Underground 4 (24 page)

“We can’t just go into the city and fight the General,” Charlotte said. “especially if Ludwig has his men everywhere.”

“No, not without more back-up,” Roman agreed.

“Garrett's not an idiot,” Trent said, even though he was probably the most concerned for his youngest brother, other than Pete.

“Apparently he is,” Pete muttered.

“Obviously this was something important to him and we have to respect that. I don't understand his relationship with Mr. Samson, but clearly the man means a lot to him. In any case, he won't do anything stupid in there to draw attention to himself.”

“Chances are, if he got in, he can get out,” Phoenix said, still not looking or speaking directly to him.

Trent clenched his fists at his side. The woman infuriated him.

“We hope,” Sam murmured.

“It's all we can do at this point. Until we hear back from Bastian's contact, we can't move from here,” Trent said.

“What about Lake?” asked Vi. “She could be hurt...or worse.”

“Seamus will find her,” Pete assured her. “He doesn't leave anyone behind.”

“So we wait,” Phoenix said, clearly unhappy.

Trent nodded. “We wait. We grow stronger. And hopefully, we take out Ludwig and Douglas in one fatal strike.”

The others had filed out of the room, heading to the kitchen to eat whatever Missy had thrown together. She was bent on making comfort food for Charlotte, which made Trent love her even more. His niece or nephew needed only the best, even now. He'd do anything and everything to ensure that.

Tyler got a funny look in his eyes every time he looked at Charlotte too. Trent didn't think it was just his protective nature now that she was expecting. Something told him, from the looks he'd caught the Scotsman giving Missy, that he longed to see her belly swell with his child as well.

Everyone was slowly moving on to bigger and better things. And while Trent was happy for all of them, he couldn't help but be envious. He wanted that. He wanted Phoenix. But it felt like no matter what he did, he just ended up screwing things up with her.

Telling Pete he'd meet them in a few minutes, Trent raced out the door to catch up with Phoenix before she could disappear again.

“Wait up, princess,” he called out. Her shoulders stiffened, telling him she'd heard him, but she didn't slow or even look back to acknowledge him. “Phoenix.”

“Don't,” she said, speeding up.

“Don't what?”

“Don't use that voice with me.”

“What voice?” he asked, confused.

She stopped, her fists perched on her hips, and those blue eyes flashing at him. It took all he had not to press her up against the wall right there and kiss the hell out of her.

“That warning voice, “ she said, “You're not my father.”

Trent blanched. “I don't want to be your father,” he said.

“Then stop trying to tell me what to do all the time! Why do you have to be such an overbearing asshole?”

His head snapped back as if she'd struck him. “Overbearing asshole?”

“That’s right! You don't own me, Trent. You don't get to make my decisions for me.”

Now his own anger was rising. “First of all, I do own you. I've kissed and sucked and worshiped every inch of your body. When I wake up and you're there, the only thought in my mind is,
mine
.” Her cheeks flushed as she tried to hide the way her hands shook. He stepped closer, forcing her to take a step back.

“But let me make this perfectly clear,
Princess
,” he sneered, not caring as he watched her flinch. “In no way am I trying to take away any freedom you have, because I
respect
you. I love the strong, independent, smart mouthed woman that you are. I revel in it. Every time you talk back to someone, even me, my chest fills with pride, because I know you won't take shit from anyone. Because that's
you
, and I'm not trying to change that.”

She bit her lip, her eyes growing wider as he lowered his face to hers so they were eye to eye.

“But if you don't want to be owned by me, then fine. You want your fun? You had it. I hope you enjoyed it. Because I'm not changing who I am either. If you can't handle that I only want to keep you safe, and you don't want me looking out for you, fine. I'll stop. I won't make any decisions for you anymore. Thank you for making it clear how little you think of me. Obviously I'm not what you need.”

He turned around before she could say a word. That was it, he was done. She acted like he was some kind of barbarian when all he wanted to do was keep her safe. And while he had been wondering what he'd done wrong, now he wondered if maybe it wasn't so much that he was wrong, but that he just wasn't right - for her.

Heart heavy, and anger bubbling, he headed down toward the ammo room, deciding some target practice might help relieve some of this tension. He couldn't sit with the others right now and pretend all was okay. Because it wasn't. The one person he'd actually wanted didn't want him. She wanted fun. Well Trent McKay wasn't fun. That was just the reality of it. If she didn't like it, she could find someone else.

Deciding he'd get food later, he sped up, ready to blow off steam. Except he never made it. The click registered a moment too late before everything went to hell.

CHAPTER THIRTY

She felt like a fish, her mouth opening and closing, unable to form words as she watched him march down the hall away from her. What the hell had just happened? Phoenix could have sworn she was the one who was mad at him, not the other way around.

And why did she feel like a real piece of shit all of a sudden? He had said she was trying to change him, but that wasn't it. Was it? Did she accuse him of wanting to change her when really it was her who wanted to change him? No, that was ridiculous. She liked Trent and his possessiveness...just not when it pissed her off.

She didn't like anyone telling her what to do, especially not men. Was she overreacting because of that? Did he mean it when he'd said he'd just been trying to protect her? Damn it, she didn't know what to think anymore.

This back and forth between them was even worse than when they'd acted as though they didn't like each other. How was it that caring about one another made them fight even more? Was she just being too sensitive? Ugh. And why did he seem so pissed about her having fun with him? It was the same thing as when she'd said it in the closet and he'd grown all cold.

She didn't know what to think anymore. Still standing in the same spot, her eyes stayed stuck on the spot where he'd disappeared, unseeing. Had she screwed this up? Or had he?

