A glance over his shoulder showed the boat gaining quickly. It was under a mile away, its hull bouncing up and down as it sliced through the water like a bullet toward them. It was one of those charters, with a powerful motor for offshore fishing. They didn’t stand a chance. He cursed again, aloud this time.
When he turned back, Emily was standing with one foot planted on the side of the boat. His stomach clenched in alarm. “What are you doing? Sit down.”
Her eyes were calm and cold. “It’s me they’re after. If I jump, they’ll let you go.”
Matt felt himself go sick deep in his gut. “No way.” When she didn’t sit down, he jerked the joystick so the boat swerved hard left. Emily lost her balance, toppled onto her side on the wooden seat.
Pushing herself upright with her elbow, she glared at him. He didn’t care. Sure, his chances might be better alone but he wasn’t about to abandon her. Who did she think he was?
Any fear he’d had was gone, replaced by a cold anger that made his heart hammer. He had to get them out of this. But how? They had to get ashore, but the only place with low rocks along this stretch of coast—where he’d come ashore earlier that morning—was too far.
The other boat was close enough to see two men, one at the wheel, another one leaning against the windshield. Big Guy.
Scanning the coastline, his eyes stopped on a dark shape at the base of the cliff a hundred feet ahead. What was it? A big wave came, and the boat rose up like a bucking bronco. More waves followed. Matt clenched his fist on the steering stick. Seconds later, the waves let up and he found the spot again. A sea cave. Water pounded the rocks, tearing into the small gash.
His mind flashed back two decades, when he and another boy had waded in at low tide. It was deep, with a small opening at the back that gave access above ground. It had been huge then, forty feet high and half as wide, but would soon be submerged at high tide.
Pointing out the cave, he said, “Right now, that’s our only chance. We can get in, but the other boat is too big.”
She stared at the cave, turned back to him, incredulous. “It’s filling with water. We’ll be trapped.”
“I think we can get out the other end.”
“You think?”
“There’s an opening we can climb out of.”
Her eyes got even bigger. She wasn’t buying it. “What about the tide?”
“It’ll be underwater at high tide, but we have a few minutes.”
He looked away, unable to bear seeing the terror in those eyes. God help them. Their only chance wasn’t a chance at all. If they managed to get out of the cave, they’d be easy targets above ground. But what choice did they have?
A noise came, a loud growl over the rumble of the waves and wind. The speedboat was right behind them. Pulse quickening, he pointed the rowboat at the mouth of the cave and rode full speed. A bullet blew a hole through the wood panel at the back of the boat, inches from where he was sitting.
“Duck!” he yelled as the boat shot through the narrow slot. Whirling, he caught a glimpse of the speedboat framed in the opening of the cave before the current sucked them into the murky darkness and out of sight.
Matt cut the engine as the dank, musty smell of the cave assaulted him. “There’s a flashlight in my pack. Can you get it?” His voice bounced off the walls. Every sound amplified, the waves boomed like thunder as they smashed against the walls.
Emily found the flashlight and switched it on. Stalactites hung like icicles from the ceiling, while dark rocks jutted out from the walls.
“How far do we have to go?” Her voice was sharp and brittle as glass. The temperature had dropped a couple of degrees, and she rubbed her arms.
“Not too far.” What if the hole had caved in? He gave his head a little shake. Better not to think about that. They couldn’t go back.
Emily shone the light at the ceiling. As each second passed, the passage became narrower and narrower. Now, the wet, jagged walls were close enough to touch, the ceiling just a couple of feet above their heads.
A minute later, as the boat reached the far end of the cave, the flashlight picked up a gaping hole in the ceiling. It was large enough at the opening for two people, before it turned a corner and the light from the flashlight bounced off the slimy black walls. He remembered crawling on his stomach as a kid through some tight squeezes. At one point, he’d been sure they wouldn’t make it out. Part of the passage was man-made, carved out decades ago for some reason that escaped him now.
She stared up the hole. “How far is it to the top?”
“Forty, fifty feet?” He pointed to a rock ledge near the edge. “We’ll climb up from those rocks.”
“How small is it?”
“It’s small, but it’s on a slope, maybe sixty degrees, so you can crawl. There’s not much climbing.”
Jamming the boat against the ledge, he picked up his pack, turned to Emily. She wasn’t moving. Hands clamped over her mouth, she gave the impression she was screaming inside.
“What’s the matter? We have to hurry. The cave’s flooding.”
She shifted her hands to speak. “I’m staying here.”
* * *
Emily grasped the side of the boat as it bashed against the cave walls. There must have been a hole in the hull, because icy water sloshed in the bottom, soaking her sneakers and splashing against her legs.
Indifferent to this, she said, “I can’t go up that hole. I will die.”
Open-mouthed, he stared at her as if she were insane. “You’ll die if you stay here.”
The tightness in her chest had become a crushing sensation so intense every breath hurt. But worse, much worse, was the thought of going up that hole. There was no way. She’d have to burrow like an animal to get out. For who knows how long. An image of herself trapped, suffocating, flashed across her eyes.
