Rachelle McCalla - Survival Instinct

The first two knots were easy enough to tie, but when it came to Marilyn’s turn to be bound, Scott and Abby had to work together, standing backward, to secure her wrists behind her.

“There.” Scott sighed and took a step back. “That should hold. It’s not pretty, so try not to let them see it.”

“Agreed.” Marilyn nodded and sat down on the damp muddy floor. “Now let’s pray.”

They found the most comfortable way to sit was with their backs together in a circle, supporting each other’s weight. Scott’s legs and shoulders were exhausted, and he felt particularly sore in the places that had been overworked the day before. He knew Abby had to feel just as miserable, but she didn’t complain. He felt appreciation swell inside his heart. He’d sensed she hadn’t wanted to try the human ladder, but she’d given it her all. If they lived, he’d owe her for his life once again.

Once they were all situated, they began to pray, first that Tracie would reach help and then that help would reach them in time. They prayed for strength and guidance. The only voice that was missing was his mother’s, whose prayers had dropped out early to be replaced by her steady, even breathing.

“I think Mom’s asleep,” Scott whispered to Abby after ending their prayer with an Amen.

“Poor thing,” Abby commiserated. “I’m sure she couldn’t have gotten any sleep last night, and once they locked her in here, she was probably too worried about you to rest.”

“And carrying all our weight on her back probably didn’t help any. I’m not completely convinced we didn’t hurt her, no matter what she says.”

“She might be stronger than you think,” Abby said softly.

Scott was about to protest when he realized Abby was right. A weaker woman would have been tucked into the fetal position sobbing after all she’d been through. But remarkably, his mom had demonstrated a positive attitude, and had played a vital role in boosting Tracie out of the cave. “That must be where I get it from,” he admitted in a teasing voice.

Abby jabbed him with her elbow, and he chuckled. He recognized how odd it was that he should be laughing in the face of danger, but after the relief of boosting Tracie through the fissure, and especially after their time of prayer, Scott felt a heightened level of security in God’s love. He hadn’t ever tested God’s protection so much before, but after the miraculous way God had helped them so far, he felt God’s love in a more intimate way than he had before, even though he prayed daily in his job as a Christian counselor.

“For when I’m weak, then I’m strong,” Abby murmured beside him.

“What’s that?”

“Oh, just that I didn’t think we’d get Tracie out, that’s all. But it wasn’t about my strength or ability, it was about God’s provision. I’m afraid I’d underestimated that before.”

Scott had to smile. “You’re right. God provides what we need-and He leads us when we don’t know where we’re going.”

“He obviously led us here,” Abby agreed. “I had no idea this was under here. I don’t think anyone knew.”

“Trevor must have.” Scott didn’t want to bring up the slain man’s name again, but too much of the mystery before them still centered around Abby’s ex.

“Do you think so?” Abby let out a long breath. “That’s why he proposed to me, wasn’t it? Too distract me, to keep me from seeing whatever was going on. I did hear voices that evening, didn’t I?”

Scott pieced the story together in his head. “Trevor may have been standing on the island, communicating with someone who was going in or out of the cave.”

“When he saw me, he realized I might see what was going on, so he lifted me up and spun me around.” Abby shook her head. “He set me down facing the opposite direction. How stupid of me! I didn’t even think-”

“Didn’t think what?” Scott wouldn’t allow Abby to blame herself. “Didn’t think about the fact that there might be something illegal going on under the island, and that the man proposing to you was only doing so to cover for them? Abby, you couldn’t have known. I can still hardly believe this is down here. Let go of your guilt.”

Abby fumed beside him. “Still,” she huffed, “I could just kick myself for letting him fool me so easily.”

“You know what I can’t stand?” One nagging thought had been bothering him ever since he’d realized the family land was in danger. “I let my family down.”

“No, you didn’t,” Abby protested. “You found your mother.”

But the heaviness that weighed upon him wasn’t shaken by her uplifting words. “Not my mother. The land. The Frasier family legacy. Even if Tracie gets help, even if Sal and his guys are caught, it doesn’t matter. The Frasier family ends with me. I don’t have an heir to leave it to. Sal and his guys spotted a great opportunity and took unfair advantage of the situation, true, but I walked right into their trap. What if Mom and I died in a real accident, without Captain Sal’s intervention? Some developer would just sweep in and buy the land. I’ve failed them.”

“We’ll get out of this,” Abby said softly.

“No, Abby, you were right.” Scott’s regret poured from him. “I’ve tried to do it all myself, tried to carry everyone else’s load alone. But you know what? I’m just one man. I’m not invincible. If I pile everything on my own shoulders, when I fall, it all comes crashing down. I’ve isolated myself for far too long, and now my self-sufficient pride will be the downfall of my whole family.” He shook his head remorsefully. “If I get out of this, I’m going to change some things.”

“ When we get out of this, what would you change?”

“I always wanted a family,” Scott mused. “What about you, Abby?”

“Well, yes, of course.” She sounded hesitant. “I always thought I would. I guess I just never met the right guy.”

Her words struck Scott with force. So she didn’t think of him as being the right guy? He tried to think of a way to ask her to explain what she meant, but before he could straighten out his thoughts, a harsh voice shouted, “Up and at ’em. We’re going on a little trip.”

Abby struggled to her feet, fear pounding through her.

“Come on, move it!” the harsh voices shouted. Light flashed against the barrels of the guns the men waved.

Trying to focus on following orders, Abby noticed Marilyn looked particularly disoriented by being so rudely awakened, and Abby kept close to her back, mindful they didn’t want their captors to see the way the ropes hung askew from her wrists. At the same time, she looked around, taking in the changes the thugs had made in the cavern since they’d been brought in.

The computers, boxes and crates had all disappeared, leaving gaping black space the length of the cave. Likewise, the yacht was gone. Only the Helene remained.

They hurried obediently down the pier and were greeted by an outraged shout from Captain Sal. “Where’s the other woman?”

“There were only three in the cave, sir,” a gunman answered.

“We only put three in, as I recall,” another muttered.

“This woman was already in there.” Captain Sal pointed at Marilyn. “One of the other women is missing-the Coast Guard girl.” He pointed his gun at a couple of the men. “You two, go back and look for her. The rest of you, hurry up. If she’s missing, we have even less time to waste!”

The thugs hurried them across a wide plank that led onto the Helene. Abby wished she knew what their plans were, but she figured it was in her best interest to get out of the cave, and since the boat was most likely headed out to sea, it appeared to be her best bet for the moment. Besides, the men still had their guns trained on them. It wasn’t as though she was likely to easily escape, under the circumstances.