Underground Read Free Page A

hesitated.
    Soren looked ready to take another swing. ‘Remi Vattel is dead,’ he said.
    And suddenly he was leaving. He grabbed the back of his chair and dragged it toward the door.
    â€˜Wait!’ I said. ‘Jordan and Peter – what have you done with them?’
    â€˜They are fine,’ said Soren.
    â€˜But –’
    â€˜ We’re not murderers, Luke.’ He walked out, switching the lights off behind him.
    F RIDAY , J UNE 26
48 DAYS
    For a while – hours, maybe – I sat there in the darkness, jumping at every creaking pipe and distant, echoing footstep. But I must have fallen asleep at some point, because I didn’t see the light flashing around in the next room until it was right at my door.
    There was a shuffling noise outside, and then a torch came glaring in through the window frame, catching me in the face. I groaned, squinting away from the sudden brightness.
    The light disappeared for a second, and I heard the door swing open. A figure dashed toward me, almost invisible. The torch swept the room and I caught a glimpse of her face.
    â€˜Jordan!’
    â€˜Hey,’ she whispered, crouching down next to my chair. ‘You ready to get out of here or what?’

Chapter 3

    F RIDAY , J UNE 26
48 DAYS
    â€˜Are you all right?’ I asked, trying to get a proper look at her. The torch flashed past her arm and I saw red rings around her wrist. ‘How did you get away?’
    â€˜With this,’ she said, holding up a tiny blade and getting to work on one of the cable ties. ‘From my pocket knife. I snapped it off and hid it when the lights went out.’
    â€˜Hid it where? ’ I asked, lifting my arm as the first tie snapped free.
    â€˜Under here,’ said Jordan. She shone the torch up to her hair and held out a braid.
    I stared at her. ‘You’re incredible. You know that, right?’
    â€˜You’re welcome,’ she said, cutting a second tie and moving down to my ankles.
    â€˜Where’s Peter?’
    â€˜Don’t know. Back at that lab place, maybe? It seemed like that was where they were keeping him.’
    â€˜Yeah,’ I said, feeling my right foot spring free. ‘Wherever that is.’
    I brought my hands up to my face, testing it with my fingertips. Everything was swollen and stinging.
    Jordan cut the last cable tie. She pocketed the blade and pulled me to my feet. ‘C’mon.’
    â€˜Wait,’ I said, feeling the ache in my legs. ‘What’s our plan here?’
    â€˜Find Peter and get out,’ said Jordan impatiently.
    â€˜Then what? We can’t go home. Not after yesterday.’
    â€˜We have to!’ said Jordan. ‘We’ve been gone too long already. If my parents freak out about this …’ ‘Yeah, but what about Calvin?’ I said. Getting gunned down by the Chief of Security wasn’t exactly a solution.
    â€˜What about them?’ said Jordan, throwing a hand out toward the doorway. ‘That Kara woman – she’s –’ ‘Kara?’ I said. ‘The mum?’
    â€˜Yeah. She didn’t come to you?’
    I shook my head. ‘I got the guy. Soren.’
    â€˜Well, trust me,’ said Jordan. ‘We don’t want to mess with this woman.’
    We don’t want to mess with Calvin either , I thought.
    But then Jordan pulled me toward the door again and, as usual, I shoved my survival instinct aside and limped after her.
    â€˜Besides,’ said Jordan, ‘at least now we don’t have the suppressors to worry about.’
    I brushed a hand down over the small of my back and felt a neat row of stitches, confirming my suspicion from before. I was free. Finally free of it.
    About time something went right for us.
    We stepped out into the room I’d seen through the little window. Another half-destroyed cave-like place, twice as big as the one we’d just left. A worn-out leather couch sat against the wall