Page 40 of Reset

“I’ll think about it.” She stuck her nose in the air as she entered the tunnel he’d indicated. “It will cost you though.”

“I like a woman who doesn’t shy away from blackmail,” he teased.

Sarah grinned at him before eyeing the tunnel. “This one is single file only. Do you want to go first?” She batted her lashes at him. “That way you’ll have something between you and the rats.”

“Not funny.” Although, he’d never admit it was also tempting. “On you go.”

They walked single file, Ryan behind Sarah, who carried the light. The candle they’d been using was long gone, snuffed out in the run from the rodent horde. They didn’t stop to light another, aware that the rats could reappear at any second. Instead, they used the phone, keeping it on the lowest setting possible to save the battery.

“I’m sorry for kicking you,” she said as they walked.

Ryan shrugged. “I would have slapped me.”

“I’ll try very hard not to hit you again,” Sarah said solemnly. “Unless, you know, something else scares you into a catatonic state.”

“Are you ever going to let this go?” He groaned. “You’re as bad as my team, and that’s saying something.”

“It’s hard to let go of. I mean, you’re this big tough guy who is totally unfazed by everything—except an itty-bitty rodent.” She was grinning again; he could hear it in her voice.

He had to fight not to smile back. She didn’t need the encouragement. “Millions of rodents. Get your facts straight.”

“Millions of fluffy, cute, itty-bitty rodents.” Now, she was just amusing herself.

“You’re one of those people who had pet rats, aren’t you?” He shuddered at the thought.

Sarah barked out a laugh. “Where I grew up, rats were considered wildlife, not pets. Taking out the rubbish was something you did in pairs, with one of you brandishing a big stick, just in case you got jumped by a dumpster-diving rat.”

Huh. He’d had her pegged as strictly middle-class, never having seen the seedier side of life at all. “Then where the hell does all this rodent love come from?”

“Research. I once had a client who bred rats. He wanted to insure his business, so I did some research.” She glanced back at him again. “They’re really smart and make a laughing sound when you tickle their bellies. They can jump two feet in the air and scale pretty much any surface.”

“Now, you’re being evil. Don’t let me stop you, but keep in mind, there will be payback.”

“Payback?” She sounded a little worried.

“You might want to keep in mind that I’ve had years of army and security team experience with this kind of razzing. I know how to bide my time before giving as good as I get.”

Her eyes were wide when she looked back at him. “Rats are bad. Evil. Terrible. No sane person wouldn’t be scared of them.”

“Damn straight.”

He couldn’t help wondering if it had been like this between them before. It felt easy, fun, intimate—even though he barely knew her. He could become addicted to this feeling.

Their new tunnel led upward, which Ryan took as a good sign. What he didn’t like was that the ceiling became lower with each passing step, until he was painfully hunched in order to avoid another head injury.

Sarah wasn’t happy either. “I feel like Alice in Wonderland. You know, during that part where she’s big and walking toward the tiny door.”

“If a rabbit in a hat appears, we can follow it out of here.”

“So rabbits are okay, but rats…” she muttered.

Ryan decided to act like he hadn’t heard her.

“Maybe we should go back?” Sarah said. “The roof is getting lower with every step we take. At this rate, we’ll be crawling.”

Back meant rats. Ryan was okay with crawling. “Let’s see how far we can get before we give up.”

He was beginning to wonder if he’d have to crouch in order to continue down the tunnel, when the ceiling suddenly disappeared above them.