Carved in Stone (9 page)

He’d only imagined that sense of something or someone else. Desperation and fear could have an odd effect on a man. Nate tugged at his bindings once again and his thoughts turned to Alex. How far had she gotten? Was she safe?

He had to escape. There were too many reasons to live.

Hiding behind a massive pine tree, Alex shoved her fist into her mouth, biting down on her knuckles until she tasted blood. Where was Nate? Had those men killed him? She had to be patient, to wait for an opportunity to help. It was her only chance.

She couldn’t lose Nate. Not now, not with the powerful link already growing between them. She had no idea what it was, what it meant. What it might lead to. Loving him? Alex sucked in a quick breath. Was she losing her freaking mind? She didn’t love him, couldn’t possibly love him. They hardly knew each other. She would feel this way about any man in pain. Wouldn’t she?

A twig snapped. Leaves rustled nearby. Someone was there, close by her hiding place. Alex plastered herself against the rough bark of the tree.

Her skin went cold and clammy. She pressed one hand against her chest as she struggled to control her breathing, hoping to keep it as shallow and quiet as possible. If only she could stop the pounding of her heart. Clenching her hands into fists, she concentrated on slow, even breaths, on slowing the rapid staccato beat inside her chest.

Footsteps halted just on the opposite side of her tree. A man cleared his throat and coughed. She heard the nasty sound of spittle hitting the dry leaves and bit back a terrified moan. The sound of a zipper, the rustle of cloth, the unmistakable stench of urine and the sound of the man’s stream hitting the ground. A scream tried to work its way up her throat. Clenching her teeth, she forced it back by shear will.

It seemed to take him forever to finish, to get his clothes back together. Terrified, Alex trembled so violently he should have heard her. She hugged herself tightly, afraid if she let go she’d fly apart, and she found herself begging the presence, whatever it was she’d sensed, to help her, to keep her hidden.

There was no answer and she didn’t expect one, but somehow the man searching for her didn’t realize his quarry was only a couple of feet away from him, hidden in the undergrowth.

Finally, Alex heard him walk away. The quiet crunch of boots against dried pine needles and leaves faded in the distance. She took a long, slow breath to still her thundering heart.

She didn’t think she’d ever been so afraid, but what must it be like for Nate? Was he still alive?

She crept around the side of the tree, almost afraid to look at the clearing. The three men were talking. As she watched, they turned and walked into the forest beyond the helicopter.

As soon as they disappeared from view, Alex raced across the open clearing and slipped quickly into the mine.

“Nate? Nathan, where are you?”

She heard a low groan coming from the back of the cave.

“Nathan? Is that you?” She raced across the uneven floor of the cavern.

His voice was weak, a faint thread when he answered her. “Alex? What are you doing here? Did you bring Roger?”

Dropping to her knees, Alex cradled his face in both hands, blinking away hot tears. Damn. He was a mess. Bloody and battered, and . . .

“What are you doing here, Alex? You’re supposed to be going for help, remember?”

She ignored that. Leave him? What was he thinking? “Oh, Nate, what have they done to you?” She tugged at the ropes holding his wrists. Bloody streaks stained his arms where the tight bonds had cut into his flesh. Blood matted his thick auburn hair. A large bruise marked one cheekbone. She had to free him.

“In my pocket. There’s a knife in my left front pocket.” He twisted as much as the tight ropes would allow, giving Alex access to his jeans pocket.

“You’ll certainly go to great lengths to get a woman into your pants, won’t you, Dr. Murdock,” she whispered, forcing her fingers into the tight pocket.

“Only you, Ms. Martin,” he gasped through shallow breaths.

Alex forced a smile and tried to hide her concern. He looked awful. She wondered how badly he was hurt. “I feel honored, Professor. I just wish your pants weren’t quite so tight.” She grasped a small object and dragged it out of his pocket.

“That’s a knife?” She held up a miniature Buck knife with two very small, narrow blades.

“That’s the best I can do, lady. You wanna fight about it?” He tried to grin but she could tell it hurt him, that lopsided smile that just about broke her heart.

“This might take a while.”
Stay calm, stay calm, stay calm
. Silently she repeated the orders to herself as she sawed at the rough twine. How long before the men returned? “I thought they were going to kill you.”

