The Prison-Made Queen novel Chapter 1010

"I'm fine."

Callahan might have been soft and reassuring with Leilani, but the second he addressed his men, the icy, unyielding CEO returned.

Pain or no pain, he hadn't lost sight of the objective.

"Dr. Sloan has it under control. If you have time to stare at me, you have time to figure out how we're getting out of this tomb."

"Bason, stop standing around. Check Mr. Larson for internal bleeding or concussions. Abel, take inventory. I want a count on lights and water, right now."

He rattled off the orders, expertly shifting the team's focus away from his injury. He despised being treated like a liability—unless it was Leilani fussing over him.

"Yes, Boss!"

Bason snapped to attention, wiping grime from his eyes as he scrambled in the near-dark to gather their scattered packs.

"Boss, we've got two canteens left, but one is half empty. Three packs of rations. And the flashlights... batteries are running low."

Mr. Larson leaned heavily against the cold, damp concrete, his breathing shallow. "The ceiling came down hard... is the path ahead buried?"

"How are we supposed to get out?"

Leilani pulled the final knot tight on Callahan's bandage.

She looked up, peering into the pitch-black abyss of the drainage tunnel, her eyes calm and resolute.

"There's a way."

"This is a primary storm drain. It empties out into a natural riverbed on the far side of the mountain."

"Even though it hasn't been used in years, the main artery should still be intact. If we just keep moving forward, we'll hit the exit."

Just as their muscles were giving out and the adrenaline was completely spent, a sliver of natural light and the faint smell of wet grass filtered down through a heavily rusted iron grate above them.

For a crew that was moments away from collapsing, it was like seeing the gates of heaven.

"The exit!"

"Dr. Sloan was right! We made it!"

"You are a literal lifesaver!"

Abel couldn't fathom how Leilani's brain worked under fire. How was she so brilliant while the rest of them were just trying not to panic?

Seeing the exit washed away the dread, and Abel's usual hyperactive personality came roaring back.

He leaped up and shoved his palms against the iron grate, but it didn't budge a single inch.