Then another explosion went off, sending large pieces of stone scattering through the air. Men were shooting at us from all angles. We never slowed our pace, shooting back at them as we pushed forward.
Time was of the essence.
I reloaded my gun on the move while Jimin and Lev covered me, shooting back at the bastards.
“These men are raining bullets on us,” Jimin spit out. “We’ll never make it inside like this.”
There were four doors - each leading to a separate building.
“Which building?” Jin yelled.
“We split up.” I glanced at the men in the group. “Two each. If you find any prisoners, take them back to the boats. The minute you find my wife radio me, and we get the fuck out of here.”
“Jimin and I are coming with you,” Lev volunteered.
“Okay.” I turned to Nash and Jin. “Can you two lead the others?”
No questions. No delays. We all ran in different directions.
I powered through the door furthest to the left. The moment I entered, I could see the building was in worse shape than I originally thought. There were two floors, but half of the steps were missing, and I didn’t think the explosion took them out.
I shared a glance with Lev. “Basement it is,” I muttered.
We continued down the dark hallway leading us deeper into the cellar. It was damp, the smell of blood, urine, and mold filling the air. The rough, stone walls made the hallway appear smaller than it was. Or maybe our big frames didn’t belong here, both of us having to bend our heads to fit through certain sections.
When we came to the end of the hallway, we saw a single iron door that resembled a cage from the old gladiator days.
With each step we took closer, the whimpers grew louder. The three of us shared a look, our guns ready in our hands.
One step. Another. And another.
It was then that I saw them. Huddled in the dark. A group of five women, hiding in the darkest corner of the room. The stench was unbearable.
“Fuck,” I hissed. This was bad.
“Turn your back to the door,” I told them. When none of them moved, I repeated in Spanish. A fleeting shared glance and they obeyed.
Jimin put the little explosive on the door. The three of us stepped away and took cover. Boom.
It was strong enough to break away the lock on the door. We rushed through it. I roamed through every face, looking for the blue eyes that stole my heart. It wasn’t here.
“She’s not here.” Jimin reflected my thoughts. “Take the women out of here.”
“Jungkook, it’s a dead end. You can’t stay here. You’ll get yourself killed,” Jimin attempted to reason. But leaving without her wasn’t an option.
“I’m not leaving without her,” I gritted. “I’ll check the south end of the building. You two get the women out of here.”
Lev didn’t look too good. The usually unmoving cold Russian had sweat beading on his temples. He didn’t need another prompt, he started to urge women towards the door. He was a scary motherfucker, and in his state, I wasn’t sure whether he was scaring them even more.
A tug on my sleeve and I stilled, then lowered my gaze.
A woman, about five foot tall, stood in front of me, fear clear on her battered face. She couldn’t be more than twenty, her odd colored eyes staring at me.
She pointed to the southern wall and I followed her finger, but didn’t get what she was trying to say. My eyes flicked to Jimin, wondering if he maybe saw something I couldn’t. He just shrugged his shoulders.
“White hair,” she rasped and my back tensed. She pointed to the same spot. Was Y/n here? I couldn’t see anyone.
I strode towards the area. The corner was empty. But it was then that I spotted it. The crack in the wall. I glanced over my shoulder and met the young girl’s eyes. She nodded.
“Gracias.” An acknowledgment nod. “Jimin, help your brother and take the women to safety. I’ll continue here.”
“You can’t-”
“I didn’t ask you what I can do,” I gritted. I’d find Y/n, dead or alive. Leaving without her wasn’t an option. “Take the women to safety. If I don’t make it back, I made arrangements. Nash will stay with Nevio. Lev already gave me his word he’d take him.”
Freya and Lev would care for him as if Nevio was their own.
Jimin’s jaw tightened. He didn’t agree with my decision.
He wouldn’t understand it until he found his own woman.
“Going home without her body isn’t an option,” I told him.
“What is it with all of you going all crazy stupid over your women,” he muttered, then he flashed me a grin. “You better be back. Because our boat is not leaving without you.”
I pulled another detonator out, then pushed it against the door. Jimin hustled out with Lev and the women, urging them towards the entrance. As the last one left the room, the explosion blasted and shook the walls of the building.
I was running out of time. We might end up buried here if I had to use one more detonator. As the dust settled, I could see the path down another hallway. Darker. More ominous.
I reloaded my magazine, then stepped through the debris and stones. The moment I stepped into the space, I could see there are doors on each side of the wall. The cold stone hallway was a lot bigger on this side, every so often opening to a wider space where more cells were housed.
Some empty cells. Others were full of dead bodies.
Lifeless eyes of young women. Lives cut short.
“Reina?” I roared. I could feel the numbness filling me, the old fear of losing something precious growing with each step I took. Then I reached another set of stairs.
Leading further down into the dirt.
Into hell.
How fucking appropriate!
I took the spiraling steps, taking me further and further down into the pits of darkness and hell. The dust and mold seemed heavier down here. The scent of blood overpowered all other smells.
It was when I reached the bottom step that I finally saw her.
My black heart stopped beating.
All the air released from my lungs in a rush. It was right there and then that I knew, I was nothing without her. I couldn’t live without her. I’d burn down this motherfucking world for her.
She was chained, facing the wall, her platinum blonde hair barely recognizable. Dirt and blood stained it now.
That hair that usually shined like platinum gold hung loosely down her back, parts of it stuck against her skin, hiding some of her whipped and bloodied back.
The pain that slashed through me was as deep as those whip marks on her back.
Please, don’t let me lose her, I prayed for the first time in a long time to all the Saints my mamma kept praying to.
My wife hung, spread eagle, with her arms and legs chained, her clothes shredded to unrecognizable rags. Her pale skin was a canvas of dirt, bruises, and blood. Her head hung loose, like that of a broken angel.
Her arms, back, and legs were covered in gashes, and at this moment I felt them as if they were my own. I fucking wished they were so she’d be spared. She hadn’t moved.
Her body was deathly still. Too motionless. I closed the distance between us.