If Ever I Fall: Book 3 of The Six Series (19 page)

IT
HAD BEEN A FEW
years since I’d been down the steep slope. And a lot can change in just a few years, I realized as I struggled to keep my footing.

One wrong move and we’d tumble to the bottom. That was the good news. The bad news was if we did end up a heap at the bottom, we’d probably break several bones in the process when the massive stone at the end brought us to a halt.

Eli had it right when he’d talked of dangerous, slippery, wet places. We were walking straight down one of the worst ones I’d ever been on. The rain hadn’t let up, not even a little, by the time we made it to the bottom.

We no sooner stopped to get our breath when Oliver stepped out from his hiding place. His eyes bulged as an angry growl rumbled from him. “What the hell are you doing here?”

Nadia waved him off. “Never mind that. Where’s the cave entrance?”

He locked eyes with her, crossing his arms as he said, “Please tell me you have reinforcements coming.”

“I’d love to tell you that, but unfortunately, that’s not happening until this rain lets up,” Nadia answered, following it up by dragging the bottom of her T-shirt over her face.

Oliver shook his head. “How the hell did you manage to get someone to fly in this shit?”

“I called in a favor. Now about that cave…?” Nadia asked, wincing as she put pressure down on her foot.

Oliver zeroed in on her before flicking a glance at Eli. “What happened?”

“Rock climbing accident,” Eli said, moving over to stand beside Oliver.

“Rock climbing? Are you fucking kidding me right now?” he shouted.

We didn’t have to worry about anyone hearing his displeasure because the wind stole every one of his words.

Scrubbing his hand down his face, Oliver took a step back as a gust of wind threatened to knock us over like bowling pins.

When it let up, he squared off with Nadia again. “We can’t do shit until this wind dies down. I don’t know what the three of you were thinking scaling fucking rocks in this weather.”

“We had no choice. This weather isn’t blowing out anytime soon. I’m done discussing this, Oliver. How do we get into the cave?” Nadia fired back at him, pulling herself up to her full height.

“Where are Aiden and Grant?” Eli asked, butting into their conversation.

“They haven’t come out of the cave, and coms are down. I have no idea what’s happening in there,” Oliver answered, flicking a glance behind him as if Aiden and Grant would pop out somewhere in the rocks.

Nadia whipped around, putting her hand on my shoulder. “Airen, do you know anything about that cave?”

Shaking from the cold, I wrapped my arms around me as everyone turned to look at me. “No, I’ve no been past this point. Especially at high tide.”

Before anyone could speak, Ace popped up between two rocks and wormed his way through them, scaring the hell out of me.

“There’s no other way into the cave. I’ve checked every damn rock and crevice. We’ll have to go up the same way,” he told Oliver, giving a dip of his head to the rest of us in hello.

“I thought you’d say that,” Oliver said, wrapping his hand around the back of his neck and squeezing. “Here’s what we’re gonna do…”

“You’re not leaving me behind!” Nadia snapped after Oliver laid out his plan.

His eyes rounded, and then settled into a scowl. “You’re not climbing up those rocks. You can’t even put your weight on that foot,” he said, stabbing his finger at her. “Besides, you’re a crack shot. If he gets past us, you’ll be able to take him out from here.”

Nadia chewed her bottom lip, but she kept her thoughts to herself.

“Airen will stay down here with Nadia. Ace, you and I are going in. Eli, you’re standing point at the entrance,” Oliver finished.

I shook my head. There was no way I’d be left behind. Not when I could make the climb and help turn the tables on Uncle Robert. “You need me with ye.”

“The hell we do. Having you with us is one more worry that none of us need to deal with right now, sweetheart,” Oliver hissed.

I held up my hand. “Not true. Who do you think led them here to ye?” I asked, flicking a glance at Nadia and Eli. “I can make the climb. And I can flush out my uncle.”

“You’re not going. End of discussion,” Oliver said, turning his back on me.

“Ye either let me come, or I’ll do it on my own,” I said, falling into step behind him.

Oliver turned on me so fast that I stumbled. Before he could say anything, Ace stepped up, putting his hand on Oliver’s shoulder. “She’s right. Having her with us might work in our favor.”

“And if she gets hurt? We can’t afford any mistakes, Ace,” Oliver said.

Something in his eyes shifted. He wasn’t just angry about bringing me. He was scared.

“I’ll stay right behind Ace. And I’ll be really careful. I promise,” I said, hoping to put him at ease.

Turning his back, he didn’t say another word about it.

Nadia moved into position as I followed behind Ace with Eli stepping in behind me.

THE MOUTH OF THE CAVE resembled a nightmare I’d once had when I was little. It just screamed of monsters and other things that went bump in the night.

Biting back a wave of hysteria, I forced my feet forward, keeping my fingers wrapped up in the bottom of Ace’s shirt until Oliver came to a stop as the darkness sealed us in.

Ace’s hand came back to settle on my arm as a beam of light came from Oliver’s hand.

“It’s blacker than a well digger’s ass in here,” Oliver hissed, moving the light around the floor of the cave.

