He shoved his shoulder into it. Once, twice, three times, ignoring the stab of pain that pulsed through him, and finally, it swung inward.
And revealed another room full of darkness.
There were no sounds from the darkness. No more thuds. His flashlight cut around the area. Moving carefully. He kept his body tense, prepared for an attack to come at any moment.
Something—someone—had been in that room.
The light drifted over a piece of wood.
Frowning, he started to advance.
“Wait!” Cadence’s hand tightened on his arm. “Look down.” She had her phone out, using it as a flashlight and shining it on the ground.
In the glow of her light, he could just make out the length of the trip wire.
Fuck.
He’d tried to be so careful. Sweeping out with his light and checking constantly as they escaped through the corridors. When he’d seen this room, he’d gotten sloppy.
You thought you’d found Lily.
His breath slowly eased out and his light left the heavy piece of wood to join instead with Cadence’s. He checked the ground carefully.
Kyle had no doubt the wire was rigged to set off another explosion. Positioned just past the door to stop someone from racing inside the chamber.
Or racing out?
His jaw locked.
Thud.
His flashlight flew right toward the sound. He saw the heavy piece of wood again, but his light trailed to the right as he realized—
The wood is part of a bed.
And, f**k me, someone is in that bed.
Her blonde hair was in the circle cast by his light.
His first instinct was to run to her, but he held back. He knew she might not be alone.
Where are you, you sonofabitch?
Cadence’s breath caught on a gasp behind him. She’d seen the blonde, too.
What else was there to see? His light cut around the room, slowly. Cadence’s began to do the same. But dammit, if someone was hiding in there, he could just move, easily avoiding the lights.
Get the blonde. Get her out.
Why hadn’t she responded to them?
His light went back to her. She’d turned her head, and now she stared at them, eyes wide, face pale, with a gag stuffed in her mouth.
“The rest of the floor’s clear,” Cadence said. “Let’s go.”
They cleared the trip wire and were at the bed in seconds.
Lily—yes, it was Lily—didn’t so much as blink. Her hands were tied, the rope binding her deeply and securing her to the wooden bedposts.
He sliced through the rope, freeing her.
Cadence pulled the gag away from Lily’s mouth. “It’s okay,” Cadence whispered to her. “You’re safe.”
Lily didn’t speak. She didn’t even blink.
“We’re with the FBI,” Cadence told her, voice soothing. “We’re going to help you.”
Lily’s eyelashes began to flutter.
Kyle pulled her into his arms. He wanted her out of there. When he lifted her, Lily’s body was slack in his arms. Her head fell back.
Her eyes closed.
“Cadence!”
She checked the woman’s pulse and ran her hands quickly over Lily’s body, searching for injuries. “Her heartbeat is too low.” Fear threaded through her words. If Cadence was afraid, then he was, too. “We need to get her to a hospital!”
They needed to get her out of hell.
Cadence led the way, shining the light as Kyle carried Lily. “Hold on,” he whispered to her. “You’re almost home.”
Alive. They’d actually found her alive. Lily’s heartbeat was too slow, and his was about to burst from his chest.
He followed Cadence’s light, watching it cut quickly across the room.
Her light froze, locking on the wall to the right.
To the tally marks carved into the cavern’s wall.
There were thirteen marks carved into that wall. Fucking thirteen. His heart stopped when he saw those marks and realized just what the hell they meant.
Her light swept away from the marks to the floor.
He eased over the trip wire.
Lily barely seemed to breathe in his arms.
The sound of his and Cadence’s breathing was far too loud.
Was the SOB here? Was he watching them in the dark?
Cadence turned. They were outside of the door. They just had to backtrack, go to the fork, and then make their way toward the fresh air.
They were close to freedom.
So f**king close.
Then he felt the trembles shake the ground beneath him.
“Kyle…”
Cadence was afraid again.
“Hurry, Kyle,” Cadence said.
He clutched Lily tighter.
“Hurry!” Cadence screamed.
There was another blast. They hadn’t stumbled into a trip wire, he knew they hadn’t.
Was he watching?
Trying to kill them all?
Kyle started running, with Cadence right in front of him. The light bobbed and weaved, and rocks bit into his shoulders as he forced his way through the tunnel toward freedom. Behind him, the sound of falling rocks roared.
Faster, faster…
They were at the fork.
Cadence’s light hit the right tunnel.
Safety.
If the cave walls would just last.
But the shaking, the reverberations, were everywhere.
The light began to weaken.
“Straight ahead!” Cadence yelled. “We’re going to make it!”
There wasn’t any other option.
He could taste the fresh air. His hold tightened on Lily. A rocky outcrop slammed into his side. He pulled her closer, shielding her head, making sure he took any impacts.
Then he heard it—the rushing sound of water. Thundering.
Like a waterfall.
Yes, f**k, yes…he could even see the flow of water in the cave, could see light.
His feet slipped in the water. It wasn’t a trickle of a stream, not like before.
It was deeper.
A few more steps, and he saw it. A wall of moving water, right before him.
Cadence glanced back at him. There was blood on her beautiful face. What looked like the dried tracks of tears. “There’s a ledge,” she said, voice rising to be heard over the blast of the falls. “Stay close to the rocks. We can walk around the falls.”
He shifted Lily in his arms. She felt cold, and she still hadn’t spoken. Carefully, he followed Cadence’s orders, moving as gingerly as he could. One step. Two. The ground was wet and covered with thick, green mold. He didn’t want to risk crashing into the water with Lily. He didn’t know how deep it was, and he wasn’t even sure Lily could survive a plunge like that.
One step. One slow step. Not running anymore because they were free.