She didn’t want to die like that.
“I’m not going.” Meeting his eyes, her voice came out strong. “But you have to go.”
Matt sat beside her. Earlier, in the channel, she’d had the impression of a man who was dangerous, capable of violence, as if nothing could stop him from getting what he wanted. It had scared her, yet oddly had made her feel safer at the same time. Now, he was like another person, the small smile on his face transforming him into something softer, less intimidating.
He wasn’t much over thirty, but there was a maturity to his hard-boned face, with the two-day stubble, prominent eyebrows, and strong jaw. Framed by longish dark hair, it was a face that said, Trust me, I’ll take care of you.
It didn’t matter what kind of face he had. It wouldn’t help. A lump clogged her throat, making it hard to swallow.
Go. Leave me alone.
He said, “You can do this.”
There was no trace of panic in those brown-black eyes or that deep voice. It was as if he had all the time in the world, as if the cold, murky water wasn’t swooshing around their legs, rising quickly as the seconds ticked by. “We’re in this together. I won’t go without you.”
When she didn’t say anything, he added with a tight smile, “Hey, I did two tours of duty in the Middle East. If I survived that, I can survive anything. Come on.” He got up, reached a hand down to her.
A hammer struck her heart. It was emotional blackmail, even if unintended. If she didn’t go, they’d both die. She would be responsible for the death of a war vet. How pathetic was that? Tears stung her eyes. There was no choice. And he knew it, damn him.
A new idea surfaced, and she snatched it like a lifeline. She would climb to the high-water mark, far enough to save him. But that was it.
Wiping away tears, she forced herself to her feet, put one hand on the side of the boat to steady herself, and grabbed his hand with the other. She wasn’t sure who she hated more at that moment: him, for forcing her, or herself for being such a coward in the first place.
“You go first,” he said. When she shook her head, standing her ground, he said, “It’ll be better if
you don’t have somebody above you. You’ll feel less closed in. Trust me.”
Yeah, and that way you’ll make sure I go.
Matt reached into his knapsack, pulled out a headband, and tied it on. It made him look rough, almost savage. “Once we start going, we’ll get out fast. I’ll shine the flashlight up so you can see.” He grabbed the knapsack, but left his tripod in the boat.
The first part wasn’t a problem. The hole wasn’t straight up, but steeply pitched, and there was enough room that they could have climbed side by side. She concentrated on finding places to put her feet and hands, and then pulled herself up. Water rushing below was a reminder of the need to hurry. After several minutes, arm muscles sore, she let her legs do the work.
The wide part ended. Ahead, the chamber veered to the left and narrowed abruptly, like an upside-down funnel. Stomach churning, she stopped, called out over her shoulder, “Why don’t we stay here? Wait for the tide to go out, and then we can climb back down.” The boat, smashing against the rocks, was barely visible in the darkness below.
“Too risky. Those men can get in when the tide drops.” Climbing up beside her, he put a hand on her shoulder. “I’ll talk you through this. It’s not far to the top and it’s on a slope. We should be able to crawl.” He handed her the flashlight. “Push it along in front of you.”
“You go first this time.” She wouldn’t get very far, and there wasn’t enough room for him to get past her if she stopped. He had to go first.
He hesitated, seemed about to argue, then said, “Keep in mind that if I can get through, you’ll have no problem. You’re a lot smaller.”
After a quick smile, Matt pushed his knapsack into the hole, crawled in. First his head disappeared, then his shoulders, torso, and legs. Soon just the soles of his boots were visible, before they too vanished.
Her chest tight, she pulled in a deep breath, let it out, then got down onto her hands and knees to follow him.
You can handle this. Don’t panic.
After a while, the tunnel narrowing, she had to drop onto her belly and use her arms to pull herself along. It was no longer of any use trying to convince herself she could handle it. She couldn’t. Her heart beat so hard she wondered if this was what a heart attack felt like. Closing her eyes, she tried to slow her breathing, but the thick, putrid smell of decaying earth filled her lungs and she opened them.
Water swirled in the chamber below them, still rising. If she didn’t move on, it would soon lap at her feet. She wanted to ask how far they would have to go to be out of its reach but the effort seemed too much. The rock was wet, making it impossible to tell if the water at high tide came this far. Above her, the flashlight illuminated Matt’s boots but little else.
“Keep coming.” His voice was muffled but calm. “We’ll get out of here.”
Stifling a curse, she took shallow breaths, not daring to risk deeper ones because it would make her bigger than she already was. Progress was by inches now. The passage had shrunk so much it seemed incomprehensible he could squeeze through. She came to a corkscrew, twisting first her upper body, then the lower to get through. The rock walls were a dark, writhing monster pressing against her. Cold, slimy. A wave of nausea churned her stomach. She fought the urge to vomit.
Matt’s voice broke through again, soothing, encouraging. Closing her eyes, she slithered forward, heard his voice without taking in what he was saying. Time passed—it was hard to tell how much, maybe twenty minutes, maybe an hour. When she looked up, daylight began filtering down the tunnel, like flakes of softly falling snow.
