with the new owners?”
Nico was the picture of confusion. “What are you talking about?”
Toni tapped Henry on the shoulder. “Um, I might be able to explain that one.” Anytime Toni tried to get out from behind Henry, he moved in front of her. “Henry, let me—”
“I think Nico and I could be asking the same thing of you,” Henry said. “Aren’t you behind the sabotage at our place?”
“That wasn’t me; that was Danny and Fairfield. I don’t want to hurt anyone.” Ruben carefully positioned himself, blocking the exit. His face was rough, and he looked like he hadn’t slept in about three days. “I have been living with this shit hanging over me for years now. I just want to finish it.”
“So let’s get out of here and sort things out,” Nico said. “There are kids down here and you have a gun. There’s no reason for anyone to get hurt.”
Ruben let out a strangled laugh. “I keep trying to make that happen, and every time I try to make it work, someone else gets hurt. So I don’t know what to do now.”
“Ruben—” Megan stepped forward, and Ruben swung the gun toward her. In the background, one of the girls screamed. “Hey. Hi. It’s Megan; remember me? My kids are down here, Ruben. I have three kids. Can you let my kids go with Baxter and Katherine? The rest of us will stay down here and help you sort things out, but please let my kids go.”
“With the professors? Oh yeah, sure.” Ruben snorted. “So they can run to Toni’s house and call the cops? I don’t think so.”
“Why don’t you want us to call the cops?” Toni asked. “They just want to ask you some questions.”
“Do you think I’m an idiot?” Ruben shouted into the darkness. “I know Marissa told them. I know Danny’s been talking. I know what’s going to happen if I go to the police!”
Toni stepped to Henry’s side and grabbed his hand. “Ruben, let us help you.”
He snarled at Nico. “If you hadn’t been so goddamn stubborn, none of this would have had to happen. No one would have gotten hurt.”
“So this is my fault?” Nico was getting heated. “Whit Fairfield dead. Marissa beat within an inch of her life. That’s all my fault?”
“If you’d sold the land—”
“It’s not my land to sell.” Nico’s voice was hard. “You pulled my family into this. You pulled your own flesh and blood into this. For what? Money?”
“My grandfather built this!” Ruben shouted. “All of this! It’s his work. Did you know that? His blood, sweat, and tears went into this place. He spent years working on it after he finished his day job. It was supposed to be his retirement money. Years of laying bricks in the dark. Years of switching from one plan to another because that old man changed his mind over and over and over again. And do you know how much that cheap bastard gave him for all this work? Ten grand. That’s it. A third of what my grandfather was promised. And then he shut it up! Didn’t even show it to anyone or give my granddad credit for the build.”
“That’s horrible,” Nico said. “That shouldn’t have happened to him.”
“Then years later, I find out Whit Fairfield was trying to cheat me. Just like my grandfather was cheated.” Ruben shook his head. “Not this time. Not this man. I don’t think so.”
Toni watched Ruben, trying to find a way to get a hand on the man. If she could tackle him and get her hands on him, she could calm him down like she had with Justin McCabe. She could make him cooperate.
But unlike the gym, they didn’t have the element of surprise. Ruben had a firm hold on the gun, and any attempt to rush him could end in tragedy.
Nico spread his hands out. “So what are you gonna do, Ruben? Kill us? Hide our bodies down here? Someone is bound to come looking. The police detective knows about the caves.”
“I’m not gonna kill you. We’re all gonna leave together as soon as I finish setting these charges. Then we’re walking out of there, and I’m gonna blow these tunnels to hell.” Ruben flashed his light over at a different pillar, and Toni saw dynamite strapped to it with duct tape.
Her heart sank, and she quickly exchanged glances with Katherine and Megan. Both of them looked as lost as she felt.
“Ruben,” she said. “I know you don’t want to do