Vivian Arend - High Passion

Vincent took another step closer. The beam of light widened with every pace. “You’re as ignorant as the rest of them.”

Devon stilled his breathing and braced himself, readying to leap at Vincent if he came any farther in his direction.

The entrance to the cave glowed in the distance, the broken outline of a semicircle highlighted with the light of the wintery sky. A body stepped into view, framed by the darkness and light.

Rescuers had arrived. For the first time in ages, Devon took a deep breath and allowed himself to hope.

Vincent cursed again, then turned, the glow of his flashlight vanishing. Devon remained motionless, listening hard, forcing himself to ignore the person hesitating at the entranceway and to focus on tracking Vincent.

The other man wasn’t moving.

From the mouth of the cavern a bright light flashed, streaming into the darkness like a shooting star. Brilliant red reflected off myriads of water rivulets, veins of quartz sparkling with blood-toned diamonds as the light blasted past. Another emergency flare followed it, and another, and Devon glanced over the rock to discover Vincent only feet away.

Devon leapt without thinking, pushing against the firm stone flooring and flying through the air. He slammed into Vincent and took him to the ground, a gasp of pain escaping the other man.

They rolled, Devon clutching to grasp Vincent’s hands. A blow hit him in the face and another in the solar plexus. He got in a few good punches of his own, Vincent grunting as the blows landed. Around them the darkness made his eyes ache as he scrambled to subdue his target.

An ear-shattering explosion rang out as pain sliced through Devon’s leg. It felt as if a raging hot knife had stabbed into his calf, but he tightened his grip on Vincent, keeping hold of him in spite of the pain.

Vincent had shot him.

Alisha was going to kill him for being stupid enough to get shot.

Something hard brushed the back of his hands, and Devon jabbed the gun away, clinging to Vincent for all he was worth. Vincent got in another lucky blow and the ringing in Devon’s head got worse. The stars in front of his eyes grew brighter.

The world moved into slow motion, a blend of agony and coloured lights. Devon was seriously pissed off as for the second time that day darkness overwhelmed him.

When the shot rang out, everything inside Alisha threatened to tear apart.

They’d been forced to separate, her and Erin. Two distinct sets of tracks led to the lower entrance while a lone set aimed straight for the upper, and the possibility that Lana had sent them into a trap was too great to ignore.

Alisha had promised to be careful, they both had, but there was a lot that could be accomplished while they waited for the RCMP to catch up in the next five to ten minutes.

A blend of cautious waiting and frantic rushes forward got her to the foot of the falls, where the icy-cold spray wrapped itself around her like a shroud. The pump of blood whooshing past her eardrums deafened her even to the overload of noise created by the cataract to her right.

Fear had become her constant companion, clinging like some demented devotee—a sentinel demon lusting for her to fall.

Terror skittered up her spine as she stepped into the frigid waters of the river. Images of the flash flood weeks earlier surrounded her, and the bitter taste of bile hit the back of her tongue. Alisha closed her eyes for a moment and dragged in a deep breath.

She could do this. Search and rescue was in her heart, in her soul. She’d trained and struggled and worked her ass off to be the kind of woman who could face her fears and still move forward.

Blue eyes shone into her memory—the confidence Devon had in her coming through first and foremost. The caring he showed her.

The passion they’d shared.

Fear eased—not vanished, but fading enough that she could breathe again. Breathe, and take another step forward. And another, until the rocky cave entrance loomed overhead.

The long open cavern before her held dark mysteries, the boom of the falls reverberating around her as Alisha prepared the emergency flares. The first round of flashes shot into the chasm to highlight a human figure standing two-thirds of the way down the passage. She stooped to prepare another set of flares when blurred motion caught her attention in the fading glow. She scrambled to light a flare when a gun echoed in the cavernous chamber, and Alisha’s stomach rolled.

She crawled to one side and waited.

A flashlight clicked on as someone escaped farther into the cave system. Alisha waited, confused and yet eager to move forward. It had to be Vincent retreating into the mountain. Devon knew there was no way to get out that direction without climbing massive walls in the dark, impassible without a rope already in place from the top.

Unless Lana had gone in the other direction. Maybe even now she was setting up an escape route.

Alisha clicked on her walkie-talkie. “Careful, Erin. You might have company soon.”

Erin’s response sounded in the earbud Alisha wore—a silent solution to keep their communication from carrying to the people around them. “Got it. I’ll camp outside the metal gates. Which, by the way, are open. Someone cut the chain on the lock. There’s only one set of tracks heading into the caves, though.”

There were definitely at least two people inside the maze of passages then. “Someone got shot. I’m going to check them out,” Alisha whispered.

“Can you wait?” Erin asked.

“Negative. It could be serious.”

Erin’s colourful response broke off fast. “Fine. Just don’t go in farther. I see the RCMP at the edge of the meadow. You’ll have backup in approximately ten minutes.”

Alisha stared down the passage. She lit off another flare, but there was no longer anyone moving. Desperation rushed her, the urge to move driving her forward.

The water running underfoot increased in volume as the river narrowed. Darkness closed in. Flashes of memory broke through again: the flood sweeping over her and Devon, attempting to steal her breath away, surrounding her in a trap, but that fear had been tamed. She walked quietly with her headlight on the lowest beam possible, hurrying while remaining alert in case the shooter stepped out from the distance.

Uneasiness was wiped clear by shock of a different sort as Devon’s blond hair came into view, his body crumpled to the ground on the wet path. The rock was redder than usual under him, and she bit back a cry as she realized why.

She dropped to her knees, slapping a hand around his leg above the point where the blood stained his khakis. “Devon. Do you hear me?”

Her pack hit the ground. She set up a larger flashlight beside it to help her see the supplies she needed. Alisha rushed into medical assessment mode, the shallow breaths he took reassuring her he was still alive.

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.”