that sparks a tumble in my gut.

“Helena?”

Her arm appears through the gap, and she sticks up her middle finger before disappearing again.

I scoff. The audacity of this woman to keep testing the both of us after I’d so blatantly warned her what would happen if she ran her mouth.

Although, technically, I guess she didn’t need to speak to do that.

I frown, a bad taste in my mouth from the warm feeling taking the place of the fear. I don’t let it linger. She’s a means to an end, certainly good enough for me to force my cock into, but that’s all she’s good for.

“What do you see?” Castor says, cutting me from my thoughts.

“It smells like shit in here,” she whines.

I cough to cover my laugh, but it’s not unnoticed by Castor.

“Just tell us if the way is clear.”

There’s a beat of silence.

“Yeah, it’s clear. I think there’s a door wedged into—” She yelps as rocks tumble from the other side, and the mine groans, kicking up dust before the structure settles again.

“Stop dicking around,” I warn. “Get these rocks clear, doll.”

She mutters something under her breath but finally, the rocks separating us start to shift and Castor and I get to work. Castor can easily carry a small boulder on his own, but wedging the damn pieces are a different story. I don’t have nails and neither does Castor, though his are considerably more kept than mine. Living underground for months on end will have certain effects on hygiene and I’m less concerned than Castor about keeping my body clear of dirt.

Even the small nail beds of mine crack under the weight of the stone as I dig my fingers into them, but finally, we manage to remove a load-bearing piece that collapses the entire structure.

We both jump back as the wall disintegrates, dodging the mass of falling rocks through the thick layer of dust and debris in the air. Helena is on the other side, her shoulders arched forward and her face pale as she pants heavily.

She really is thin.

Castor and I had made sure to keep her fed. The bread he gave her was a courtesy, and she slept hard enough when I allowed her to. She never really noticed the swollen veins in her arm, or the fact that she should’ve been dead weeks ago without any food.

Even with the nutrients we’d supplied her with, my clothes hang off her and her tanned skin is now pale and slightly sunken in. She’s a ghost now, withered away from this place. I’d feel bad for keeping her for so long if she hadn’t been so goddamn stubborn. Kidnapping her was never part of the plan, and I have more important things to do than to babysit another stubborn soldier.

It had been two days since we last fed her. We are all hungry, but she sways in her spot—-the smallest breeze would knock this girl without food.

I groan.

Another thing she won’t thank me for.

I spin her around as we clear the rubble, my nose curling at the sudden stench as we make our way through the settling dust to the door she’d spotted. It’s blocked by more fallen rubble, but the door is cracked, revealing just the slightest hint of a soft light within.

“I know this place,” I say, squinting through the crack in the metal door.

“This is it,” Castor says quickly. He pushes us aside and with a hard jerk, he wrenches the door back. The rusted hinges groan under his efforts before the door snaps and falls forward with a loud thud.

Castor’s room is intact, barely affected by the cave in. He leaps in quickly, and tears the room apart for supplies.

I recoil when I poke my head inside. The stench is unbearable inside, built up like a bomb hidden inside.

“Fucking hell,” I cough as I force myself inside. “What the fuck happened?”

Castor doesn’t answer, doesn’t even look at me while he moves swiftly about the room, collecting weapons and clothes. I follow suit, though there isn’t much that’ll be useful. With the gas soaking up every square inch of space left in this mine, another blast would be sure to kill us this time.

Helena offers no help, as usual. She hides in a corner, eyeing the both of us like a snake about to bite her. At least now, she’s finally keeping her mouth shut. I’d rather not test Castor’s temper with three guns in his hands.

After ripping open several other drawers and cases strewn about, I find something small stuffed in the corner. These drawers were stuffed so full of clothes that I almost didn’t see it, if not for the sweet smell coming from the wood.

Two protein bars are hidden among the clothes, perfectly sealed. The date has been scratched off but the labeling is enough to tell me that it’s probably several years old. My eyes drift back to Helena. Her arms are wrapped tightly around her stomach and her eyes catch mine, an innocent plea in them.

I sigh. Why does she feel the need to look at me like that? Like I’m someone capable of being nice. I’m not fucking nice. I’ll leave her here right now to die in this stink. And yet, that pitiful look in her eyes gives me an uncomfortable warmth in my chest. That same feeling that I had when that kid spoke to me. That same feeling I got when I—oh god—was with Ari.

