What She Thought She Knew (Rachel Moore Mystery Book 1), стр. 31

got company." He stated just as the Assassin came in with eyes hard and serious.

Chapter 18: An Unexpected Reunion

I clenched my teeth together. I knew this was a trap.

I sighed loudly as I looked at the Assassin in agitation. "Seems like the lab isn't abandoned after all."

I knew that my behavior was totally immature, but so help me, I'd haunt Fear for the rest of his life if I died because of his arrogance.

Smug bastard didn't react at all. "We've got to get out of here." He said. "Gizmo's scans identified a unit of Phantom agents heading to our position."

"What rank?" I asked, though I dreaded the answer.

Fear gave me a dire look. "It's got to be Assassins and Warriors." He replied.

I felt a vein on my temple throb in irritation.

The Assassin gestured towards the way he came from which pulled me out of my dark thoughts. "If we move now, we can most likely get out before the Phantoms arrive."

I nodded in agreement, and turned to face Delta.

He was already prepared; his mother was placed securely on his back.

Fear looked at the pair in surprise. "Who's she?"

Before Delta could have had any chance to speak, I interrupted. "We'll explain everything once we get the hell out of here."

The Assassin gave me a confused look, but didn't comment.

I glanced at Delta who met my gaze and nodded.

With the confirmation, I gestured to Fear to lead us, and we hurriedly made our back to where we came from.

Waiting at the "entrance" were agents Predator, Elvira, and Olsen.

All three were on high alert; their bodies were tense, ready for any fight that would occur. I noticed some bruises on Elvira's biceps and a nasty scratch on her upper arm.

A brief look of relief came across their faces at my arrival before they went serious once more.

It was then that I noticed a tied-up individual observing the situation quietly.

I narrowed my eyes at the sight. "Is this the person?"

Predator nodded, though he regarded the individual with a hint of recognition. "Yeah, it's her alright. I'm surprised you're still here after all this time." He said to the person.

The woman spat out some blood. "You know as well as I that I have nowhere else to go." She replied hoarsely.

I raised an eyebrow in confusion. How did Predator know this woman?

She looked at me in the eye.

I suppressed the need to shiver as the cold glowing eyes regarded me with slight interest.

She then turned to face Predator again. "I don't mean to be rude, but Phantom agents are coming here to kill you. I would hate for them to slaughter you cruelly."

I narrowed my eyes once more. "That's no thanks to you. You're the one who summoned them here."

The Phantom turned her attention back to me. "It wasn't me." She replied with a bored tone. "This is a Phantom lab after all. You should expect that its security systems are still operational, even in an abandoned facility."

I barely suppressed the need to slap the woman. "Whatever, we're still bringing you into custody."

The Phantom shrugged. "Go ahead. It's not like I have anywhere else to go."

Her uncaring attitude pissed me off.

Fear stepped beside me. "I hate to agree with the enemy, but she's right. We've got to get out of here, now." He hissed.

I immediately went to business mode. "All right, we've got a couple of minutes before the Phantoms show up. We'll go up the ladder one by one in an organized fashion, and rendezvous with Gizmo back in the van. Then it's hasta la vista. Move out!"

Just as I gave the order, a violent rumble shook the entire lab followed by a loud crashing sound.

The other agents and I struggled to maintain our balance as dust and pebbles flew in the air.

Once the tremors stopped, we all stood shakily on our feet.

"What the hell was that?!" Elvira exclaimed.

I glanced at her briefly before I reached for my ear piece. "Gizmo: status report."

"Things are going to hell boss," was his reply. "The Phantoms just detonated a small bomb to seal off your entrance."

"How typical." The tied-up Phantom agent replied.

I ignored her remark. "What do you suggest we do?" I asked as I tried my best to stay calm.

"In the scan I performed, I saw what appeared to be underground tunnels. Fear found one. Each one ends up in various parts of Rome. Sneaky sons of bitches knew just how to take people and not get caught." He commented. "There's a problem though: once you're in the tunnel, there will be no way to have communication unless you're physically with each other."

The last detail worried me greatly. "Alright, we'll go through one of the tunnels and see where it leads us. What's your situation?"

"I was shot on the arm, bloody Phantoms, but otherwise than that I'm alright. I had to move to a safer location. I will meet up with you once you cross the other side."

"Roger that, be careful."

"Always, boss." He replied.

I cut off the line, and looked at the Assassin. "Looks like we won't be going up. Fear, lead the way."

He nodded, and turned around.

He led us to a powered down door. Beside it was a shaft that was covered by numerous cartons of empty containers.

After pushing aside the various cartons, the Assassin got on his knees, and placed his hands on the metal covering.

He pulled it off with a strong yank, and tossed it aside before he faced us. "It's a tight squeeze, but you'll have room to move once you reach the other side. Just keep going forward, and remember to not look back… You do that, and you're as good as dead."

He gestured to Elvira to