She removed her shoes—now heavy with salt water—from the dry bag and switched out her flippers for the more appropriate footwear.
After shoving the rest of her gear into a corner, she stood, slipped the janbiya out of the bag, then took a deep breath.
“For Xander,” she whispered. Gripping the hilt tighter than necessary, she started down the tunnel.
CHAPTER 32
The sound of dripping water echoed in the tunnel. Drop after drop. Leila stepped lightly, slowly, trying not to make any loud footsteps. The cave had turned into a roughly cut tunnel, the angles a close ninety degrees, though she wouldn’t bother to stop and measure.
The walls were cool and damp, emanating the scent of moss and rain. The tunnel turned left and right, until she lost all sense of direction. Thankfully, it was a single corridor with no other passageways, giving her no choice but to follow it to the end. That would make it easy enough to find the underwater entrance again if she ever came back. That was still to be determined.
After a minute of walking, she stopped at an opening on her left. It was rectangular, the walls perfectly straight, obviously man-made, and large enough for a person of below-average height to walk through. The perfect height for her.
Xander would have had to duck, though.
A sting pricked inside her chest. This would all be so much easier with him at her side. He would be in his element here, sneaking through tunnels, swinging his gun around each corner.
She wanted him back so badly.
Swallowing the burn in her throat that threatened to erupt into a sob, she shoved away the visions of his dark, motionless form surrounded by turquoise waves.
Faris would die for this. She would make sure of that. She tightened her grip around the knife and shined her flashlight into the tunnel. The beam struck a set of stairs ascending into more darkness. She took in a deep breath, her stomach twisting in anticipation of what was to come. Death. Faris’s death… and probably her own.
At least she’d have Xander waiting for her.
She stuck her head through the doorway and listened for any movement. When no sounds other than her own breathing met her ears, she leaned against the cool stone wall.
This was it. She’d go up the stairs… and then what? Find Faris first, then Soliman. No. Soliman first. He might even be able to help her get her mom and brother back. Surely, he would—if he was still alive. That was what she had to do. Make sure he was okay first, then Faris couldn’t use Soliman as a hostage, too.
But how am I going to find Soliman here, anyway? She had no idea how big this tunnel system was. Her mouth went dry at the thought of him being dead. How could everyone who meant something to her be taken away within the span of a week? She filled her lungs with determination. It would all stop now.
With her mind made up, she took the first step. For all she knew, she’d wander around the rest of the tunnels for hours and never see another person, or the light of day. But she didn’t come all this way for nothing. As long as Faris met his end, it would be worth it.
She made her way up the steps, each footfall soft, careful. Even the slightest slip of her foot sent sound reverberating against the walls.
The stairs ended at a landing, a wooden door blocking her view of anything that lay beyond. She shined the flashlight up and down the door, which reminded her of something she’d find in a medieval castle. There was no way to tell the actual age of it, but the rusted metal hinges and handle suggested it hadn’t been installed any time in the last decade. It probably hadn’t been oiled recently either. Which meant it would make a whole lot of noise when opened. She let out a low growl through gritted teeth.
Now what?
After everything she’d gone through to get here, she wasn’t going to be stopped by a door, that was for sure. She stepped forward and pressed her ear against the surface. Silence. She put her hand on the handle. Just as she began to apply pressure, the sound of voices came from the other side. She dropped her hand as if she had been burned and switched off her flashlight.
The voices echoed, growing louder, accompanied by quick footsteps. She didn’t understand the language, though the accent and the few words she caught sounded Greek. She jumped away from the door, holding her breath.
After a glance down the stairs, she pressed herself against the wall, just beside the door. Taking the steps would only make noise, but if someone opened the door from the outside, it would swing inward and give her cover—until whoever it was closed it again.
For that, she hung her flashlight from her belt and gripped her knife tightly. She would have the element of surprise working in her favor, too. The voices became loud enough to be right outside the door.
Keep going, keep going…
Her heart pounded furiously in her ears. But instead of stopping and opening the door, they strode past, and the voices and their accompanying footsteps began to fade. Leila let out a long breath of relief. She waited a minute, making sure the voices were gone, then pushed down on the handle.
The door creaked as she pushed it open. It was heavy, making her use a bit more force than she’d expected. She gritted her teeth. If she wanted to draw attention to herself, then this was it. Hoping no one had heard, she slowly stuck her head out the door. The hallway was dimly lit by naked light bulbs that hung precariously from a thick overhead wire. Like the staircase, the walls were straight and the ceiling flat.
No one was in sight.
She stepped into the hall and eased the door shut, grimacing as it groaned. Not wanting to hang around until someone came to investigate the noise, she slunk down the hall at a slight crouch. Her gaze flicked over the ceiling. Were any security cameras watching? Knowing Faris, she wouldn’t be surprised if there were. In that case, he probably already knew she was here. She didn’t see anything in this hallway, but she was certain her luck would soon run out. With that thought, her mouth went dry.
Great. I’m never going to find Soliman at this rate.
What had she been thinking, coming here all by herself? Maybe turning around wasn’t such a bad idea, after all. She could swim back down the tunnel and back to the boat. But what good would that do? Then she could sit and cry some more.
Besides, she knew the risks in coming here. She might as well get as far as possible, no matter how much her fears tried to talk her out of it.
She slowed her steps as the hallway changed—steel doors now lined both sides. Curious, she tried one handle. Locked. She continued until she came to an intersection where she stopped and looked left and right. A map of this place would have been really nice. She ran her tongue over her teeth. She was overthinking this.
Voices and echoing footsteps reverberated from the hallway straight ahead. Leila swallowed a gasp, then darted to the right. She bounded down the corridor on the balls of her feet, praying no one would hear.
It was a dead end. Except to the left, where another metal door blocked any escape. The voices neared the intersection. With no other options, she tried the door and it swung open, revealing another staircase rising in front of her. She eased the door shut, leaving it open just a crack so the lock wouldn’t click, then took the stairs two at a time.
The door at the top was shut, but a quick push of the handle proved it to be unlocked. She inched it open and peered into a dark room. No sounds met her ears, and no movements disturbed the darkness. She slipped inside and softly shut the door behind her.
It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the hazy blue glow from one corner, which gave her enough light to make out two long tables in the center, dotted with microscopes and sample dishes. At the sight of a tray covered in pottery shards, she sucked in her breath.
She was standing in an archaeological lab.
With her mouth hanging open, she slowly crossed the room, examining the tables to make sure her eyes weren’t just playing tricks on her. No, those really were sample trays, and those shards really looked like pottery. It reminded her of Faris’s basement at his villa back in Egypt, only bigger.
After a moment of hesitation, she continued toward the door on the other side of the room. Her fingers itched to examine everything on those shelves and tables, but this wasn’t the time. At least she now knew what Faris was up to on this island—a secret lab, like some kind of James Bond movie villain.
