Chapter 7 · The Curse Under His Skin

Cole's hand closes around my wrist before Rena can say another word.

"We're leaving," he mouths. No sound. Just his lips shaping the words and his eyes locked on the door.

I don't argue. The man's blood is still warm on the floor. I can smell it. Copper and fear and something else—something that makes my stomach twist. The kid inside me kicks hard, like she knows.

Rena grabs a pack from under the sink. "There's a basement exit. Two blocks west, there's a shipping container yard. No one uses it after dark."

"How do you know they're not watching it?" I ask.

She doesn't answer. Just shoves the pack into Cole's free hand and opens a floor panel I didn't even know was there. "Go. I'll clean up here and send word if I hear anything."

Cole pulls me toward the hole. I want to thank her. I want to ask if we'll see her again. But he's already lowering me down into the dark, and Rena's face disappears as she slides the panel shut above us.

The tunnel smells like wet stone and old cigarettes. My shoes squelch in something I don't want to think about.