Page 97 of Reset

There was no getting past it, he had to ask. “Are you guys real?”

“How about I punch you and you can see how real it feels?” Megan asked with a smile.

That was more like her.

Lake crouched down in front of him. “Are you hurt?”

Ryan’s brain was still trying to fathom whether this was all a mirage or not. “How did you know where to find me?”

There was shuffling in the darkness as the baby arseholes who’d stolen from him came into view. “Never mind. I can see how you found me. Pretend you never heard me asking if you were real. I was having an existential moment.”

Dimitri’s hand clamped on his shoulder. “Did you hit your head again because that’s an awful big word you just used.”

“Are you injured?” Lake asked again, holding out a bottle of water, which Ryan gratefully took.

“Scrapes. Bruises.” He took a long drink, reveling in the feeling of the icy cold water as it slid down his throat. “We need to get back to Sarah. There was a cave-in and she’s trapped.”

“Is she injured?” Lake asked, his intense gaze demanding clarity.

It was the anchor Ryan needed, and he answered as he would an army superior. “I don’t know. We were separated when the ceiling came down, and she didn’t reply when I called.”

“How far from here are we talking?”

“About three hours at a jog. It’s just a guess though. I didn’t have any way to tell the time after those bastards stole my phone. With your flashlights, though, we can make it in less time.” A thought occurred to him. “Elle tracked my phone, didn’t she?” He looked at the teens. “Guess you weren’t fast enough getting rid of it.”

“If it’s any consolation”—Megan patted his arm—”they peed themselves when we politely asked for it back.”

“It’s a small consolation, but I’ll take it.” He looked back at Lake. “There’s a lot of rubble between us and Sarah. The ceiling is still unstable, and there was debris coming down when I left. I’d have tried to dig her out, but I knew it’d make things worse. I considered trying to find another tunnel that joined with the one she’s in, but I didn’t want to get lost down here. All that would have achieved was both of us dead. The only option was to try and find help.” He swallowed hard, then cleared his throat. “I had to leave her there.”

“You did the right thing.” Lake handed him a protein bar.

As hungry as he was, Ryan wasn’t sure he could eat. “It doesn’t feel like it.”

“Then trust me. You did the right thing.” Lake stood, glancing at the boys before talking to Ryan. “Describe where Sarah is to these two. If they know of another way to get to her, I want to hear about it.”

When Ryan described the graffiti they’d been following, the boys shared a worried look.

“You followed the wrong color,” Le Chat said. “I told you to follow red.”

“Well, it’s hard to tell colors apart in candlelight.”

Le Chat winced. “We don’t use the tunnel you mention. It is unstable.”

“No shit, Sherlock,” Megan drawled.

“There were warning signs.” Le Chat looked at The Pit for confirmation, and he nodded.

“Again. Hard to see much with just one small candle,” Ryan gritted out.

Lake handed him another protein bar, probably to get his focus off killing the teens.

“Is there another way to get to Sarah?” Lake asked them.

The two boys had a spitfire conversation in their native language that Ryan couldn’t follow, making him wish the coma had given him a gift for languages. But nope, he got the ability to measure distance without a ruler and the urge to read thrillers. He was beginning to think that nothing good came out of being shot in the head.

“It’s worth a try,” Lake said to the teens, because of course, he spoke fluent French. “Apparently, there’s another passage above us. One that crosses over the tunnel where Sarah is trapped. There are access points between the two. One may lead to Sarah.”

Ryan’s hands began to shake with relief that they had a plan. A chance to get to her.