Eyebrows pinched, I tell her, “Everything.” I let go of her, looking down and running my hands through my hair. “Did we just fuck up, Scar?”
“No,” she huffs, and my eyes lift to hers, “we didn’t fuck up, Jagger. I have no regrets, if that’s what you’re thinking. Crew knows I have feelings for you. I’m not sure what those feelings mean, but they’re here and they’re real.”
Just like that, the weight on my chest feels lighter. “Come here.” I grab her by the hand and pull her body flush to mine. “I don’t know what any of this means either, but whatever happens, I’m all in.”
“You do realize, I have to tell him, right?”
“Yeah. I figured you would. And if you didn’t, then I probably would.”
She nods, biting the inside of her cheek.
“Are you worried?”
“Little bit,” she admits. “I do care about him a lot.”
My fingers intertwine with hers. “I know you do, and so do I.”
We start walking again, engaging in small talk about everything from the football game to Maddie, and when we approach the door to the secret room, our conversation shifts to the BCA Stalker—that’s the name we’ve decided to give him.
“So this is it?” she asks, referring to the door.
“Yep,” I say, eyes straight ahead.
“How do we get in?”
I take a few steps and run my fingers down the lock. “When Crew and I found it, we had someone come down and help with the lock. I assisted, so I was able to get the code to get in. After that night, we made a pact to stay out of here until we had a lead. If this person knows we’ve found their lair, they’re likely to respond. Could be a threat. Could be a dead body. Or it could be a trap that throws us off his trail.”
Scar side-eyes me, brow lifted. “But you came back, didn’t you?”
I start turning the dial to enter the combination. “You know me too well.”She’s watching intently and I’m sure it’s to memorize the combination. I also know her well.
Once the lock clicks, and I turn the handle, I look at Scar. “You sure you wanna do this?”
She nudges me out of the way and pushes the door open. “Hell yes.”
I follow behind her, patting my pockets for my phone. “Shit,” I grumble. “I think I forgot my fucking phone.”
Scar’s eyes widen, and she scoffs. “You what!”
“I was caught up in the moment at the house before we left, and I must’ve left it on the kitchen counter.”
“Dammit, Jagger. We’ll have no light. And what if we need to call for help?”
“No. We’ll be fine. Let’s just make this quick. See what you need to see and we’ll get the hell outta here.”
“How do you expect me to do that with no light? Once that door closes, I won’t even be able to see you.”
I rack my brain for the answer to that question, but the only thing I can come up with is for her to hold the door while I search for a flashlight, a lighter, or a candle. “Stay here,” I tell her, gesturing to where I stand. “Hold the door while I look around.”
Once she’s got the door, I move my hand and tread deeper into the room. There’s a beam of dim light that casts across a small space, but it doesn’t do much good since the shelves run along the walls. I keep straight ahead, reaching out so I don’t bump into something.
“Find anything yet?” Scar asks, her voice raised as I move farther and farther away from the door.
“Nothing yet.”
The slamming of a door has my eyes snapping to the left, right where the sound came from. “What the fuck was that?”
It was a definitely a door. There must be another one over there, possibly another entrance. Which would mean someone knows we’re here. It also means the tunnels don’t end here.