10
Istare at Ryker’s arm as he holds it out to me like a gentleman would on a date. Chewing on my bottom lip anxiously, I loop my arm into his and let him lead me out of the room.
He said he would wait until Sunday, but I don’t believe it.
“Just a walk, Sugar,” he says, as if reading my mind. “Nothing more.”
He closes the door behind him, and we walk down the hallway. This time we go to the opposite side that led us to the kitchen and follow a long corridor that seems to go on forever. There are identical doors on the right side of the wall, but none on the left.
At the end of the hallway there is a split, and Ryker guides me to the left.
“Wow, this place is huge,” I murmur.
Ryker says nothing and eventually stops at a door. My heart races and my stomach churns with fear of the unknown.
He opens the door, and I half expect to find some kind of torture room behind it. Instead, I find something I wouldn’t have guessed in a million years.
We step into a vast space, probably the size of half a football field. There is a running track along the walls, and an open gym in the center. The enormous area is completely underground, no windows, only concrete.
“We’re in a bunker,” Ryker explains.
“Oh, that makes sense. I figured we were somewhere underground.” Hope falters. We’re in a bunker, not a basement, which means there is most likely only one way out.
“The military built it in the fifties, but they sold it to some millionaire prepper who renovated it to prepare for the end of the world.”
“As you do,” I say sarcastically, as we amble down the track.
“Pretty, smart, and funny. I like it,” he flirts, and I can’t help but smile.
How can this feel so normal? How can I smile knowing I’m talking to my killer?
“It’s the perfect hideout,” I point out. “No one will find you here.” Or me. No one will come to save me. I must save myself.
“Yeah. Apart from being underground, this place is out in the middle of nowhere.”
Oh great.
My chances of getting out of here alive are dwindling down with every new revelation.
“How is your wrist?” Ryker changes the subject.
“It’s throbbing a bit but not really hurting much.”
“We got more pain meds if it gets too bad. You don’t have to worry about Derik coming back. We locked him in his room.”
“Thanks.”
We walk in silence for a short while and I let all the questions I want to ask him run through my mind. Who is Delilah? How is he going to kill me? Why is he waiting until Sunday?
Of course, I can’t really voice any of those questions, so I think of something Icanask.
“Where is Hunter?”
“Just dealing with some stuff,” he keeps his answer vague. “Don’t worry, he didn’t leave. You’ll see him tonight.”
“How do you know the other guys? You seem close. I didn’t read…” I trail off.
“You didn’t read anything in my file about them?” Ryker finishes the sentence for me. “You can’t put everything about me in a folder.”