The Unshackled Queen: Never Say Never by Gilbert Soysal

Charlie’s hand shot out to switch off the flashlight as they neared the end.

He dropped his voice to a whisper strained with tension.

“Movement ahead.

Silence now!”

They pressed their backs against the cold, wet wall of the tunnel as a pair of voices approached, illuminated intermittently by a wandering beam of Light.

“The colleagues upstairs get holidays, yet here we are, stuck on guard,” grumbled one guard to another.

“It’s all because our boss got nabbed by the cops.

Without her, we’re stuck pulling these endless shifts.

”

“Still no word on the boss? It’s been two days.

Is there anything wrong?”

“Pfft! She’s a Chadwich.

She’s got the Compton family in her corner.

Who’d dare touch her?”

out of the

you heard? The Chadwich family’s got both the Juarez and

”

continued, the guards casually scanned the area with their flashlights, oblivious to

heavy hitters have been pulled out

point of us being down

“Quit your bellyaching.

boss is back, we’re golden,”

the guards closing in, Hannah gave Charlie’s

a hushed, barely perceptible whisper, “Shift behind

”

They swapped places smoothly.

light from the

her flashlight slipped pocket, fingers wrapping

flick, she sent it spinning through

struck with a resonant

of the metal hitting the ground interrupted the conversation outside-not a loud noise,

A pause.

the flashlight faltered, its jittery dance across the tunnel walls ceasing as the man holding

“Did you hear that?”

tensed, their senses on