Missy could help clear things up for her. She was always better than Phoenix at making sense of confusing situations. Taking a step in the direction of the kitchen, the ground suddenly shook as though an earthquake vibrated beneath the earth. Phoenix looked over her shoulder just as debris came flying down the hall. Alarms rang loudly.

What was happening? Her hands braced the wall as more tremors shook the ground. The air tasted and smelled of dirt and explosives. She blinked back the grit in her eyes, now that clouds of it floated through the air. Looking back up, she tried to make sense of what she was seeing. There was debris everywhere from the tunnel Trent had gone down.

“Trent?” What was meant to be a shout came out as only a squeak. Something was squeezing her insides as panic started to slowly slither up her spine, making her hands and knees shake. More alarms were going off in all directions, assaulting her ears.

“Phoenix!”

Looking back toward the hall she’d been about to go down, she saw Missy come running toward her, her eyes wide with panic. Phoenix looked back down the other way where Trent had gone, the air now too clouded with dirt and dust to see anything.

“Phoenix!” Missy shook her hard, forcing her to look back, her mind racing with confusion. “Phoenix we have to get out of here.”

“W-what's happening?”

“Someone blew up the tunnels. We need to get out in case there are more bombs.”

Someone blew up...? Air. Suddenly Phoenix couldn't get enough air. Her legs gave out beneath her as panic wracked her body.

“Phoenix?” Missy's voice sounded distant and foggy.

“Woman! Get your arse out of here, now!” Tyler bellowed, storming down the hall toward them like a man about to explode himself.

Phoenix heard her sister say there was something wrong with Phoenix, but she was no longer paying attention to them.

Trent.

Was he...?

Oh god. He'd gone down there. A bomb. The tunnels. A bomb.

What had she done?

“Is there a reason why you're carrying me?”

Pete just pulled her closer, rushing toward the exit. Charlotte had no choice but to hold on tight, her face surely red with embarrassment. As soon as they hit fresh air, she wiggled in his arms to let her down. It wasn't until they were a good twenty feet away from the doors that he finally set her on her feet.

“Honestly, Pete,” she huffed, straightening her clothes. “I'm pregnant, not an invalid.”

“You two are my number one priority. I'd carry you up a mountain if I had to.”

The concern in his eyes melted her heart so she decided to forgive his overreaction. But only this time. If he insisted on babying her for the next eight months she was going to kick him in the balls.

“Is everyone here?” Vi asked, her face ashen as she looked around.

Just then Tyler came out, Missy and Phoenix right behind him. Charlotte looked over at a grave looking Bastian. The man radiated anger and danger as he focused on the people still filing out. Pixie stood silently by his side, her hand reassuringly resting on his arm.

“Where's my brother?” Pete asked, searching the crowd.

Charlotte looked too, not seeing his bulky frame anywhere.

“We have a problem,” Tyler said as the three reached them.

“When don't we?” Pete said.

“It's Trent,” Tyler said gravely. “He was in the tunnel that collapsed.”

Charlotte sucked in a breath, her eyes going back to all the faces, praying he was wrong.

“Oh God,” Phoenix moaned, tears falling from her eyes. Charlotte couldn't think of a time she'd ever seen the Archers leader cry. “He's in there,” she said, speaking to no one in specific. “He's in there.”

She continued to repeat those words over and over, her legs buckling. She sat on the floor, her distraught face watching the exit.

Pete crouched down in front of Phoenix, his expression more scared than she ever seen before. Not even in that moment when he'd walked in to find her beaten and chained in a damp cell, wearing only her undergarments, because of her disgusting father and his men.

“Phoenix,” he said, gripping her arms to force her to focus on him. “Are you sure he's in there?”

She nodded, her bottom lip trembling. “He had gone down the tunnel only moments before it caved in. All I saw was the dust. I didn't k-know,” she said, shaking her head vigorously. “I didn't know what had happened. He's still there.” Her hands gripped the front of his shirt in turn now. “We have to go back in, Pete. We have to find him.”

“No one is going anywhere until we make sure no other tunnels are rigged,” Bastian said, coming to stand beside them.

“What the hell happened?” Tyler asked him.

Bastian shook his head, his jaw firm with anger. “I have no idea. But I
will
find out.”

“How many tunnels have collapsed?” Charlotte asked.

“As far as I know, most of the west end. Where all our ammo was being stored.” His mouth pressed into a grim line.

“Who would do this?” Vi asked.

“I don't know, but they’d better hope I don't find out,” he said darkly.

Pete stood. Charlotte could see his nervous energy practically vibrating through his body. “We need to go in,” he stated.

“McKay, I know how you're feeling, but you know we can't until we know for sure there are no other bombs in there,” Tyler said slowly, trying to calm him.

Charlotte stepped toward him, her heart twisting when he looked at her with eyes pleading for her to understand. “You can't just leave me out here,” she said, hoping her and the baby would be enough.

“It's my brother, babe,” he said, voice choking. “What if it was Bridgette?”

She would do anything for her sister. How could she fault him for the same? Nodding slowly, she saw his whole frame relax an inch, knowing she wouldn't hold this against him.

“I'm going too then,” Tyler said. “I can move faster than any of you. We'll cover more ground that way.”

Charlotte saw Missy swallow and knew exactly how she felt right then.

“Where's Bridgette and Roman?” asked Pete.

“With Sam,” Pixie answered. “They're tending to some people who were injured.”

He turned to Charlotte. “I want you to go and find them. Stay with Roman. He'll keep you safe while I'm gone.”

Tears burned her eyes but she blinked them away. How strange that now Pete trusted her life, and the life of their unborn child, with a man who had once been his greatest enemy. Things had changed so much since that day Ludwig told her to infiltrate the rebels. Had it only been a short time ago that she'd stood outside the Bull’s Eye, her nerves shaking, steeling herself to go inside and see the boy with the pale green eyes?