Dark Nights Dangerous Men

by Elisabeth Naughton, Cynthia Eden, Katie Reus, Alexandra Ivy, Laura Wright, Joan Swan

  “Remember who you’re talking to!” Christy yelled, waving the gun. “I know everything about you.”

  Controlled fury pumped from Rafe’s body, but he didn’t speak. Lisa shifted out of his arms, refused to wipe her bleeding cheek and forced her gaze back to the madwoman in front of her.

  The gun in Christy’s hand shook. She took two deep breaths, struggling for calm, then let out a long deep breath as if to force herself to relax. “It looks like we won’t be doing business after all, Mr. Sullivan.”

  Metal clanged as Teddy fiddled with the tanks behind them.

  Christy’s grin turned smug when she looked back at Lisa. “Don’t tell me he left that part out.” She snapped the fingers of her free hand. “Probably forgot because he was too busy fucking you.” She moved the gun between her hands, ran her palm down her hip. “We made a deal. Well, Doug made a deal with Mr. Sullivan and his business partner. They were going to sell us the Furies when they had all three pieces. I was really looking forward to that moment. Doug was really looking forward to that moment.” Pain reflected in her eyes, and her voice dropped. “But things change. I know he would have wanted to be here.”

  Would have? Lisa wanted to ask just what had changed but couldn’t find the words.

  “That’s only one.” Rafe finally spoke, his voice hard and edgy. “You still don’t have the others.”

  “Not yet. But I will. Maria will get them for me. She’s been quite chummy with Mr. Kauffman.” Disgust ran across her face. “Men are so stupid. They’ll do anything for a piece of ass.”

  The bodyguard moved back to Christy’s side and spoke for the first time. “They won’t be diving anymore.”

  Christy eyes remained trained on Lisa. “Good. I’d hate to think she’ll get resourceful and find her way out of here.”

  Reality swept over Lisa. The psycho woman was going to leave them down here to die. “You won,” she said, hoping Christy would see they weren’t a threat. “You have what you want.”

  Christy shook her head slowly. “What I want is for you to suffer. The way Doug suffered. The way I’ve suffered all these years taking care of him. You don’t have any idea what it was like for him. For us. For me. If anyone deserves the Furies, it’s me.”

  Teddy moved toward the ropes and slipped on the harness.

  Christy pointed the gun over Lisa’s shoulder at Rafe. “The only thing I want is for you to suffer the way someone suffers when they’ve lost everything.”

  “Ms. Swanson,” Teddy cut in, sounding nervous.

  She ignored his warning. “Who means more to you, Lisa? Your lying thief of a lover or your useless brother? Choose.”

  Fear squeezed Lisa’s chest. She tried to push forward, but Rafe gripped her by the arm and wouldn’t let go.

  “No?” Christy asked. “Fine. I’ll choose for you. Doug never liked him much anyway.” She jerked the gun sideways and fired.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Shane grunted and tried to roll out of the way. The shot echoed through the cave.

  Lisa jerked out of Rafe’s grip and stumbled toward the cave wall. “Shane!”

  “That ought to keep you busy for a while,” Swanson said in a chilly voice.

  She swung the gun back toward Rafe. A wicked grin moved across her face. “She has no loyalty, you know. She’ll fuck anything that moves. Better you know now.” She stepped back toward the ropes. “You got me, Teddy?” she called up.

  Her bodyguard was poised on the ledge above, the gun in his hand aimed down at Rafe. “Yes. Go ahead.”

  Swanson tucked the firearm into the waistband of her cargo pants. She slung the pack over her shoulder and snapped on the harness, then glanced at Rafe. “Don’t worry about your pretty wife, either. We’ll take care of her.”

  It was all Rafe could do not to lunge forward and pound the woman’s face into the rocks. The only thing that stopped him was the hired thug above with the nine-millimeter pointed at his chest. He wouldn’t be any help to Lisa or Shane dead. And they’d need him if they were going to get out of this.

  More agile than she looked, Swanson used the rope to maneuver up the slick walls to the top of the cavern, then disappeared over the edge. Scraping echoed from above just before darkness spilled over the cave as the opening was covered.

