Looking down at her, Ryan reached out and gently stroked Echo’s hair. His voice was low and steady, still carrying that usual commanding edge. “It’s over. What’s there to be scared of?”
It was the same old Ryan-cold and authoritative-but with a softness that hadn’t been there before, though neither of them noticed it.
Echo clung tightly to him, holding him as if afraid to let go. For the first time, she had seen Ryan falter, caught in a moment where even his strength wasn’t enough.
To her, Ryan had always been invincible-the strongest, the most ruthless, a force of nature no one could stand against. It wasn’t just his power; it was the overwhelming sense that nothing could stop him.
Yet, in that fleeting moment, Echo had glimpsed the impossible: even Ryan could reach a point where he was powerless.
She wasn’t just surprised-she was shaken. In her mind, Ryan had always seemed almost godlike, someone for whom no challenge was too great. But now, for the first time, she realized he was human. And if Ryan, of all people, could face helplessness and the looming threat of death, then anyone could.
Beyond the fear and panic that had gripped her earlier, another emotion began to surface: concern.
A real concern for Ryan, not as some untouchable figure but as a person-someone she worried about just as she might worry about herself or Skye. It was strange to feel that way since, apart from Skye, she had never cared like this for anyone. But with Ryan, the emotions surged to the surface unbidden, raw, and unfiltered.
Ryan’s words helped her steady herself, and she let out a shaky breath. She took a step back from him, her eyes scanning him from head to toe to make sure he was all right-no injuries, no missing limbs. Once she confirmed he was intact, the tension in her body melted away, and with it came a sudden, overwhelming pain.
Echo doubled over, clutching her stomach, gasping for air. The pain was excruciating-like her insides had been twisted and pulled apart. The rough stone surface had scraped her belly during the struggle, and now the sharp, lingering ache made it feel like her organs had shifted out of place.
Ryan’s eyes flicked toward Clement, lying flat on the ground behind Echo.
Clement’s face was ghostly pale, a stark contrast to the deep flush it had held moments earlier. His forehead gleamed with sweat, thick beads rolling down his cheeks.
Ryan noticed the blood soaking through the fabric around Clement’s arm-likely from an old gunshot wound. The scab had reopened, the blood seeping through his battered, grimy clothes, making the wound stand out even more against the dirt-stained fabric. Clement’s ragged breathing only deepened Ryan’s frown.
But as Ryan glanced back at Echo, he saw her hunched over, gripping her stomach. His sharp eyes narrowed with sudden focus. Without hesitation, he scooped her up in his arms, turning his back on Clement.
Quick and methodical, Ryan pulled at Echo’s clothes, moving so fast she didn’t even have time to react.
What he saw made his heart tighten. Her stomach was bruised and swollen, with patches of deep purple mixed with fresh, angry red marks. The skin looked raw, and though the bleeding wasn’t severe, the sight of it was jarring-enough to make his grip on her shoulders tighten instinctively.
Ryan’s hands clenched slightly, as if trying to hold onto her pain for her, his jaw set in grim determination. The sight of Echo injured stirred something inside him-a strange, protective instinct he wasn’t used to feeling.
Echo finally snapped out of it, grabbing Ryan’s hand and gritting her teeth. “I’m fine. I’m not dying. Let’s move-get out of here now.”
She tried to stand upright, knowing this wasn’t the time to dwell on their narrow escape. The real fight was just beginning-survival depended on getting out of this cursed pyramid, and everything else would have to wait.
“We have to leave,” Clement muttered weakly, barely able to lift himself off the ground before collapsing again. “Once the mechanism is triggered, the whole pyramid will flood and won’t stop until it’s buried everything inside. We need to move.”
Clement was hanging on by a thread-he had already lost too much blood. Pushing his limits had drained every bit of strength he had left. Walking was out of the question, and even standing seemed impossible.
Ryan’s face darkened as he felt the ground subtly shift beneath him. Clement wasn’t lying-the place was on the verge of collapsing. He had no idea what the Street Family or Hawk’s people were doing above, but the continued explosions only accelerated the pyramid’s decay. Ancient structures like this wouldn’t withstand modern destruction for long.
Without hesitation, Ryan scooped Echo up in his arms and turned toward the exposed corridor. “Keep up,” he ordered, his voice cold and sharp.
He’d barely taken two steps when Echo clamped her hand around his throat, forcing him to stop and look down at her, frowning.
She was gasping, struggling to get her words out. “Put me down. I can keep up. Uncle can’t-you need to carry him.”
Ryan’s expression hardened instantly.
“Now’s not the time for stubbornness,” Echo said firmly, meeting his gaze without flinching. “If we leave him, none of us are getting out. Go grab him. I’ll be fine.”
Ryan’s eyes narrowed as he stared at her, but after a moment, he wordlessly set Echo down. Without missing a beat, he turned back, grabbed Clement off the ground, and threw him over his shoulder.
Ryan knew when to be practical-this wasn’t about pride or preference. He hated people invading his space, didn’t matter if they were family, friends, or even Hawk’s crew. But Echo was right. If they wanted to make it out alive, he had no choice but to set all that aside.
Clement clenched his teeth as Ryan hoisted him up. It had been years-decades, even-since he’d been this close to Ryan, not since Ryan was a little kid. He knew his nephew wasn’t the kind of man to leave him behind, and Echo’s insistence probably didn’t change much. Ryan would have carried him out regardless.
But seeing a woman this close to Ryan, someone he actually listened to, sparked a strange sense of satisfaction in Clement-one that, oddly enough, outweighed the relief of being saved.
Wrapping his arms around Ryan’s neck to steady himself, Clement bit his tongue hard, the sharp pain keeping him conscious. He couldn’t afford to pass out now. Not with Ryan carrying him. They had to make it out. No matter what, they all had to survive.
Echo stayed close behind, clutching the back of Ryan’s shirt as she jogged to keep up with his quick strides. Every step sent waves of searing pain through her body-her stomach felt like it was on fire, the burning sensation so intense she thought she might explode.
But she gritted her teeth and pushed through it. Pain didn’t matter right now.
This wasn’t the time for Ryan to fuss over her or for her to ask for help. Ryan only had two hands. Carrying both Clement and Echo wouldn’t have been impossible for him, but it would have slowed him down-and that was a risk they couldn’t afford.
They had no idea how many enemies were still lurking inside the pyramid. In a place like this, danger could strike without warning, and a single second’s delay could mean death.
If they all wanted to make it out alive, Ryan needed to keep his hands free.
So, whether she wanted to or not-whether she could endure the pain or not-Echo had already made her choice.
She would follow.
She would survive.
Because that was the only way to get through this.
Ryan, Echo, and Clement moved quickly through the twisting corridors.
Whether it was because there were fewer traps beyond the pharaoh’s tomb, or Clement had planned ahead with his knowledge, they managed to find every hidden path. Every time it seemed like they were blocked, Clement would tap or adjust something, revealing an opening that let them continue unhindered.
Just as they rounded a corner, the sharp sound of gunfire echoed through the corridor, freezing Ryan and Echo in place.
Explosions followed soon after, causing the ground beneath them to tremble. Dust trickled from the ceiling, and the mummies and ornate artifacts lining the walls swayed slightly. The movement was subtle, but enough to hint that the ancient structure was on the verge of collapse.