Deceptive Treasures: Slye Temp Book 5 by Dianna Love Read Free Book Online Page B

moving softly on his feet, weapon up and ready, holding his breath that this would work.
    But where the hell were they going if this was a dead end?
    Sweat streamed into his eyes . He blinked away the sting and felt every thump of his heart like a fist to the chest. He was the last one to step around a corner that hid his group.
    Now, they waited. Moving any further risked making a sound at the wrong time.
    Several sets of heavy footsteps clomped toward them.
    Light flickered on the other side of the corner, then it stopped bouncing and everything went silent .
    Fifteen of the longest seconds of Tanner’s life passed before the light diminished and the voices retreated .
    He peeked around the corner, waiting another minute for good measure, then whispered, “Clear.”
    Tanner let out the breath that had backed up in his lungs and sucked in a couple more deep ones, then he swung around to Jin. He kept his voice ghost soft and hid just how pissed he was at being stuck in a dead end route. “What’s the straightest way out of here?”
    “I will show you and—”
    “No. You will tell me before we go anywhere else in this place.”
    She squared that little chin of hers, letting him know she was not intimidated even though she couldn’t possibly see him without her penlight . Like that surprised him for a woman who had survived in this country to her age?
    Speaking quickly, she explained, “This tunnel was a second attempt that does not go under the river.”
    Nick muttered, “Fuck.” 
    Tanner agreed.
    Jin tossed a glare in Nick’s direction for a second then kept selling Tanner on her plan. “We have maybe twelve minutes until they reach the next turn in that tunnel where they will probably meet up with another unit of soldiers alerted by now. If we go quickly, we can make it to a point that they cannot pass.”
    Blade asked, “How can we get through if they can’t?”
    “I know the secret passage, but I can show you faster than I can explain. The longer we stay here, the less chance we have of getting out ahead of them.”
    Dingo piped up to point out, “I don’t like it either, but we’ve come this far with the woman ...”  His voice trailed off as in how much worse can it get ?
    Tanner knew better than to test the fates by asking that.
    Nick muttered, “What the fuck? It’s that or do our own version of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid at their last stand.”
    Jin’s face struck a totally confused expression.
    Tanner considered his options, which weren’t plural. He took a step toward Jin and grasped her arm so he wouldn’t surprise her when he spoke close to her ear.
    She tensed and backed away .
    His gut clenched. Did she think he’d harm her ? He might be pissed off at the situation, but he’d never injure a woman unless she attacked him or one of his men. “You and I’ll take the lead.” 
    He said for his men, “We’re all in at this point. Let’s see this other way.”
    She visibly relaxed and nodded, allowing him to move his fingers to her hand and walk her past the two physicists.
    He lifted her hand to his belt next . “Hold on.”
    “I thought you wanted me to lead.”
    “Even a blind squirrel could stay on this path.” 
    He’d gone another seventy-five meters and a ten-foot drop in elevation when his boots splashed water .
    A wet tunnel ? And this one was close to the river.
    When the water came halfway up his shins, he paused . “Tell me we’re not stuck in a flooded tunnel.”
    “I would be lying.”
    Guess he asked for that one. “Does it get any deeper?”
    “Yes.” 
    A wet tunnel could mean this passage had weak areas above, below or on one side.
    He growled, “Are you sure you know where you’re going?” 
    “Yes.”
    “Did you know this was a flooded tunnel?”
    “Yes . No surveillance here.”
    “Better chance of a cave-in, too.”
    She murmured, “You are not what your people call a glass-half-full person, are you?”
    Nick’s voice in Tanner’s ear