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"That won't suffice. I'd need to shackle your hands and feet."
"Cannae walk that way."
"Yes, I know. That's why Ashley is coming with me." He drags her toward the slab. "I'll be nice, though, and not tie her up."
No, I don't think I'll thank him for that. The last thing I want to do is watch Ashley head back into the catacombs with Christian Frisk. I'm holding back only because I'm waiting for the signal.
"Christian," I call out as he steps onto the slab that had once been a doorway. When he pauses to glance at me, I say, "How long have you been a thief?"
"I don't steal. I liberate items that would've languished in a museum basement somewhere without me to save them from that fate."
"Ah, I see. You're a savior of orphaned artifacts."
Frisk rolls his eyes. "I have never liked your sarcasm, Errol. So shut your fucking mouth."
He takes half a step across the slab.
Screams echo through the box canyon from further away.
Aye, that's the signal.
The pounding of boots grows louder, along with the panicked cries of two individuals. I cannae see them yet, but I know those noises belong to Unger and Milliken, the two lackeys Frisk had sent to retrieve duffel bags from their raft.
Frisk releases Ashley and hurries to the cavern entrance, peering out as the men's thumping boots and less-than-manly cries draw closer. Frisk makes a disgusted noise. "What are you idiots doing? You don't have the duffel bags. That was literally your only task."
The men push past Frisk and fall to their knees. Unger cradles his left arm, while Milliken scratches his cheek.
Their employer turns to look at them and shakes his head. "I should toss you both into the cavern pool—with large rocks tied to your ankles."
"It-it's not our fault," Milliken stutters. "W-we went to the raft, but it was trashed. Some-somebody slashed it to ribbons."
"Yeah," Unger agrees. "The duffel bags weren't there either. We thought maybe that damn Scot hid your bags in his raft, so we pulled the tarp off it."
Milliken whimpers. "That's when it happened."
Unger's face goes pale, as if the memory terrifies him. "The damn raft electrocuted us."
Frisk aims his gun at Unger. "Stop lying. You two screwed the pooch, and you're trying to cover up that blunder with a ridiculous lie."
I resist the urge to chuckle. Christian Frisk might think he knows me, but I never told him about my security system. I'd only used it on Marilyn, until this week, and I only ever used it to stop evil bastards like Frisk from stealing from me.
"We aren't lying," Unger says. His fear seems to have waned, and anger is clearly taking its place. "Don't believe us? I dare you to go out there and touch that damn raft."
"It was a wee shock," I say. "Not even enough to knock you out."
Frisk grabs Ashley. "Someone toss me two zip ties."
Another of his men, whose name I don't know, gives his boss a pair of zip ties. Frisk uses one to restrain Ashley. Then he orders one of his minions to drag me over there so he can zip tie me too.
Frisk jabs a finger toward Unger. "You and Milliken are coming with us. The rest of your useless friends will stay here to watch the other Scot. What's his name? Never mind, it doesn't matter. Surely four of you can handle one man."
He has no idea what Munro is like.
Unger pushes me out of the entrance cavern. Frisk and Ashley follow us as we clamber over the slab and trudge down the passageway. Haven't I done this already? It feels like déjà vu. But if Frisk wants to drag us into the catacombs again, I'll play along briefly. But only until I think of a way to contain these men until I can implement the plan Alex and I had discussed. I need my bags for that.
I stop at the first intersection, glancing around as if I'm confused about where to go now.
"Cut the theatrics, Errol," Frisk says. "You know which way to go. There's only one way."
