Reckless Regrets
Chapter 54

Marisol

It had been twenty minutes since Tyson had left Gabby and me, and I was well past nervous at this point. We were on the third floor, so it wasn’t that far to get to the basement, yet we hadn’t heard the signal yet.

“Maybe we missed it? I’ve been listening really hard, but with this guy screaming like someone is shoving needles under his fingernails, it’s almost impossible to hear anything else,” Gabby stated.

“I don’t think we missed it, babe. Something is wrong; I can feel it. Maybe there was a guard at the bottom, and he got caught. I don’t know, but it shouldn’t take this long.”

If Tyson was caught, life for the two of us was about to get ten times worse. Once Matilda found out that we were trying to escape, she’d do everything on her power to make us miserable. The flow of customers to my room would be never-ending, and they would tear my body apart; I had no doubt in my mind about that.

We had to try and make it out. I had a copy of the warlock’s spell, and Tyson had told us that there were tunnels somewhere in the basement. As long as our trackers continued to work, the guys back at home could replace us and get us back to our families. We’d never get another opportunity; it was now or never.

“Get in the duct, we’re leaving,” I told Gabby.

“What are you talking about? We don’t know what happened to Tyson, and we can’t make it without him. What if we get lost or caught?”

“And what if none of that happens, or what if he’s dead?! I can’t stay here any longer, Gabs. I’ve got to get out, and this is our only shot. If something did happen to Tyson, at least let’s not make all of his hard work go to waste. Let’s go home,” I pleaded.

Gabby looked terrified, but I couldn’t leave her. We had to stick together if we were going to survive this, and I needed her with me more than my next breath.

“Okay, let’s go,” she whispered.

I pulled her into a tight hug, then climbed onto the chair and put my feet in the hole.

“Let me get about one floor down, then come behind me, alright?”

“Alright. Be careful, Mari,” she replied.

I pressed my hands and feet as firmly as I could against the metal and began to work my way down slowly. Within thirty seconds, my forearms, feet, and calves were burning from the strange strain I was putting on the muscles, but I’d gone too far to stop now.

I heard Gabby enter the duct and looked up to see that she’d pressed her back against the side and was using her feet to stay firmly in place while she lowered herself down. Why hadn’t I thought if that? I looked like a terrified koala with trembling limbs and poor balance, and she was coming down gracefully and effortlessly.

I continued to struggle downward, but regretfully, I wasn’t paying attention to what I was doing because I slid my toe over a bent piece of metal, and it sliced me right open. The shock and pain made me cry out and lose my grip simultaneously, so when I began the free fall to the bottom, I knew there was nothing I could do. I just hoped Gabby could still make it because I was a few seconds from being a broken bag of bones.

I shut my eyes and listened to the wind whip past my ears until I landed with a hard thud.

“You truly are a Troublemaker. I didn’t call for you yet, and you’re bleeding,” I heard Tyson say.

I opened my eyes to see that I’d not only made it to the bottom, but I’d landed right in his arms.

“Thank the goddess above! I thought you were dead,” I said as I wrapped my arms around his neck.

“Have a little more faith in me than that; we just ran into a snag,” he replied.

It was then that I saw the big guy in the corner, or more accurately, I saw his neon green eyes shining in the darkness. My body tensed, and if I could have, I would have climbed into Tyson’s chest, anything to get me away from those eyes.

“Calm down, Troublemaker. He’s not going to hurt you. That’s Blaze, and he’s going with us,” Tyson told me.

“What is he?” I asked.

“I’m a dragon darlin’. Sorry about the eyes, they freak a lot of people out,” he said when a small laugh.

“It’s alright,” I replied.

“Now that that’s settled, maybe you can let go of my neck so I can put you down,” Tyson said.

“Right! Sorry!”

I hopped down and stepped behind Tyson’s back. He may have trusted the dragon, but I only trusted him and Gabby, so for now, I’d keep my distance. Tyson looked up into the duct and saw Gabs still shimmying down.

“Just let go, and I’ll catch you. We’ve got to get a move on,” he told her.

It took a few seconds, probably for her to get her nerve built back up, but soon Gabby fell from the ceiling and landed safely in Tyson’s arms.

“You’re alive! Don’t scare me like that; we thought you were gone,” she said as she too wrapped her arms around his neck.

“What’s wrong with you two? I take a few minutes longer than planned, and you automatically assume I’m dead? Do you not know who the hell I am?” Tyson asked us.

“All I know is that I hate this place. It’s terrible,” she replied.

“Well, aren’t you sweet as a spring rose?” Blaze said to Gabby.

Clearly, he found her attractive, but those creepy-a*s eyes again did him in because Gabby’s only response was a squeal before she tried to climb onto Tyson’s back.

“If you’re coming with us, you’ve got to stop scaring the ladies, please,” Tyson stated.

“I sincerely apologize, ladies; I promise I didn’t mean no harm,” Blaze replied.

That accent of his was like warm honey, and it immediately softened me up. I could listen to this man all night long and probably not know one thing he was talking about.

Gabby must have felt it too because she timidly climbed down from Tyson’s back and poked her head around to get a better look at Blaze.

“Gabby, this is Blaze, the guy I told you ladies about who gave us our exit route. Is it alright if he comes with us?” Tyson asked.

“Do you trust him?” she asked.

“Yes, I trust him.”

“Okay, that’s all I need then. He can come,” Gabby stated.

“Thank you kindly, Miss Gabby,” Blaze said, oozing southern charm.

“Cut the s**t, I know what you’re doing, and we don’t have time for that right now,” Tyson snapped.