“Afraid you wouldn’t get paid, huh?”

“That crossed my mind,” she said. “But I was more afraid I’d have to haul your ugly carcass back to Weaverville.” The little knife was dull and it was taking so long to cut through the twine. She had to keep talking to keep from screaming. “I wasn’t worried until I saw Sidney wallop you on the head with the rifle butt.”

“I’ve got a hard head. Takes more than one knock to get my attention.” His words came out in shallow puffs. “Kind of like a woman I know.”

She turned her head and stared intently at him, but it was so hard to look, to see him in such pain. “I’m sorry. I couldn’t leave you. I had to stay.”

“I’m glad.” Nate tugged at the ropes. “I thought for sure they were going to kill me. They were talking about it. All I could think of was that at least you were out of here, on your way back to safety. I have to admit, though, I’m damned glad to see you.”

Alex felt the last of the strands give way, but as Nate tried to pull free she stopped him, shoving against his chest.

“Ouch! What’d you do that for?”

“I’m sorry. Listen.” She held her finger to his lips, and then Nate heard it, the sound of men’s voices.

“Quick, find someplace to hide.” He looked around the empty expanse, then back at Alex. There was nowhere to go. Nowhere except deeper into the cavern.

“Oh, God, Nate. I hate tight, dark places.”

The voices came closer, echoing through the narrow tunnel.

With one wild look in their direction, Alex leaned over and kissed Nate full on the lips, then ran into the darkness. Nate heard her stumble, her muffled curse, and then silence as she disappeared into the hidden recesses of the cavern.

Pressing his back against the heavy timber, Nate bowed his head, feigning unconsciousness. He heard Duke and Ed enter the cave.

“I told you, Ed. He’s still here. You just thought you saw someone coming in after him. Hey, you. Wake up!”

Duke kicked Nate in the thigh with one heavily booted toe.

Nate grunted, then slowly raised his head. He would never forget their faces. Clenching his teeth in pain, he fought the anger.

He clenched his hands just as hard, but the temptation to strike almost overwhelmed him. His bonds were loose, the rope cut through. It would be so easy to pull his hands free. He wanted Duke’s throat in his grasp.

Once again he felt the presence. Its touch strengthened him, made him invincible. The image of Duke, eyes bulging, struggling in Nate’s iron grip filled his mind.

But reality intruded. He had to control his rage. If anything happened to him, Alex would be alone with these animals.

The sense of uncontrollable rage passed, and with it the sense of another, of the presence.

Duke hunkered down in front of Nate, his rifle cradled in his arms. His eyes held a feverish brilliance, a crazed look that cautioned Nate to stare straight ahead without speaking, without offering a challenge.

Slowly, Duke raised the gun and placed the cold steel of the barrel against Nate’s forehead.
Please, Alex. No matter what happens . . .

Duke’s finger tightened on the trigger. Nate held his breath, waiting.

Ed placed a restraining hand on the other man’s arm.

“No, Duke. Not this way. I’ve got a better idea.”

With a last nudge of the barrel against Nate’s forehead, Duke stood and followed Ed out of the cave. Nate could hear the two men talking, then the chilling sound of Duke’s laughter.

The first shot echoed throughout the cavern. Rocks and dust fell from the ceiling. The second shot dislodged something larger. The timber behind Nate trembled. Suddenly, Alex was at his side, tugging at the severed ropes, pulling at the bonds that held his feet.

The third shot from the high-caliber rifle seemed to vibrate within his skull. Nate grabbed Alex to his side, pulling her back from the huge timber. Slowly it twisted and rolled away from the wall it had helped support for over a hundred years, then tumbled to the floor of the cave. One end of the huge beam caught across an errant slab of rock. Forcing his numbed arms to obey, Nate grabbed Alex around the waist and rolled them both beneath the narrow shelter.

The vibration exploded around them, rumbling into an ear-splitting dissonance of snapping wood and falling rock. A loud crash shook the cavern and dust choked the two of them where they lay beneath the beam.

Everything went dark. And silent. Eerily silent except for the occasional creak of old wood and the intermittent dance of falling pebbles.

