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Ty ran his hand through his hair, sucking in a ragged breath as the walls edged closer and closer to hih he knew they were no longer under the mansion, they were still under tons and tons of dirt What if they were under the hill? What if the lighthouse ruins were up there, weighing down, crurity of the stonework?

"Oh God," he whispered, grasping at his chest

"Ty?"

"I can’t breathe, lish asked

"He’s claustrophobic," Deuce told the others

"So let’s fucking call for theet out of here"

Ty shook his head, but he looked at Deuce alht of the flashlights, his jaw juet to theet to them, Deacon, I swear to you I swear"

Deuce handed Ty his flashlight and stepped toward one of the tunnels, cupping his hands around hisout for the kids His voice shook as it echoed through the tunnels

Eachto roar in Ty’s ears when a sasped

"Go!" Ty whispered harshly He pointed at English "Go, go!"

The three men started down the corridor in pursuit of the child’s call Ty took a moment from his panic to admire their precision He really hoped none of theuys, because he liked all three ed Ty’s good arer"

Ty ran with hi on his brother to lead hiunshot booes ahead of them, followed by shouts and cries that seemed to echo and multiply Deuce cursed and quickened their pace Ty had no idea how his leg was keeping up He supposed the concern of a parent overrode everything else Their flashlight bounced off beahts, and they cae Theof a baby ca?" Ty called

"Kid shot at us e tried to open the door," Frost answered "They’re locked up in a roolanced at Deuce and nodded for hio around the corner "Call out, tell them who you are"

"Cooper! It’s Deacon, buddy, we’re here to take you back Open the door, okay?"

Ty heard the boy’s h the hole he’d shot in the thick door "Nick told ave us the password! Youyou say it’s okay!"

Deuce looked back at Ty, eyebrows raised

"Goddaht of the narrow passages pressing down on hilish said He was still crouching against the wall, his gun and flashlight in his hands, his large body stooped and hunched to fit into the narrow corridor

Ty closed his eyes He was beginning to hyperventilate, struggling for the breath to stay calm, to keep histunnels if he didn’t leave soon Now They had to get those kids out and ht now "Cooper, open the door!" he shouted "It’s Ty and Deacon, kid, we need to get you back to your parents!"

"What’s the password?" Cooper shouted back

"Damn it," Ty hissed

"That’s not it!"

Frost and Park both covered their ood arm "Co passould he give these kids?"

Ty shook his head, gasping for breath He groped at the stone walls, searching for so enough to hold up the thousands of pounds of dirt and rock above therabbed hi Ty’s face in both hands "Breathe, brother, come on Calm your mind Think Please, Ty,inside the roounshot had come from the silenced weapon Nick had taken off the nanny, but it had still probably been incredibly loud and frightening in that enclosed rock room

Enclosed and locked

Enclosed, locked, and under tons and tons of rock

Ty rested his forehead against the thick wooden door and fought the urge to be sick Deuce’s hand was on his shoulder, squeezing, keeping hi with panic and terror

What ould Nick give them? One word to let them know they were safe One word he would trust someone else to say to them in his absence, since he’d fully expected to be killed or at least maimed by Fraser when he left the

Ty took in a deep breath "Oohrah"

Zane and Kelly sat together on a bench seat in the great hall, watching the door to the game room in silence The walls were so thick, they couldn’t really hear anything from inside Zane was thankful for thatlook for Aht here," Kelly said "When Nick gets answers, we’ll need you here Ty’s a big boy, he can handle hi to convince hiave theh pieces of the puzzle to do anything with it

He cleared his throat "When Nick gets answers You really think he’ll be able to?"

"Nick has extensive experience with, uhenhanced interrogation techniques," Kelly said, his voice flat

"What?"

"The alternative set of procedures?" Kelly said, turning his head to

"What the fuck are you talking about?"

"Torture Nick was trained to torture" Kelly returned his gaze to the door, his expression unchanging

Zane stared at his profile for several seconds before turning his attention back to the door

Darkness had fully set in, but they’d lit every fireplace, candle, hurricane laather Iteverywhere, shadows being cast in all directions, and the fireplaces crackling and giving off enough war in out of the cold

Zane would have really enjoyed a blackout like this, in a place like this, if it weren’t for all the dead bodies piling up in the freezer