Chapter 27: Chapter 27

A few minutes after, Nadia left her room to scout the hallways before going back to get Angel. She quickly picked up some leftover food for him including the vodka with the disposable phone and the pen and paper he said he needed.

The two skittered down the stairs to the experimentation room, dodging the guards and Angel went inside alone. He hurriedly grabbed the Needle driver, Tissue forceps, Scissors, needle and thread, and put them in the polythene bag that Nadia’s Nana got for her. He then saw about six pairs of cargo pants hung by a side rail and took one pair and wore them

Stuffing the items he took inside the pockets, he went back outside to join Nadia. She gave him a warm smile when she saw he had found a pair of new pants. The two found their way down the last flight of stairs and down to the basement.

Angel breathed easy when they got inside the secret passage. Sniffing the stuffy air, he muttered, "you are right, nobody has been here for a while, I could only perceive your scent."

"Told you," she said. He reached for her hand to draw her close and Nadia showed him the two exit tunnels. When Angel started to walk towards the one she had not yet explored, she stopped him.

"Darling, there might be bats!"

Angel grinned. His heart constricted at the endearment. "Are you scared of bats?" he teased.

"Angel, there might be like a whole colony of them there!"

"Don't worry I will protect you..." he replied, continuing to grin at her. She rolled her eyes. He chuckled, pulling her close, he urged her to the path. His eyes caught a wall recess just about seven feet up the wall beside a medieval sconce; a flaming medieval torch mounted on the walls. The antique-looking flaming torches lined the entire length of the framing walls. Angel decided to hide the drink, food and medical stuff in the wall. He gestured to Nadia to pass them to him and she did.

Shepherding her forward, Nadia saw two big rats ahead and halted her strides. Without warning, Angel lifted her up into his arms, and Nadia immediately draped one arm across his broad shoulders. She swallowed when her eyes lowered to his bulging pectorals. She thought she would never stop admiring how magnificent he looked naked like a sculpted perfection of a male form.

"Hold on to me, princess," he rasped. Nadia gave him a playful slap on the shoulder. He chuckled and continued to walk farther into the tunnel.

Soon enough they saw the iron gate ahead – shrouded and intertwined with vines. Nadia made the mistake of looking up and saw bats lining the high walls.

"Angel…" she whispered with apprehension, burying her face against his shoulder. Angel looked up and smiled.

"I got you, baby," he whispered close to her ear. When he raised his face with his lips hovering over hers, she peered into his beautiful eyes. Angel returned her scrutiny and watched as she closed the gap between their lips and kissed him..

Angel groaned, kissing her back. The sound echoed in the enclosed space.

"I told you to wear a dress," he grumbled. Nadia giggled softly. "The key?" he asked and she placed it in his hand.

Angel shifted her in his arms, making her wrapped around him as he slotted in the key and turned it. It creaked and opened.

Angel tried to push it out gently but the vines held it steady. "Move to my back," he said and she shifted from his front to his back. Wrapping her arms around his neck. Angel then pushed the door open. Nadia could feel his rippling muscle bulging under her arms. She pressed hard against his back, drawing in his scent.

Angel used his hand to make a clearing as they stepped out, walking deeper into the woods. He noted how dense it seemed like they were in an untouched zone. He turned around scanning the area and with his height, he could see the house in the far distance. His heart thudded.

"Where do you think it would lead to if we keep going?" Angel asked.

"I don't know but we can explore. If you are up to it," Nadia replied. "This is my first time here…" She paused and added, "We may not get any other chances, Angel," she whispered.

"My thoughts exactly."

"What about what you need to do in the .. um … pit?"

"We will make it fast. I have a hunch about this and it looks like something we shouldn't pass off…"

"Okay, let's do this…" she said.

"Hold on to me," Angel warned and started to move ahead. The weather was chilly but Nadia was pretty warmed up holding on to Angel. She hated that he was shirtless and wore no shoes. The ground was covered with dead woods, thorns and layers of snow; she imagined the agony he must be in. Tears welled in her eyes.

"I'm fine, Nadia," Angel said, feeling her anguish.

"Aren't you cold, baby, and your feet?"

"Don't worry. I'm good," he replied, concentrating on the path. If she wasn't with him, Angel would have shifted into a wolf and explored faster but he didn't know if she was ready to see him in that form yet and he didn't want to scare her into running from him.

Nonetheless, he was able to use his strength and speed to cover enough ground. And then they got to a grassy hill---although dusted with snow---Angel could see another house in the plain, and an armed guard up the security tower. The security house was built like a lighthouse but about fifty meters from the ground up and had a helipad above.

"We are neighbours now, we should be able to conduct our business easily..." something Alexander Miller said sometime back when he visited Antonio Rufus resounded in his head. "I have some toys I would like to show you." The image of the blond-haired man appeared in his head and he recalled the scene at the house. Antonio Rufus had made them stand aside like some tamed guard dogs for his friend to see. Angel had wished he could rip them both apart and now he was glad Antonio Rufus had done that.

He thought if the house up ahead was Alexander Miller's house, he had found where he would get his explosives from. His lips stretched in a smile. He let Nadia slip down his back and she came to stand by his side. He pulled her close to his body.

"Do you know whose house that is?" Angel said.

"No," Nadia replied, "whose is it?"

"Alexander Miller."

"That name sounds familiar…"

"It should. He was a good friend of your family..." Angel said with a mocking edge to his voice.

Nadia raised her eyes to look up into his face. Even though she could not see his eyes clearly in the dark, she could read the resentment in his voice.

"I am right here with you, Angel…" Nadia said, feeling and sounding vulnerable. Angel sighed. He framed the side of her face and lowered his head to kiss her again.

They returned to the house via the same route and Angel retrieved his stashed items. When they reached the other exit, leading to the pit, Nadia dipped her hand into the pocket of her Jean, brought out the two keys and pressed them into his hand. Angel lowered his eyes to meet hers.

"Can you keep them safe?" she asked, giving him a meaningful look.

Angel felt his heart constricted. ‘She was trusting him with the keys?!’ He slowly nodded.

She then removed the disposable phones from her pocket, the pen and the pieces of paper she folded in her shirt with the transparent bag and gave them to him. Angel's eyes darted in their sockets.

"There are unlimited minutes on them so you can use them as long as you want…" she reached for his large hand and wrote her phone number on his palm. When he raised her eyes he arched an eyebrow at her. "It's my phone number, in case ... you know … you need me for anything," she added. He nodded.

When she drew back from him, awkwardly folding her arms against her chest, he pulled her close and gave her a fervent kiss. Nadia clung to him and tears streamed down her face. "Please, be careful…" she whispered against his lips. He nodded.

He then allowed her to step back. He unlocked the gate, waited and slipped out. Nadia squared her shoulders and turned to find her way back to her room.