Disoriented from the concussion and the swirling dust, Alex blinked and then blinked again. Damn. It was still dark. She opened her eyes wide. God, how she hated the dark! There was no light, no shadow to mar the darkness. Her heartbeat pounded in her skull, drowning out the reverberating echoes in the cave.

She could feel Nate’s body covering hers, feel the roughness of his beard against her cheek, but she couldn’t see him. She felt the lumpy bulge from the two apples in her fanny pack resting under one hip and the stinging cuts along her left arm where she’d been hit by flying rock. But most of all she felt Nate’s weight pressing down on her.

He wasn’t moving.

Pebbles clattered somewhere, echoing throughout the cavern. Alex choked back her rising hysteria, holding her breath until her chest ached, until she felt Nate stir against her.

“Nate?” She whispered his name, her lips pressed tightly against his throat. “Nathan, are you okay?”

He had to be okay. He had to be.

Relief at the sound of Alex’s voice almost unmanned him. “I’ve been better,” he said, clenching and then opening his fists to help get the circulation going again. His arms still tingled and his head was pounding. It took him a moment before he realized the softness beneath him was Alex. He tried to lift his weight off of her, but his arms wouldn’t respond.

A few rocks still skittered and bounced in the darkness, some rattling off the strong timber that protected the two of them. Alex’s body conformed to Nate’s, alive and warm beneath him. She was still breathing, so he decided there wasn’t a pressing need to change his position.

“My arms are still a little numb. I hope I’m not crushing you. Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, really.” Her voice cracked.

“Are you sure?” Was she crying? Why did it sound like she was trying not to laugh? “Alex?”

“I’m just wondering how I’ll explain all this to Jessie. She’s my best friend, and she was scared to death I was taking a job working for an ax murderer.”

She was laughing. Nate felt her body quiver beneath his. She didn’t sound hysterical. But laughter? Not quite apropos to the current situation.

“Anyway,” she added pragmatically, her voice calm against his cheek, “I’ve decided you probably aren’t an ax murderer, but I’m not so sure about your little friends. They play rough.”

“God, lady, you’re something else.” Nate buried his lips in her hair and kissed her. She was either the bravest woman he’d ever met or too stupid to realize their danger—and he knew she wasn’t stupid. And said as much. “Trapped in a cave by a bunch of druggies and you can laugh? Either you’re too dumb to be scared or you’re braver than any woman I ever met.”

“No one ever said I was too bright.”

“Well, I don’t think we have to worry about our friends coming back.” The feeling was returning to his arms and hands, so he eased himself off of her, rolling to one side and grabbing her hand as he slid away from her body. The thought of losing contact with her in the darkness terrified him. “I don’t think they could get in if they wanted to.”

“How are we going to get out?”

“That’s the question of the day.” Nate pulled Alex to her feet and then had to steady himself against her shoulder. His head was still spinning, and in the absolute pitch-black darkness of the cave without any way to visually orient himself, Nate’s vertigo increased.

He definitely owed Sid a few bruises.

“Don’t worry, Alex. We’ll find a way out.” He tried to project a sense of confidence he definitely wasn’t feeling. “Got any matches? It’s dark as a tomb in here.”

“Uh, Nate? How about a different frame of reference? You know, something cheery? Something besides a, uh,
tomb
?”

“Good idea.” He squeezed her shoulders, but for whatever reason Nate was positive he heard laughter in her voice. Didn’t she have any idea how desperate their situation was? They were trapped by tons of rock, and the only people who knew they were here certainly wouldn’t be sending a rescue party.

Suddenly, Alex pulled her hand free and moved away. Nate heard a zipper opening. His first guess had to be wrong, but the satisfying fantasy of Alex peeling her tight jeans down her long legs brought an immediate end to his dizziness.

There was a shuffle and a click in the darkness, then a tiny beam of light flicked over Nate.

Alex burst into laughter. “It works!” She flashed the narrow beam across the room, turning the dust motes into diamonds. “I forgot I even had this dumb little flashlight, but I stuck it in my fanny pack before I left home. It’s so tiny it hardly weighs anything. At least it’s better than nothing.”

“Not much better, but it might help us get our bearings.”

“Thanks loads for your overwhelming appreciation,” she replied dryly and pointed the narrow light at the entrance.