Free Blood Chained (Dark Siren Book 3) by Eden Ashley Page B

Composing herself, she reached out to Rion again. “Sorry.”
“Whatever. Pick on the geek. It’s expected.”
“How do things look down there?” York asked.
“Dark. Nasty. Rats are everywhere. And I’m pretty sure a turd just floated past me. Seriously, this is foul. I mean the smell alone could knock a lesser man’s socks off.”
“Speaking of lesser men,” York teased lightheartedly. “How’s River holding up?”
“He ain’t looking too happy,” Rion said. His amusement was practically tangible. “I think he’s afraid he might get his hair wet.”
The others shared a good laugh, but the mention of River’s name melted the smile from Kali’s face. Even Orrin’s expression returned to its usual solemn state.
“Do you see anything?”
“York, I’m not sure what we’re looking for.”
“Anything that seems out of place.”
“That’s vague.”
“Maybe ancient hieroglyphs that translate into ‘X’ marks the spot.’”
Rion scoffed. “Right.”
A sudden thought occurred to her, and Kali reached for the radio again. “Hey, I don’t know if you’ve thought of this but the GPS you designed marks exact coordinates. Maybe you shouldn’t be fanning out, away from the location, but moving deeper. Double back. Do you see a service ladder or exit that might take you down a level? It’s worth a shot.”
A mixture of a groan and a sigh buzzed faintly through the radio. “We see it. River is heading in.”
“Stay with him,” York said.
“Of course,” Rion replied without a trace of enthusiasm. “Our hands are going to be busy for a sec. Switching to a one-way open channel. At least you guys will be able to hear what’s going on.”
Intermittent background noise gave everyone an idea of events beneath the surface roadway. Footsteps clanged on metal rungs as Rion and River descended a ladder. A heavy door thudded shut. Rion muttered a curse, asking River for more light. Their footsteps became muffled as they explored the new area. And then nothing.
A warning hush from River hissed into the silence. “Someone else is here.” Everyone settled nervously. She watched Orrin, taking her cues from him. His eyes studied the street. His posture was rigid, alert. It seemed as if his ears were straining to hear what was happening down in the actual sewer. But Kali was somewhat sure that was impossible, even for him. 
A shriek fit for horror movies ripped through the open channel and Kali dropped the radio, half in surprise and half in fear. “Go,” Orrin mouthed silently, and then he was moving across the roof. Retrieving the fumbled radio, she followed him back through a door bearing the sign “Restricted Access” and down the empty stairwell.
River’s voice shouted urgent instructions. “Rion, get down!”
“Holy crap!” was Rion’s reply. An indecipherable fracas ensued. At once, Orrin was moving faster, almost leaping down the stairs. Tucking the radio in her belt, Kali did her best to keep up.
The radio went quiet again, but York’s harried voice brought it back to life. “Talk to me, boys. What’s going on down there?”
River’s response was quick and sharp. “Be quiet.”
She and Orrin were on the street now, headed toward the manhole. Kali really didn’t want to go down there…not after what Rion described.
Suddenly, River was shouting again. “On your left, Rion. Go. Go!”
York and Dmiri were nowhere in sight. Maybe they were already in the sewer. Either way, Orrin was determined to get down there. Only the sound of River’s commanding voice stopped him. “It’s too fast. Someone needs to head this thing off on the surface.”
“We’re below street level. Coming your way,” York said, sounding grim.
Orrin grabbed the radio from Kali’s belt as she lowered herself down the rungs. “Tell us where to go.”
River deferred to Rion. “Where does this tunnel lead?”
“I can’t pronounce it.”
“Try!”
“Uh…Beisihuan Xilu. Head northwest and watch for railroad