“How far back do you think it goes?” Ace asked, pulling out his own flashlight and clicking it on.

“No telling,” Oliver answered, moving forward again.

Peeking around Ace’s shoulder, I caught a flash of something as he swung the light in front of him from right to left.

Grabbing his arm, I tugged to pull the beam back to the right. “What’s that?”

“Shit!” Oliver’s light joined up with Ace’s as he rushed over to where Grant’s unmoving body lay on the ground.

Ace slapped his flashlight in my hand, joining Oliver beside Grant. “Pulse?”

“Faint. Help me get him up. We need to move him to the front of the cave where Eli can take a look at him. Airen, I need you to guide us out,” Oliver said, moving to lift Grant up.

With shuffling steps, we made it back to the cave entrance where Ace and Oliver set Grant down gently.

Eli stuck his head in the cave, noticing Grant immediately. He bent down, running his hands over Grant’s arms and legs. Blood welled from a spot along his forehead.

“Flashlight,” Eli called out, not taking his eyes off Grant.

Oliver handed his over and Eli lifted Grant’s eyelids, shining the light in one, then the other. “Just a nick along the temple. Add his fall and I’d say it knocked him out. He should come around soon.”

Eli shifted, handing the flashlight back to Oliver. “We’re good here.”

Oliver looked to Ace. “Let’s go. God only knows what he’s done to Aiden.”

My stomach dropped. “Ye knew he was hurt?”

“Coms were sketchy once they entered the cave. We knew something had happened. I didn’t expect that though,” Oliver answered as we fell in step behind him.

“So ye have no idea if Aiden is alive?” I asked, pushing myself to speak loud enough for him to hear me.

“No, I don’t,” he answered, keeping a steady beam of light ahead of us. “But we’ll find out soon enough.”

How could he sound so cold… so callous?

Ace’s hand went to the holster on his side, popped the snap, and pulled his gun out, holding it up alongside his flashlight.

“Don’t get trigger happy back there. One wrong shot and we’ll all be diving for cover,” Oliver said, reaching into the waistband at the back of his shirt, pulling out his own pistol.

Ace and Oliver worked as a team after that. When Oliver swept his gun/flashlight combo to the left, Ace swept his to the right as we continued further into the cave that seemed to have no damned end.

What it did have was a sheer drop off to my left. Ace swept the flashlight down, losing the beam to the blackness below. He whistled through his teeth as my mind raced with worry.

Had Aiden fallen over the side? And if he did, how the hell would we know unless we climbed down?

“He’s not down there,” Oliver said over his shoulder.

“How do ye know?” I asked.

“Because I lost communication with him just after I heard Robert speaking to him. Keep moving, this cave has to end somewhere,” he said, not giving the drop off another look.

That didn’t mean he hadn’t pitched Aiden over the side. Just because he’d heard them talking didn’t make Uncle Robert any less crazy.

“You ever see one of those movies where a giant spider pops up out of nowhere and eats everyone?” Ace asked, running his flashlight over a jagged row of stalactites.

“Now is not the time to call up shit like that,” Oliver grumbled, following it up by saying, “I fucking hate spiders.”

My head bobbed in agreement even if they hadn’t included me in their conversation.

“Well, shit, looks like the path splits here,” Oliver said as we came to a halt.

“You take left, I’ll take right?” Ace asked.

“You see him, take him out. Don’t give him the chance to run or even talk. Okay?” Oliver asked, running the flashlight beam over the opening to the left.

“Wait! Isn’t it dangerous to split up? Shouldn’t we just stay together?” I asked, grabbing Oliver’s shirt sleeve as he passed by me.

He nodded to Ace. “Be careful. I’ve got her,” he said, wrapping his hand around my wrist.

“You’ll just let him go off on his own?” I asked, keeping pace with Oliver as we moved down a path that blew cold air hard against our faces.

“He can handle himself. The only thing that matters right now is the target.”

Not Aiden? My stomach squeezed hard, making me want to double over from the twisting pain. “Are ye no even concerned about Aiden?”

“I know Aiden. And I know what he’s capable of. Worrying about him won’t make the outcome of this situation any different. Now keep moving and stop talking,” Oliver said, tossing a dirty look over his shoulder at me.

I fought the urge to tell him off. Fighting with him wouldn’t help Aiden and if I started shrieking, it would definitely alert Uncle Robert to our presence.

My palm smacked against my forehead with a snap. Oliver stopped so quickly that I bounced off his back.

“What was that?” he asked, shining the light up my entire body until the beam forced me to blink the floating white spots from my vision.

Putting my hand up, I pushed the light from my eyes, practically bouncing on the tips of my toes. “I have an idea!”

“Great. Keep moving.” Oliver turned his back to me, but I wasn’t going to be ignored.

Tugging on his shirt sleeve, I dug my feet in until the material pulled taut. “Hear me out,” I pleaded, stepping around him to block his path.

With nostrils flaring, he dipped his head for me to continue. “Out with it, so I can tell you no and you’ll stop being a pain in my ass.”