Chapter 23

Holly woke, her shoulder stiff and her cheek sore. Moaning, she rolled over into a sitting position and gently touched her face, finding it tender. She supposed that’s what happened when one had been slammed face first into a wall.

As she stood, her head throbbed a little bit as she pulled on her pants. Considering she’d slept underground, on a bed made of rock and a thin mattress, she found herself surprised by how rested she felt.

Running her fingers through her hair, she sighed. The guilt still ate at her, and tears stung at the thought of her brother’s murder. A sob escaped her throat and she angrily brushed aside the tears tracking down her cheeks. She would mourn him later, but right now, she needed to get busy and clear her name and find her brother’s killer.

Last night, a thought had niggled at her—what if when she found him, she didn’t turn him over to the police? What if she took him out in the middle of the desert and just shot the bastard herself? Would she have the stomach to kill another human being?

She didn’t know. However, the thought of a long, drawn-out trial made her sick to her stomach. She couldn’t imagine sitting through days, possibly weeks, of testimony, of people coming forward to vouch for the son of a bitch. She’d never been one for violence, but maybe in this case, an eye for an eye would be justice. Besides, with the way he talked about his ‘master,’ he’d probably just end up in a mental institution anyway. She couldn’t find it in her heart to see that as a fitting punishment for what he’d done. He deserved death.

She opened the door and walked out into the main room. An MRE sat on the table, along with a note. She picked it up.

Enjoy breakfast. I’ll be back shortly, and we’ll figure out our plan of action. Justice.

As she ate the bread and cheese spread, she looked around the place. The silence seemed almost deafening, but she didn’t feel the need to talk to break it. In fact, she found it somewhat comforting.

Never in a million years would she have guessed that she would ever be in one of these bunkers. She tried to imagine the people who would inhabit this place if needed. Politicians or people with a bunch of money, she guessed. People who someone in society deemed important. With the stock of MREs, she considered how long people could survive down here.

She glanced over at the door she’d noticed the night before and wondered where it led. Hell, she had ventured this far into the bunker, she might as well see the whole thing.

Standing, she padded over to the door, her feet cool on the concrete. She tried to turn the knob, but found it locked. Maybe Justice had a key?

She returned to the table.

Justice sure hadn’t revealed much of himself to her last night, but then again, she’d kind of taken up the spotlight with her news. Her heart felt light with gratitude that he’d agreed to help her, and wondered where he’d gone this morning. She read the note over again and didn’t find any indication.

And why had he told her to call him Justice? She wondered what his first name could be. She’d been certain he’d introduced himself as Lieutenant Justice, so maybe he’d been in the military for so long that he just went by his last name. Or maybe he just hated his first name. In the long run, did any of it matter?

Sighing, she supposed she’d just sit tight until he got back. Maybe he’d gone to talk to his superiors. The thought made her nervous because she knew the right thing to do would be to turn herself in and try to convince someone that she told the truth. She hoped Justice hadn’t gone to talk to his boss because anyone with even a mediocre sense of right and wrong would think exactly that.

It occurred to her to get in her car and run again. But to where? She’d be in the exact same position as she’d been in yesterday.

No, she’d stay and put her trust in Justice.

“Don’t let me down,” she said into the empty space, her own voice startling her as it broke through the silence.

She finished her MRE and grimaced, wishing she had a big steak and a pile of mashed potatoes instead because these things were nasty.