  Rafe grappled for the helmet he’d dropped at his feet and flipped on his light. A steady beam filled the space, casting shadows across the rock walls. Lisa was bent over Shane, staring at her blood-covered hands.

  Shane groaned and tried to roll to his side. Blood soaked through his T-shirt near his right shoulder.

  Rafe pushed Lisa out of the way and checked Shane’s injury. On his knees, he pressed the palms of both hands against the wound to slow the flow. “Hold on.”

  Lisa hadn’t moved from where he’d pushed her back.

  “There’s a first-aid kit in my pack over there, Lisa. Get it. Quick.”

  She still didn’t move.

  He looked up sharply. Her eyes were wide, staring at Shane and the blood oozing between Rafe’s fingers.

  “Lisa,” he said firmer. “Goddammit. Get me the first-aid kit.”

  She blinked twice and looked at him like she didn’t have a clue who he was. Finally, she moved as if she were operating in slow motion.

  Shane coughed and winced as Rafe applied more pressure.

  “You still with me, Shane?”

  “Yeah. Shit. That burns.”

  With one hand on the wound, Rafe reached for the open first-aid kit Lisa held out. He propped it on the rocks near his knees, grabbed the bundle of gauze and packed it against the wound. “Gonna burn a little more. Lisa.” He looked up. “Take off your wet suit.”

  She didn’t argue, which told him how out of it she really was. The zipper rasped as she slid it down and pulled the garment from her body. With one hand, Rafe took it from her. “Come here. I need you to put both hands here.” He took her arms and placed her hands over Shane’s wound. Blood soaked through the gauze.

  “I…” Her face paled.

  “Don’t let up on the pressure, okay?” He moved his hands to both sides of Shane’s shoulders. “I need to get this under you. On the count of three, okay?”

  Shane nodded.

  Rafe helped him sit up, checked the back of Shane’s shoulder for an exit wound and slid Lisa’s wet suit underneath him. Then he unzipped his own suit and ripped off his T-shirt.

  Blood pooled around Lisa’s fingers. She looked down and paled further. “Oh, God. I think I’m going to be sick.”

  Wonderful. That was all he needed. Rafe pushed her hands out of the way and pressed down on the wound again, freeing her. “Gimme your T-shirt first.”

  She slowly peeled the cotton from her body leaving her in the black bikini she’d worn beneath her suit. He was pretty sure her face turned green before she scrambled to the corner of the dark cave.

  Shane coughed. “My tough-girl sister.”

  Rafe tried to ignore the sounds of heaving from the recesses of the room. She wasn’t sick simply because of what had happened to Shane. She was still in shock from the news that Stone was alive.

  He hadn’t seen that one coming. Rafe shook his head and pressed Lisa’s shirt against Shane’s wound. He couldn’t go to her like he wanted. He needed to get Shane stabilized first. “I never met the buyer. I didn’t know Stone was Straithearn.”

  “They played all of us,” Shane said.

  That didn’t make Rafe feel better. And it sure as hell didn’t make things better for Lisa. Rafe’s jaw clenched as he worked. “Bullet went all the way through. You’re a lucky SOB. Good reflexes. They teach you that in cop school?”

  “Must have a fairy godmother.” Shane winced. “Bitch shot me with my own gun.”

  Rafe pulled an Ace bandage from the first-aid kit and did his best to wrap it around the shirt pressed into Shane’s shoulder. “How’d she get it?”

  Shane grimaced as Rafe pulled him up to maneuver the bandage underneath his shoulde
r. “Blonde… Bikini…”

  Rafe nodded. “I’ve been distracted by a blonde in a bikini once or twice myself.”

  He finished dressing the wound in silence. Water splashed across the cave, but Lisa didn’t make any move to join them. Her silence was worse than knowing she was sick.

  Shane stared up at the dark ceiling. “What do you think that is?”

  Rafe checked the bandage one last time. The bleeding had slowed significantly. He reached for the canteen he’d had the good sense to grab before they’d left the boat, uncapped it and helped Shane take a drink. Sitting back on his heels, he braced his hands against his knees and glanced up. “Looks like plywood to me.”

