<h4>Chapter 141: Chapter ONE HUNDRED AND FORTY ONE: Underground Fight</h4>


    Kendrick’s POV


    The air inside the vi basement was cold enough to sting my lungs. My boots echoed across the concrete as I moved ahead of Mason and Kelvin, each step heavier than thest. I didn’t know what I was expecting to find down here, but it definitely wasn’t going to be something good as Zain had called it a surprise.


    A strong metallic smell hit me first, and when I got close enough, I saw the figure of someone on the floor.


    The retired special forces soldier Gary had hired nowid sprawled on the dirty floor like a discarded object.


    Blood pooled around his head and soaked into his shirt, the deep crimson almost ck under the dim single bulb hanging from the ceiling. His eyes were still open but there was no sign of life in them.


    Kelvin cursed under his breath, Mason’s jaw clenched so tight I could see a vein pulsing from his temple.


    I stepped closer and crouched beside the body. His face was bruised, lips busted and nose broken. They didn’t just kill him, but severely tortured him instead.


    My anger only multiplied at this instant and I looked back at Mason with a frown.


    "Damn it..." Kelvin muttered. "He was just trying to help."


    "He didn’t deserve this," Mason added, voice low.


    "No," I replied, my voice barely above a whisper. "He didn’t."


    I reached out and gently closed the man’s eyes as it was the least I could do.


    For a moment, none of us spoke, not because we didn’t have anything to say, but because anger had locked itself inside our throats. This wasn’t just murder, this was Curtis mocking us. Telling us he was always one step ahead but I refused to let him stay ahead for long.


    "Let’s get out of here," I finally said. "There is nothing else in this basement."


    We walked up the stairs together, everyone outside was already returning to formation, ready to clear the rest of the vi before pulling back. I could feel the frustration radiating off Kelvin like heat from a fire. His breathing was loud and uneven, too angry for him to control. Then suddenly.... he snapped.


    Kelvin mmed his fist into the wall beside him with a loud crack that echoed through the entire hallway.


    "Damn it! They were fucking here! They were here and we missed them again!" he yelled, punching the wall a second time.


    But this time, something strange happened.


    The wall... shifted.


    A loud rumbling sound followed, like stone sliding over stone. Dust fell from the edges as an entire section of the wall slowly opened inward, revealing a dark, narrow stairway leading down into a hidden area beneath the vi.


    The three of us froze.


    "What the hell?" Mason muttered, walking toward it.


    Kelvin blinked at the newly opened passageway, his fist still pressed to the cracked surface. "I didn’t... I didn’t mean to open anything."


    "You just found their hideout," I said, adrenaline pulsing through my veins. "This is where they have been staying, they were never in the vi."


    The lights inside the vi suddenly flickered, and every officer turned toward us.


    "They are underground," Mason muttered. "Curtis must have built an entire system beneath the vi."


    I didn’t wait another second.


    "Everyone! Move in now!" I ordered.


    Guns were drawn, boots thundered across floors, and officers formed into clean tactical formation behind us. Kelvin grabbed a shlight and pointed it down the dark stairway.


    I inhaled and stepped into the darkness first.


    The air grew colder as we descended. The walls changed from concrete to smooth stone, and faint lights lit up along the corridor on motion sensors as we reached the bottom.


    Then I saw a massive underground living space, fully furnished and luxurious. There were couches, tables, a small kitchte and multiple doors leading into other rooms. It was like an entire house had been built beneath the earth.


    And right there, standing near the center were Curtis, Zain, Piper... and Christy tied to a chair.


    Her hands were bound, her face pale, hair messy and eyes swollen from crying, but she was alive.


    Alive.... That was the most important thing.


    Christy saw me and her breath hitched. She didn’t speak but the relief in her eyes nearly brought me to my knees.


    But Curtis and the others saw me too.


    "Attack!" he yelled and the room erupted into gunfire.


    Shots rang out, bullets ricocheting off metal and stone. The officers behind us ducked, returning fire. Mason dragged Kelvin back as bullets tore past us.


    Piper tried running to the right, firing wildly, while Zain grabbed a rifle and hid behind a pir.


