Ketch Me if You Can

Chapter 23

I turned the headlights off as I crept up the road the bunker used to sit on. There was a small grove of trees that sat across the street from the garage entrance, that's what I was aiming for as we rolled up to it. When I had the car positioned in the shadows, I shut it off and stared at the steering wheel. I had been gripping it tight the whole drive here, my white knuckles standing out against the black leather.

"Listen carefully, Elly." It wasn't meant to sound like an order, but I had little control over that now, "I'm going down there and find out what is going on. I'm going to save Gabe if I can. I'm going to find and..." I took a deep breath, the air hissing through my teeth, "Just stay here. Got it?"

"Got it." Elly repeated.

"Get into the driver's seat after I leave." I turned to her, looking at her for the first time since we'd headed out. "You get the fuck out of here if I don't come back."

She nodded, "Save myself first."

"Save yourself first." I agreed.

I turned in my seat, reaching into the back row to retrieve the small pack I'd brought with us. I pulled it into my lap and dug through it for one of the handguns I had tossed into it.

"I know you know how to use this." I passed it to Elly, "Safety here." I pointed at the small switch near the trigger and pushed it, "Off," then I pushed it from the other side, "On. Only take the safety off if you need to use it."

"I understand gun safety, Alex." She smiled slightly.

"I know. I just...don't need anything else to go wrong tonight." It ended in a whisper.

"I'll be ok." She said gently, her hand touching mine.

I nodded and looked away from her as I pulled my phone from my pocket and dialed Sam. "Has he moved?" I asked as soon as the line connected.

"No, the tracker is still there." He answered quickly, "Be careful."

I hung up and made sure it was on silent before shoving it back into my pocket. I took a deep breath, focusing my mind on what I needed to do, and not what I wanted to do before slipping from the car. I stood in the darkness, taking another deep breath before slinking towards the remains of the bunker. I took one look back to make sure Elly had done what I'd asked. I watched her wiggle into the driver's seat before continuing.

I walked carefully around the outside of the building, not daring to go through the garage entrance in case they were anywhere close. Instead, I walked around the bent metal structure until I found the door that had once led down the landing. It had been blown off its hinges, the bricks that decorated the wall around now blacked or falling out of their spots. I squeezed through the gap and tiptoed down the partially melted stairs, dodging weakened and brittle spots as best I could, until I was at the door that led out to the landing in the map room. I could hear voices as I got close to it.

"We need to keep moving." Nice to know he was still the one giving orders.

I looked through the gap between the door and the broken wall. He was there, pacing next to the charred remains of the map table itself. The chairs and bookshelves were ruined, some completely scorched and others disfigured beyond repair. Partially burnt books marked the incinerated floor like snowflakes on mud. The other two men stood off to the side, one on each side of a slumped figure with a bag over their head and hands tied together in front of them. Gabe, I assumed.

"They'll have tracked the damn thing by now." He continued. "We can ditch it here and move to the next location." He paused in his pacing, turning towards the door. I held my breath in the shadows. He couldn't see me, I was sure of that, it was too dark, but that hadn't stopped the beating in my chest. "Are you ready to move?"