  “That’ll stand out to Hailey.”

  “If their plan was to trap us, they did it pretty well. Hailey doesn’t know exactly where we are. We hiked around long enough before coming down. She knows the area we were scouring, but there are a bunch of blue holes on this side of the island. And if they covered the hole with vines and dirt, as I suspect, she’d probably walk right by without ever seeing it.”

  Rafe lifted the lantern and shone the light across the cave. There was no way he’d be able to scale the slick walls twenty-five feet up to the surface. No grips, no vines sticking down to grab onto.

  “You got any ideas?” Shane asked.

  Not one.

  “There’s a tunnel ten feet below us.”

  Rafe turned toward Lisa’s rough voice. He couldn’t see her, but she was close.

  “I saw the opening when we went down,” she added, shuffling across the rocks.

  She moved into the light. Her eyes were red-rimmed and bloodshot, and the sparkle he’d seen so many times was gone. She looked spent, exhausted…defeated.

  “Our tanks are damaged.” He had to force himself not to reach for her. He sensed she’d just push him away if he did.

  “I checked the map before we came down. That tunnel runs parallel at least thirty feet before opening to another room. That room, I think, has above-ground tunnels that run toward the beach.”

  “You think?”

  “I’m pretty sure.”

  Pretty sure was the same as being knee-deep in shit, as far as Rafe could figure. Ten feet down. At least thirty feet across. An underwater tunnel that would most likely lead to nothing but his premature death.

  Rafe took a deep breath. They were out of options as far as he could see. He’d stabilized Shane’s wound, but Lisa’s brother needed to be treated by someone with medical training. The longer they sat here, the worse off he’d be. He knew in his gut Hailey was never going to find them.

  He pushed to his feet. “Okay, I’ll go.”

  “You’re claustrophobic,” Lisa said.

  “I’m fine—”

  “You’re too big anyway. You’ll never fit through the opening.”

  Her plan finally registered. “You’re not going down there alone.”

  Shane moved slightly on the rocks. “Lisa—”

  “We’re running out of time,” she said quickly. “Do either of you have a better idea? Because I don’t. I’m not going to sit here and watch Shane bleed out when I can do something about it.”

  Panic squeezed Rafe’s chest. “You can’t hold your breath that long.”

  “Lisa,” Shane said in a weak voice. “This is a bad idea.”

  Ignoring them both, Lisa reached for the fins and mask she’d dropped earlier. “I’m a strong swimmer. I’ve done this before.”

  She tried to step around Rafe. He reached for her arm, stopping her. “This is different. And you’re not in any shape to free dive right now.”

  The cold look in her eyes nearly stopped his pulse. “Don’t try to stop me.”

  He was losing her. He could feel it. The news that Stone was still alive had just changed everything between them. Did she know he loved her? Would it make a difference? He dropped his hand and softened his voice. “Lisa—”

  “Don’t, Rafe. Not now.” She closed her eyes. “I can’t right now. I can’t think about anything but Shane.”

  She grabbed her helmet, strapped it on and replaced her mask. When she was in the water, she drew in a series of deep breaths.

  Rafe pushed aside the ache in his chest and refocused on what was happening now. This plan of hers was stupid, and not the least bit safe. But he could tell from the look in her eye there was no way he could talk her out of it. His only hope was to talk some sense into her. “Lisa, if the tunnel doesn’t look safe come right back up. It’s not worth taking the risk. We’ll figure another way out.”

  She closed her eyes, almost as if she didn’t hear him. “Can you get it back?”

  He paused, unsure for a second just what she was asking. “Tisiphone?”

  “Yes. You said he was in Coral Gables, that Pete knows where to find him. If you’re as good as you say you are, tell me the truth now.” She opened her eyes and looked up. But this time those shining emeralds weren’t worn and defeated, they were hard and icy and very much focused. “Can you get it back?”

  For her, he would do absolutely anything. He hoped she could read that in his words. “You get us the hell out of here, and I promise I’ll get you Tisiphone back.”

  ***

  Lisa drew in a large gulp of air and dove. Her light reflected off the wall of the blue hole, off stalagmites rising from the ledge of the pool. Ignoring the massive structures, she headed straight down toward the tunnel she’d seen on their earlier dive.