Blaze chuckled in the corner but put his hands up in surrender. When Tyson was sure that both Gabby and I were set, he walked further into the basement until we came upon an old iron gate.

“I’m guessing this is the entrance. It’s going to be dark, and we don’t want to use flashlights to give ourselves away, so stay close to me. Grab onto my shirt and don’t let go,” he ordered us.

We both held on then Tyson looked over to Blaze.

“You got some sunglasses or something? Those eyes of yours might at well be headlights,” he said.

Blaze blinked a few times, and the neon green was muted to almost brown.

“I’ve got three sets of eyelids; it’s uncomfortable as hell, but this should work,” Blaze announced.

Creepy!

“Yeah, it works. Alright, guys, let’s go home,” Tyson said before he ripped the gate from its hinges and stepped into the darkness.

***

Tyson

Blaze was an a*****e for popping up the way he did and demanding that I let him come along, but knowing what I knew about him, I couldn’t replace it in myself to leave him. I’d already turned a blind eye to whatever would happen to Matilda; I couldn’t leave him and those eggs behind.

And thank God I was standing where I was when Marisol dropped from the f*****g ceiling. As fast as she was moving, she would have broken plenty of bones, and with a suppressed wolf, she would have suffered for days before she was either found or died.

These damn women didn’t listen to anything; unless when Blaze said it. We moved through the darkness smoothly before we came up to some old stairs that lead to an unknown location down below. Blaze had been told that it was lower than the basement where I’d replace the tunnels, so I took it as a sign and started down.

“We could be walking to our deaths!” Troublemaker whispered behind me.

“You’re more than welcome to go back to the room if you want, but I’m going home,” I replied.

I could imagine the eye roll I probably got that was thankfully hidden by the dark. She knew she was safe with me, even in this place. When we finally reached the bottom of the staircase, the temperature was at least thirty degrees cooler than it had been in the basement. Since we were in the desert, that meant that for the first time in days, I wasn’t sweating to death.

This had to be the way.

My head began to buzz, and soon I saw the soft purple haze cloud my vision. We must have been close to the magical barrier because soon Blaze, Gabby, and Marisol, were doubled over in pain, holding on to their stomachs and heads.

I pulled the group back about ten feet from the magical fence and took a breath. I had an idea and just hoped it would work.

“Stay here and hold on. I’ll be right back,” I told Marisol before I scooped up Gabby and held her close to my chest.

“Hold on tight, my powers should protect you, but you might still feel a little sick,” I told her.

She wrapped her arms around my neck and rested her head on my shoulder. Once she was settled, I decided just to run to safety. I took off in the dark and ran for what seemed like forever before the buzzing started to die down, and I could see clearly again. I then sat Gabby on her feet to check her over.

“How do you feel?” I asked.

“I’m definitely going to throw up, but I’ll survive,” she replied.

“Stay here and try to shift as soon as you can. You’ll need your wolf and her heightened senses to make it to the end.”

Jogging back to get Marisol, Matt spoke up in my ear.

“That was three miles, man. I don’t know if it’s just the tunnels that have that type of security or what, but that’s insane to have a three-mile magical barrier in place,” he said.

“I’m going to need to be carted out of here when this is all over,” I replied.

“Why don’t you shift? Let your bear do the hard work?”

“Because I can’t communicate with them in bear form. Once I’ve gotten everyone to the other side, I’ll gladly let him take over.”

I finally made it to Marisol and took a deep breath before lifting her up and making my second six-mile round trip. Thankfully cardio was always part of my workout, and the ladies weighed next to nothing, or we would have been screwed. When we made it over, we found Gabby in her wolf form, already patiently waiting.

“Once you’re ready, shift. I’ve got to go figure out how to get Blaze across,” I told her.

“Good luck.”

As I made my way back, my mind was racing. There was no f*****g way I was carrying Blaze as I’d done with the girls. His a*s was walking, and that was final. Then I remembered the spell and was glad I was over-prepared. I knew my obsessive planning was for a reason. When I reached him, he was casually leaning against the wall, waiting.

“Can you see in the dark? You’re going to have to read this spell to get past the magic. I don’t know how strong it is or how well it works, but it’s looking like your only way out,” I told him.

“I can’t use dark magic. I told you warlocks use my scales in that s**t all the time, how can I justify using a spell when I’ve always been against every aspect of the craft?” he asked.

“Blaze, I don’t have time for your beliefs or moral compass right now. This spell is the only way you’re getting out, so make a decision quickly. I can’t leave the girls for too long, and I want to go home.”

“If a spell is the only way, then it wasn’t meant for me to be free just yet. Take this and go on without me. I’ll see you soon, and I’ll even bring the bourbon,” he said while passing me a heavy sack.

I didn’t have time to see what was inside; that would have to wait until we got out.

“Are you sure about this? Once I leave, I’m not coming back,” I warned.

“I’m positive. Tell that pretty Miss Gabby goodbye for me. Hopefully, I’ll see her again soon too.”

He turned and began to jog back the way we came, and I just hoped that he would be able to get back to the prison and into his room without being detected. But I didn’t have time to dwell on it. Blaze was a big boy; if he’d gotten out of his room, he could get back in.

I shifted into my bear and placed the sack in my mouth then made the journey through the barrier one last time. When I reached the ladies, both had shifted and were waiting for me.

I continued at a light jog with them following close behind and could smell the dried dirt and cacti in the desert. We were close to the end; I just had to keep going and hope that Aires and Henry could get to us before anyone in The Badlands knew we were gone.

I was almost there.