I squeeze the protein bar and it crumbles easily in my hand. The wrapper splits down the middle and the chocolate starts to spill out but I stop. That damn look.

“Goddammit,” I growl.

I slink over to Helena and hand her the bar.

She doesn’t take it.

“What is it?” She says, eyeing it with suspicion.

I roll my eyes, “Hopefully something to get rid of your bitchy attitude. Take it.”

Her eyes flick to mine, hardening when she takes in my gesture.

“What, a little explosion happens and suddenly we’re friends?”

“Not quite,” I retort.

“Then why?”

So you can stop looking at me like a wounded animal and making me fucking care about it.

“Because I’m tired of your whining. You’d do everyone a favor if you shut the fuck up.”

I dangle the bar in front of her face. She’s fucking salivating at the sight of it, and she’s stupidly trying to not take it, like it’ll affect me any if she doesn’t.

When she finally does reach out for it, I drop the food and let it fall between my feet. Her head snaps up, her face twisted in a glare, and I give her a sly smile.

“I guess it slipped,” I smirk.

She stares me down for another moment before bending down to pick up the protein bar. I shift my hips just as her head dips, grinding my dick against her face. She snatches the bar and steps back.

Oh, if looks could kill, I’d be a dead man. She should know better than to look at me like that. Her fear is almost as hot as her anger, but I’ll take either if she wants to play with me some more.

The bar is gone as quickly as she stands up, and she finds the second bar and breaks it in half, scarfing that one down as well before tucking the other half away. I can’t help laughing but I don’t push her further. I’ll let her have her moment, for now. We still need to find a way out.

I turn my attention back to Castor. He’s painfully still, standing silently in the corner of the room as if he was frozen. I cautiously make my way around the bed, and his eyes are wide open. Bloodshot.

“Castor?”

I wave my hand in front of his face but he doesn’t see me. He doesn’t even look at me. He’s looking through me while his lips are parted, repeating words I can’t hear.

I pat his cheek, trying to force him back into the moment, “Silas? Talk to me buddy.”

He blinks rapidly and his eyes finally focus on me before he turns away. He reaches up, adjusting his scarf around his neck.

“Are we…is this the part where we all draw straws to see who gets eaten first?” He says quietly.

I shake my head. “I’d sooner take a bullet in the head.” I place my hand on his shoulder, refocusing him. “Don’t think, Si, just move.” I look over my shoulder, before turning back to him. “Fury’s on their way. They’ll meet us in Lienz.”

He lets out a hollow laugh.

“That doesn’t give us much right now if we’re going to suffocate in this tomb.”

“We’d starve to death before any of us suffocated.”

Castor turns away, going over the drawers again, as if he’d find the answers in them.

“I’m not so sure about that.” He curls his nose. “I’ll vomit if I have to spend another night with this gas.” He freezes and his eyes go wide.

My brows push together and I follow his line of sight to see what he’s staring at, but there’s nothing there.

“What?”

“The gas!”

The noise makes Helena jump, and she looks around as if she just noticed it was there. She gives me a confused look, but I can’t answer her.

I wait for Castor to answer while he stares at us, his eyes bright and wild, waiting for whatever it is that’s in his head to click in ours.

I finally give in, shaking my head, “I’m lost, buddy.”

“Why does this room smell so bad?” He asks.

“The gas burst the pipes,” Helena says with a shrug. “It’s probably everywhere now after the explosion.”

“Right, but we’ve been down here for hours. Why haven’t we suffocated yet?”

It finally clicks and Castor smiles, catching my thoughts.

“Oxygen is mixing with the gas,” I say.

“So there is a way out.” Helena’s voice is hopeful.

I don’t have a chance to ask before Castor springs into action. He tilts his head up, inhaling the intoxicating gas. He moves around the room like a dog chasing a scent. But that’s exactly what he’s doing—a dog digging his way out of a hole and searching for the right place to dig.

He leaps over the bed and I only just have time to drag Helena out of the way before he wrenches the bed away from the wall and tosses it aside with a single hand.

I laugh in relief, and for the first time in months, I see Castor smile.

Right underneath the bed, in the corner, is a large hole in the concrete.