Vivian Arend - High Passion

And when his eyes opened and he turned his face toward her and smiled, it was if the sun had risen in the cave.

“Vincent,” Devon whispered. “He’s got a gun.”

She nodded, ripping his pant leg open with a knife and shoving a tourniquet band under his calf. “He’s gone deeper into the caves. Erin’s at the other end, and we think Lana as well.”

“She’s with him. Well, sort of,” Devon warned.

“Shh, I know. RCMP are on the way. I love you.”

His grimace broke into an enormous, although still pained, grin even as she tightened the band. “I love you, too. Let’s get the hell out of here.”

Alisha nodded, “Let me stabilize you first. We’ll have help in—”

Her head jerked back as she was pulled to her feet, fingers tangled in her hair. Panic rose as she was hauled away from where Devon lay.

He rolled to his side, and Vincent spat out a warning. “Don’t move, or I’ll shoot her.”

The light she’d set up at Devon’s side clearly showed him lifting his hands in surrender. “I can’t move, you bastard. Why are you doing this? Give up already.”

She felt Vincent shake his head, his grip tightening as he dragged her back. “There’s always a way out.”

Devon’s lips tightened in disgust. “Lana told you about the secret exit. Dammit, I don’t believe this.”

Neither could Alisha. What secret exit? She knew two ways in and out, and an actual loop like that was uncommon in cave systems—a third exit would be extraordinarily rare. She tested the hold Vincent had on her, but it was no use. This was one time her size was a definite disadvantage.

“Stop wiggling or I’ll shoot him again,” Vincent snapped. She stilled instantly. “Turn out your light. Now,” Vincent ordered Devon.

Devon nodded, his gaze meeting hers. He didn’t try to hide his fear, but there was a spark there of something else. Something that gave her hope. “I love you, Alisha. It’ll work out, got that?”

He flicked the switch and thrust them all into darkness again. Vincent twisted her, his arm around her throat pinching off her air supply. He turned on his flashlight and shoved her forward, rapidly increasing the distance separating them from Devon. From the RCMP team who even now should be reaching the cave entrance.

Behind them was nothing but darkness. Vincent moved them in rushes, pausing at odd intervals to listen, probably in case someone was following.

“Vincent, please let me go,” she begged.

He ignored her, hesitating as the path narrowed with two branches before them. “Devon said there was a secret exit. Show me.”

Alisha gasped in pain as he squeezed. She clawed at his arm in an attempt to loosen his hold to get more air. She still had no idea what the hell was going on. “I thought Lana told you about the exit.”

“No, Devon did. He’s not as smart as he thinks. Now which way?”

“To the left.” Alisha chose the direction leading away from the upper entrance.

The path narrowed before twisting to the side. The water pools and river were left behind, the light in Vincent’s hand reflecting off walls that were now close enough to touch. Vincent’s breathing was loud in her ear, obviously hurt as he groaned and muttered, shoving her forward into the darkness. Alisha ignored his panting as she frantically searched for a solution. Should she take Vincent to the other entrance? Wander in circles . . . ?

Oh.

She had the answer to Devon’s cryptic message. One of their first searches with Lifeline. They’d rescued a couple of Boy Scouts who’d gotten separated from their troop. One of the pair had insisted they’d been looking for the secret exit his older brother had told him about.

Devon wanted her to make Vincent wander in circles.

“Vincent, I need to stop for a minute”—she tugged on his arm—“please.”

He paused, allowing her to straighten up. “Don’t try anything.”

“What would I try? You’ve got a gun. I’m not stupid. Only, please, stop choking me. I’ll take you where you want to go.”

He held the back of her coat this time, shaking her to prove he could control her movements. “Now, walk.”

Being able to breathe better was a good thing. She held her hands out to stop from knocking into rocks, the light barely in front of her enough to see. “If you let me hold the flashlight, we could go faster,” she offered.

“No.” The words clipped. Sharp. All Vincent’s smoothness had vanished.

They came to another split in the tunnel, and she took the right passage, crossing her fingers that after all this time she had selected the proper path.

The walls glittered in places as the light struck them, bands of igneous rocks mixed in with the places where running water had deposited calcium, the buildups creating waves of what appeared to be red-and-cream-coloured piles of rock-hard pudding. Sharp sounds rang out, but there was no way to tell how far away the original noise had originated, echoes carrying through the passages until the entire place became a drum chamber.

Alisha slowly worked the zipper on her jacket, careful to keep one hand pinned over the two sides to maintain the illusion of being tightly controlled. She had to be ready when . . . whatever happened, because something was sure to go off soon.

She pulled them down yet another endless passage, this one riddled with holes on one wall. Staying alert, keeping her attention focused forward, but pleased that she’d ended up exactly where she’d intended.

Vincent pushed her forward. “Faster.”

“Faster and we’ll trip,” she warned.

Motion blurred on her right. Alisha let go of her jacket, springing forward and leaving her coat behind in Vincent’s grasp. He grunted in pain, and the light in his hand tumbled to the ground. That was fine by her—in spite of the darkness she knew where she was going, at least for now.

She spread her arms wide. Her fingertips brushed wet rock on her right, and she ducked into the first of the available alcoves she could find. The wall guided her in the darkness while she moved blindly a few steps down the passage as behind the sounds of struggle rose.

It had worked this far, Devon’s trick. She’d brought Vincent in a full circle and given Devon time to surprise them. But with Devon’s injury and that damn gun to worry about, they weren’t finished yet.

Every sound the men made repeated off the narrow walls. Heavy breathing, fists meeting flesh. Alisha snuck back to the alcove entrance, tucked low to stay out of danger.

The flashlight Devon had knocked from Vincent’s hand lay on the ground, the beam reflecting off the wall dimly illuminating the fight.

Devon had an arm wrapped around Vincent’s throat, attempting to jerk Vincent to his knees. With his other hand he held Vincent’s wrist, the gun gripped in Vincent’s hand pointed down the passage.

Vincent roared in dismay, the sound cutting off as Devon leaned in harder. Vincent jerked up a foot and slammed his heel into Devon’s leg, and Devon swore loudly, the oath bursting out in a breathless gasp. As they scuffled in the dim light Devon’s face was pale, Vincent’s dark eyes wide as he struggled to bring the gun around.

Alisha ripped her hiking boot from her foot. The men twirled again as Devon dragged Vincent back, closer to where Alisha was hidden. She stood and timed it as best she could, and as the men’s joined hands passed in front of her she slammed the heavy heel into the back of Vincent’s hand.

The gun tumbled to the ground and she snatched it up, darting into her alcove. Cold water soaked her sock as the fight continued. She put the gun down where the wall edge met the ground and hurried back to help Devon.

As she reached the opening Vincent screamed. He made a last, desperate push, sending him and Devon careening into the wall. Devon gasped in pain, and the moment was enough for Vincent to twist free, snatch up the flashlight, and race away. The sound of his feet slapping against the stone floor faded into the distance as Devon slumped to the floor.