  It was right where she’d thought, a tube no more than four feet across and three feet high. She kicked her legs, used her fins to propel her through the water, and thrust into the tunnel. Her light reflected off the walls, off small cave formations jutting out of the solid rock. She tried not to think about the way the enclosure grew smaller and instead focused on getting from start to finish as fast as she could.

  Her chest ached. How long had she been down? A minute? Two? She’d lost track of time. As long as she stayed focused, didn’t panic, she’d be fine. She could do this. She’d held her breath for over five minutes during a training exercise. Granted, she wasn’t as conditioned now as she’d been then, but then she hadn’t been swimming for life and death either.

  The tunnel jogged to the left, and she kicked harder, curving with the space. The cave was dark but for her thin beam of light, the only sound her pounding heart echoing through her ears. Just a little farther. She had to be close.

  The cave turned to the left again. She rounded the corner expecting to see sunlight glinting through the water ahead, but darkness met her. Panic rose in her chest. For a split second she considered turning around, then reality washed through her. She’d never make it back. She was too far in, was already fighting the loss of air.

  Stay calm. Keep going. Don’t give up.

  She kicked hard one last time. The cave jerked to the right, then steadily rose. Blackness threatened to descend, but Lisa fought it with everything she had. Above, she was almost sure she could see the flicker of daylight.

  Her lungs burned. Her legs ached. Intense pressure pushed at her from every side.

  Give up. Let go.

  No! Just a little more…

  She broke the surface and gasped. Her chest heaved while she drew in deep breaths. Long minutes passed as she struggled to find her balance.

  When her breathing finally slowed, she forced her eyes open and looked around. This cave was similar to the one she’d left, but the opening above was a lot less steep and not nearly as high. Victory flared in her veins. She pushed herself out of the water and dropped her gear on the rocks at her feet.

  It took four tries, but she finally found her footing on the slick rocks and managed to grab tree roots and vines in the thick soil to maneuver up the ten feet to the top of the sinkhole. Sunlight blinded her when she reached the lip and hauled herself up over the side. Sweat slicked her skin. Dirt and mud covered every part of her body. Her hands were raw and worn, her bare feet scraped and cut, but she barely noticed. Right n
ow all that mattered was getting to Shane.

  Chest heaving, she leaned forward and surveyed the area. Tall palms towered above. Thick underbrush covered the interior of the island. Beach grass sliced like razors across her feet. She had no clue which way their original blue hole was or in which direction the beach was located.

  Think, dammit.

  “Rafe!”

  She held her breath and listened. Her first thought was that Swanson had come back, but then she realized it was a male voice calling for Rafe, not a female.

  “Here!” Her throat was dry and raspy, and she coughed after the word was out.

  Limbs crackled, the underbrush moved, and though she was having trouble focusing, she was pretty sure she saw Pete appear from the cover of the trees.

  She blinked twice, sure she’d lost some serious oxygen in that tunnel.

  “Lisa!” Pete jogged toward her. “Sweet Jesus, we’ve been looking all over for you.”

  Lisa looked past Pete to where Hailey was following close at his heels. “How…what are you doing here?”

  Pete grabbed her before her legs buckled. He eased her down to the sand. “I could ask you the same thing. Where’s Rafe?”

  “Swanson…in the cave. She surprised us.”

  “Where’s Rafe?” he asked again, tightening his hands on her arms.

  “He’s still down there. With Shane.” She looked up sharply. “Shane’s been shot. We need to get him out.”

  “Where?” Hailey asked in a frazzled voice over Pete’s shoulder. “How bad?”

  God, her head was fuzzy. She was having trouble focusing. “In the shoulder. He…I don’t think it’s that bad, but…”

  “Can you show us where?” Pete asked.

  Lisa gave her head a firm shake. “Did you bring the map?”

  “Here.” Hailey fished the map from her back pocket, unfolded it quickly and slapped it on the sand in front of them.

  Lisa looked closely, followed the tunnel with her finger to her current location. “There.” She looked up and pointed through the trees. “About twenty yards that way.”