Echo lost Edward’s support and stumbled, barely managing to steady herself against the wall of the tunnel. As she caught the sarcasm in his words, she furrowed her brow, then suddenly realized.
This was Kevin’s territory. If she and Edward strutted around like this, they’d probably be caught before they’d even made it a few steps. She had been too careless about that.
Looking at Edward, she smiled and asked, “So, you’re one of Kevin’s guys?”
She couldn’t think of any other reason why he’d be able to take her out of here, considering the only people around Kevin were his own people.
Edward sneered, “Scared?”
Echo couldn’t help but laugh. “What’s there to be scared of? I’m not afraid of Kevin, so why would I be afraid of you?”
She then reached out and put her hand on his shoulder. The tunnel was so narrow that there wasn’t even enough space for an arm between them, so it was easy for her to lean on him and support her weak body.
Edward saw that Echo wasn’t showing any signs of fear or hesitation.
He snorted, twisting his body as if trying to shake her off, but when that didn’t work, he just let her lean on him, grumbling, “Without me, you wouldn’t even know how you’d die.”
His words were tough, but he still reached over to support her.
Echo leaned against him, her weakened body putting some weight on him, but she smiled cheerfully. “Yeah, my little strategist.”
Edward heard the cocky tone in her voice and grunted, continuing to help her forward. “I’m not one of Mr. Kevin’s people.”
Echo hadn’t expected Edward to explain himself. He was young but definitely tough and quick-tempered. She didn’t think he’d explain anything, so this was a bit surprising.
She nodded and said, “Then how did you find me? I mean, Ryan couldn’t even find me, so how did you manage?” She didn’t want to jump to conclusions but was genuinely curious.
Edward snorted, hearing that Echo was just asking out of curiosity without any hidden meaning, which made him feel a little better.
He answered casually, “I came out of this tunnel right in front of your door. You think I wouldn’t notice you, of all people?”
Echo raised an eyebrow. It was true that being early was sometimes better than being lucky, and it seemed Edward had stumbled upon the right spot. Of all places to bump into, he managed to find her trapped here. She had to admit, maybe he was her lucky star.
The tunnel was long and narrow, and the only sounds were their footsteps and breathing. The commotion they had heard outside a moment ago seemed to have vanished. Here, it was nothing but silence and darkness.
Echo, leaning on Edward, tried to gather her thoughts. She realized that if she didn’t say something, the silence might make her lose it.
She lazily spoke up, “So, how did you find this tunnel? You don’t have any trouble, do you?”
Edward turned his head and shot her a glare. “Now you’re worried about my safety?”
Echo grinned at his angry, accusatory tone, then reached up and ruffled his hair. “Sorry, I’ve been through a lot and didn’t think about it. My bad.”
Once she had snapped out of her daze, all she could think about was Ryan, and then how to get out of the situation. She hadn’t really considered what might happen to Edward.
When she was attacked, she hadn’t heard anything unusual before losing consciousness. And Edward was always so sharp, she really hadn’t expected him to react the way he did. Now, hearing him explain it, Echo couldn’t help but feel a little embarrassed. It was her fault. No matter how capable Edward was, he was still just a kid. She had been too focused on herself.
The apology was straightforward and sincere, and the genuine honesty in Echo’s voice made Edward’s angry expression falter for a moment. He had expected a lot of responses, maybe some excuses, but he hadn’t expected Echo to be so direct.
“Sorry,” this word wasn’t fake or half-hearted; it was completely sincere.
“Forget it,” Edward said after a pause, waving his hand dismissively. “The only thing on your mind is Ryan. I never expected you to care about me anyway.”
He had never expected Echo to worry about his safety, and even less that the Dark Family would come looking for him if he disappeared. Everything had always depended on him, and he had long gotten used to it.
Echo, hearing that, reached up and ruffled Edward’s hair, her voice soft. “I don’t care about many things, and even less do I keep people in my heart. I may seem like I can handle anything, but honestly, I’m pretty indifferent. If it doesn’t concern me, I don’t worry about it. So, kid, how about being my little brother?”
Edward’s face turned dark as he listened to Echo. He hadn’t expected her to say that, and when she threw in the last sentence, his steps froze, and he turned to look at her.
Echo smiled at him, her eyes filled with affection and warmth. “I’m an orphan. I don’t really have any family. Do you mind being my first family?”
Edward stared at her for a moment, watching her gentle smile under the light of the lighter. It wasn’t bright, but her expression was so full of warmth, so full of tenderness. There was no fakeness, no pretense, no flattery, just kindness. For a moment, Edward was caught off guard, stunned by her sincerity.
After a long silence, Edward snapped out of it, turned away, and snorted. “Who cares?” he muttered, and continued helping Echo walk forward.
Echo felt his arm tremble slightly, but it grew stronger as he supported her. She smiled and ruffled his hair, suddenly understanding why Ryan always liked to mess with her hair. It felt good, like affection and care. While the feelings were different from what she felt for Edward, Echo could still feel the warmth Ryan had always shown her, even if he never said it out loud. She smiled brightly, like a flower in full bloom.
As they walked on, Echo’s mood lifted. Edward might’ve been tough on the outside, acting like he didn’t care, but Echo could tell he was hiding something. Maybe it was because she’d spent so much time with Ryan, but her instincts had become sharper. She could almost see through Edward’s mood.
After all, he was only a young boy. No matter how strong he appeared, no matter how mature his mind was for his age, he was still just fifteen. That wasn’t the age for ruling the world; it was the age when you could start dreaming.
“I saw everything clearly when you were attacked, but I pretended not to notice and let them take you,” Edward suddenly spoke up after a brief silence.
Echo straightened up, listening carefully. She didn’t blame Edward for not doing anything back then. He wasn’t skilled in martial arts, and if he had made a move, he probably wouldn’t be alive now. The kid wasn’t the type to rush into danger; like Ryan, he knew how to endure.
“When you were taken, Hawk and the others noticed right away. I’ve never seen Ryan lose his composure like that, charging out with his men,” Edward said, a bitter smile appearing at the corner of his mouth. He scoffed and added, “Pathetic. They didn’t even notice I was right there. Everyone just scattered.”
Echo raised an eyebrow, feeling a warmth in her chest. She lightly knocked on Edward’s head and said cheerfully, “He’s your brother-in-law, don’t say he’s useless.”
Edward immediately turned to glare at her, but surprisingly, didn’t argue. He just growled, “If you keep interrupting, you won’t get to hear anything.”
“Alright, alright, I won’t interrupt. Keep going,” Echo said, chuckling.
Edward shot her a glare and continued, clearly annoyed. “Useless is useless. The guy got all messed up by a woman and lost his ability to analyze things. There’s no such thing as coincidences in this world. Clearly, it was a trap. The most important spots weren’t guarded, everyone just pulled out-idiots.”
After venting his frustration, Edward seemed to calm down and coldly added, “Not long after Ryan left with his men, the people in the room came out quickly. I watched them, and I followed without a sound. I didn’t miss anything I was supposed to hear. It was them causing trouble.”
Echo immediately grabbed Edward’s arm, anxiously asking, “Did you get hurt anywhere?”