Stowaway by Becky Barker Page A

expression intense. “I’m about to swear you in as an official member of the Merritt family, but you have to cross your heart and hope to die, promise on your life and give me your undying pledge that you’ll never tell another soul what I’m about to tell you.”
    “Whew,” he whistled softly, “sounds heavy.”
    “Do you swear?”
    “Is it illegal or immoral?”
    “Nope, just a family secret passed through several generations of Merritts.”
    Lamanto rose and returned her steady gaze. “Okay, you have my promise.”
    Keri nodded in acceptance. “Follow me.”
    She led him into the bedroom and opened the door to a small closet. Other than a couple shirts, the clothing bar stood bare. A pair of scruffy boots sat on the bare hardwood floor. Keri knelt and reached into the closet, tugging on a loose, hidden board. With one strong pull, she lifted the whole floor, revealing a set of wooden steps.
    He whistled again and knelt beside her. “A trap door.”
    “It’s narrow, but the steps lead into a small chamber. Bomb shelters were all the rage when my great-grandfather built this place. There are survival supplies down there and lanterns, but that’s not the best part.”
    “It gets better?” he asked with boyish enthusiasm.
    “Follow me,” she told him. “A metal spring will close the door behind us once the floor is lowered back into place.”
    Keri backed down the steps, swatting at spider webs until she found an oil lantern and lit it. He followed more slowly. Once he’d joined her, she shone the light around the small underground hideout.
    “It’s a concrete bunker,” he said in awe.
    She held up the lantern. It didn’t take much light to illuminate shelves loaded with bottled water, canned goods and medical supplies. The ten-by-ten-foot area housed a rollaway bed sheeted with plastic and a stack of plastic chairs. Dust and cobwebs covered all of it.
    “I really should clean this while I’m here,” she said. “I don’t think anyone has checked it for years.”
    Lamanto moved around the room, knocking down a few cobwebs and checking out the supplies. “What a great idea. Your great grandpa is a man after my heart.”
    “There’s more,” she said, amused by his enthusiasm. She and Jack had shared the same wide-eyed fascination when their dad had shown it to them as grade-schoolers.
    “There’s a tunnel leading into the woods.” Turning back to the stairs, she ducked under them and he followed. The walls narrowed into a tight passageway. “It’s about twenty yards long with another hidden trap door. Artificial turf covers the opening and lots of natural vegetation camouflages the turf.”
    “Cool,” he said. “So you have a hideout with an escape hatch. Totally damned awesome.”
    She took him through the tunnel with its gradual ascent. When they reached the narrow step at the end, she climbed up and tried to push the door open, but it wouldn’t budge.
    “It hasn’t been opened for a very long time,” she explained.
    “Let me have a go at it.”
    They tried to trade positions in the tight confines. Keri held the lantern to her side. He shifted his bad arm and moved closer. Their actions managed to wedge her firmly against his chest with his good arm wrapped around her waist for support.
    The solid contact of bodies stole their breath for a minute. Sexual energy pulsed between them. She inhaled deeply, but that brought her breasts tighter against the hardness of his chest. Her nipples tingled in arousal. Her legs got a little shaky as he tugged her closer. She stared into his eyes for a long moment, her pulse hitching when his gaze dropped to her mouth. She nervously flicked her tongue over her lips. He made a rough sound and then closed his eyes.
    She took a cue from him, stepping down and breaking the contact so he could turn toward the door. With his good hand, he shoved first one side and then the other, prying the opening until they saw a glimmer of daylight. Once he’d