    The sound of the gunshots were deafening.


    I shot at Curtis, but he rolled behind a couch, returning fire with deadly precision.


    "Spread out! Don’t let anyone escape!" Mason shouted.


    Celeste was crouched behind a table with a handgun, her hands shaking violently. She fired a shot blindly, nearly hitting Curtis instead of us.


    Then a bullet tore across the room from one of the officers.


    Celeste screamed loudly and there was a hint of desperation in her voice. I looked over and noticed that a bullet struck her in the stomach.


    She immediately dropped the gun and fell to the ground, clutching her abdomen as blood poured out from between her fingers.


    "No... No... no.. please!" she shrieked, voice breaking. "My baby! Somebody save my baby!"


    Mark and Callie heard her cry but instantly ducked behind another pir and sprinted for the exit door, not even ncing her way.


    Piper also ran, abandoning Celestepletely while pushing Zain forward to create a shield for herself.


    Celeste screamed after them, wing at the floor. "Callie! Mark! Help me! Please! My baby... my baby... "


    But they didn’t even slow down.


    Their screams echoed from above as they were held and restrained by the police officers outside.


    The shooting below continued, and the entire underground space was bing hazy with gunpowder.


    Curtis killed two officers, cold and precise, then screamed in frustration when he realized most of his men were dead or badly injured.


    Zain tried firing at me, but Kelvin shot him in the shoulder and he fell backward, howling in pain.


    "Zain! Get up!" Curtis yelled.


    But Zain was too busy clutching his bleeding shoulder.


    Christy whimpered in fear, and my chest tightened so hard I thought I might explode.


    I locked eyes with her for a few seconds and Curtis noticed.


    "If youe any closer, I will kill her!" he shouted, sprinting towards her.


    Before anyone could stop him, he grabbed Christy and pulled her up, pressing a gun hard against the side of her head.


    "Tell your men to drop their guns!" Curtis yelled, backing toward a hallway behind the underground living room. Zain staggered behind him, clutching his wound, and Piper limped after them.


    "Don’t make me repeat myself, Kendrick!" Curtis screamed. "If anyone moves, she dies!"


    Christy’s terrified eyes locked onto mine, silently begging me not to let him take her again.


    My breathing stopped and my vision blurred with rage.


    Curtis smirked when he saw my expression. "Don’t worry... I just need her long enough to get out of here..after that? Maybe I will keep her.. "


    "Curtis!" I yelled, my fists shaking uncontrobly.


    "Shut up!" he snapped, digging the gun harder into her skull. "Move, and I swear she dies here."


    He seemed to have finally snapped and also realized that there was no way he could have her, so now he has resulted to wanting to kill her since he couldn’t get her.


    Every muscle in my body burned and my instincts screamed at me to tear him apart.


    But Christy was right there and he had a gun to her head.


    Mason stepped forward slightly, and Curtis pointed the gun toward him. "I said don’t move!"


    Zain pushed Curtis slightly. "We need to go now, we are losing... "


    "Shut up!" Curtis barked at him. "Just get to the exit tunnel!"


    This wasn’t desperation, I noticed that he was still thinking and nning.


    Curtis dragged Christy toward the narrow corridor that likely led to another escape route.


    Three of his remaining men were dead while Celeste was bleeding out on the floor, crying and begging God to save her unborn baby.


    Mark and Callie had been captured above and Zain was injured while Piper was shaking violently.


    Curtis was cornered but still smiling like he had already won.


    My voice came out cold, deadly, and steady.


    "Curtis... if you hurt her, I will bury you with my bare hands."


    Heughed like a maniac.


    "Oh, Kendrick... you will watch me walk out with her, and there’s nothing you can do."


    Then he stepped backward with Christy, Zain and Piper following behind him, disappearing into the tunnel as the door began to slide shut. My blood turned to ice.


    "No!" Kelvin shouted, sprinting forward.


    But the heavy steel door mmed shut, sealing Christy away from us.


    Sealing her with them... Sealing her with Curtis.


    My heart punched against my ribs with so much force that made my vision blur.


    Mason touched my shoulder but I pulled away.


    This wasn’t over, we must find a way to get them.