Chapter 59: Jealousy

The chunk of stone Jack had been carrying slipped from his hands and crashed onto the ground, striking his foot hard enough to make him wince.

He barely noticed.

His eyes were wide as he stammered, "Mitch... Ray really... really did something with May?"

"What do you mean, ’did something’? After hearing that, you still don’t understand?"

Mitch grabbed his hair in frustration and paced back and forth.

"I’m still a damn virgin! That bastard got there first! I’m not gonna tolerate this!"

Ace stood nearby, the small branch he had been idly twisting between his fingers now snapped cleanly in two.

His eyes narrowed into slits. There was not the slightest trace of his usual smile. Instead, a chilling murderous intent simmered beneath his expression.

He calmly brushed the splinters from his hands, but the madness in his voice was enough to make anyone’s skin crawl.

"Ray’s injury really came at an unfortunate time. Once we clear the passage, I think I’ll rig the other leg with a little surprise too. Consider it a greeting gift. Fair enough?"

Alex was crouched on the ground, clutching half a packet of biscuits that had already been crushed into crumbs.

His innocent, almost angelic face wore a mocking smile as he drawled, "Tsk, tsk. Usually he acts like some kind of saint, and now he’s taking advantage of a young woman in the dark. Ace, I’ll go with you. I’ll be the one handing you the knife."

Inside the sealed chamber.

Ray was completely absorbed in what he was doing when the noise from outside suddenly reached him through the narrow gaps in the rubble.

His eyebrow twitched sharply.

Mitch’s unmistakable voice could apparently penetrate several tons of stone.

The dark fire in Ray’s eyes burned even hotter, but he had no intention of letting himself be distracted.

He had finally allowed himself to lose control after restraining himself for so long. If those idiots outside disrupted him now, whatever little self-control he had left might disappear completely.

"Ray! You shameless bastard! Get out here!"

Mitch’s shouting came through again, accompanied by Ace’s sinister laughter.

Ray clenched his teeth and ignored them.

He scooped May up from the emergency sleeping mat, lifting her together with the thin mat beneath her, and turned toward the deeper part of the chamber.

The room had originally been a storage area inside an abandoned air-raid shelter. It stretched another dozen meters into the darkness, becoming progressively more difficult to see as they went farther in.

Carrying May securely in his arms, Ray carefully made his way deeper inside until the shouting and pounding from outside had faded into indistinct noise.

Only then did he stop in a sheltered corner.

He placed May back onto the sleeping mat and settled beside her...

The darkness around them was so complete that they could barely see their own hands. The only things left were the sound of their breathing and the pounding of their hearts, both amplified by the silence.

"Forget about them." Ray’s voice was so hoarse it was barely recognizable. "They can’t hear us here."

May was still dizzy from the sudden chain of events. All she could do was nod.

Outside.

Mitch shouted a couple more times, but this time, there was no response whatsoever.

The sudden silence was somehow even more maddening than the sounds they had heard before.

"Nothing..."

Mitch froze for a moment before his face flushed even darker.

"Damn it! Why did he carry her farther inside? That bastard must be hiding because he’s afraid we’ll hear them!"

The smile disappeared completely from Ace’s face.

He leaned against the wall, staring at the massive pile of rocks blocking the passage. His expression darkened.

"He’s certainly protecting her. If we actually manage to dig our way through and charge inside, I’m afraid the first thing Ray will do is put a knife to our throats."

"So we’re just going to let him get away with it?"

Mitch slammed his fist against the wall, pain shooting through his knuckles.

"I can’t swallow this! We’re risking our lives out here moving rocks while he’s enjoying himself in there? What kind of brotherhood is that? This is practically a grudge over a stolen wife!"

Jack crouched nearby, scratching the back of his head with one massive hand. His bronze-colored face was bright red with embarrassment as he finally managed to mutter,

"Mitch... can’t we really rush in and interrupt Ray? I... I want to be with May too..."

"Dream on!" Mitch kicked him irritably.

"You idiot. And with Ray’s temper, if you went in there right now, do you really think he wouldn’t break your other leg too?"

The group was still arguing heatedly when Theo approached at an unhurried pace. He was carrying the toolbox they had just found.

He glanced at the furious Mitch, then at the gloomy Ace, a mocking curve appearing at the corner of his mouth.

"Enough."

Theo’s voice wasn’t loud, but there was something in his calm tone that immediately made the others quiet down.

"If we really fight to the death over this, is it worth it?"

Mitch immediately stiffened his neck and shouted,

"Why the hell wouldn’t it be? Worst case, we all go our separate ways!"

Theo gave a mocking laugh before crouching down and opening the toolbox. He pulled out a crowbar.

"You know Ray’s temper better than anyone. Once he’s made up his mind and crossed that line, charging in there won’t accomplish anything. He’s stubborn as a mule."

"Do you really think he won’t announce tomorrow, right in front of the entire team, that May belongs to him? And then what does that make the rest of us? The idiots who disrupted the team’s stability? Or a bunch of cowards jealous of our own leader?"

Mitch opened and closed his mouth several times, completely speechless.

Theo tossed the crowbar onto the ground with a sharp clang.

"Knowing him, he’ll probably go one step further and have us start calling her his wilf.’"