“Hurry,” she called up. Every cell in her body screamed to be out of the cave. Now.
“Just a minute.” His voice was a harsh whisper. “I hear something.”
Her heart squeezed, as if a heavy boulder had fallen onto her chest. The flashlight slipped out of her hand, bounced off the walls as it dropped down the passage below.
“Something’s moving around up there,” he said, more urgent now.
Fighting for air, she didn’t care. If she didn’t get out, she would die. She tried to tell him, but her throat was tight and no words would come out. Her mind cut back to a familiar nightmare. She was a child, maybe two or three, locked in a dark place—there was no recollection of how she’d got there—screaming to get out.
No scream came now. She had the sensation of going under water, as if she were drowning. Her numb fingers lost their grip on the slippery rock. Beneath her, the gaping black hole was like a big mouth waiting to swallow her.
CHAPTER THREE
Emily!”
A voice drifted down through the tunnel into Emily’s consciousness. She was lying down, her check pressed into the cold rock. Dark spots, black and purple, floated in front of her eyes. Shaking herself out of her daze, she lifted her head and saw someone peering down the hole, a dark head surrounded by a halo of blue light.
“Come on,” the voice said, low but urgent. “We’ve got to get going.”
It was Matt. He was reaching down to her with his right arm.
She was having trouble thinking clearly. Air couldn’t enter her lungs. Where was she? A cave. Stomach cramping, she clawed at the rock with her fingers, pulled herself up. Let Matt drag her above ground.
Collapsing on her back on the hard ground, she closed her eyes against the blinding light, sucked fresh air into her lungs. Her heart started racing anew as she remembered he had heard something when they were in the cave. Fighting dizziness, she forced herself to sit up.
“What did you hear? Is somebody around?”
He looked down at her. “Must have been an animal. I can’t see anybody, and I don’t think it would be too hard to spot them if they were out there.”
As her eyes adjusted to the light, it wasn’t hard to see what he meant. They had emerged on the tip of a barren peninsula, a vast moonscape of gray bedrock that stretched for miles. It was broken by a scattering of pine trees, all runts, and occasional patches of green and brown where low grasses and shrubs struggled to grow.
It was the middle of nowhere. They had emerged from the horror of the cave into even greater danger. They were wide-open targets now. Her heart raced, and her arms and legs began shaking. He said, “Are you okay? We should get going.”
She gulped air, struggling for control. After a long moment, she was able to glance up. “I’m fine. I just need a minute.”
He didn’t say anything but his look seemed a good imitation of what a nasty drill sergeant might use on a slow recruit.
She said, “You go ahead.”
He picked up the knapsack, got out a water bottle, and handed it to her. She grasped the bottle with two shaking hands, tilted it up to her mouth, and took a long drink. Her breathing was still too rapid, but she’d managed to get it down a bit. At least her heart didn’t feel like it was going to explode.
Brushing a hand across her face, she stood, ignoring a feeling of wooziness that made her stumble. Steadying herself, she faced him squarely. “Thanks for helping me. I’d be dead if it weren’t for you.”
Mumbling something in reply, he put the water bottle back in a side pocket of the knapsack. Standing there, he looked as rugged and virile as the hero of an action movie, the filthy shirt and khaki headband only adding to the effect. He had everything but the weapon in his hand, the blood running down his face. A real-life Rambo, but leaner, better looking. Way better looking.
But definitely not her type. And way too much to handle right now. She was in no mood to tag along behind this guy, especially since it would put his life at further risk.
Her head clearing, she looked around, muttered a curse. It would take a day to walk out of here. The peninsula was about ten miles wide and fifteen miles long, jutting like a stubby finger out to the sea. There was open sea on two sides, and a long, narrow cove ran the length of the third. To the north, low gray hills of rock stretched down the finger and widened into forest at the end of the peninsula.
She turned back to him. “D
o you know this area?”
“I’ve been here a few times. It’s pretty simple. We have to get to the nearest town, Egerton, which is forty miles—”
She cut in, “Do people know about this cave entrance?”
“It’s on all the park maps.” He took the knapsack off his shoulder, pulled out a map. It showed the state park, just over three hundred square miles, with the cave entrance clearly marked. “If the guys know about this entrance, they may come. I think we have to assume they will. We’ve got to move quickly—”
She put a hand on his arm to interrupt him, felt the tension in the taut muscles, quickly withdrew it. “I really appreciate what you’ve done for me. I wouldn’t be alive if it weren’t for you.”
Dark eyes stared at her. “But?”
He was a big guy, standing close, but she wasn’t about to let him intimidate her. She tilted her head back to meet his eyes. “We split up here.”
He was about to speak but she said, resisting the urge to touch him again, “You should take the quickest route. I’ll do a wide circle—”
He didn’t give her a chance to finish. “Why are you so bloody stubborn?”
Her mouth fell open. “What are you talking about?”
“You refuse to accept help, even to save your own life.”
Crossing her arms, she stared up at him, tried to keep her face neutral. She was trying to spare him, so why was he being such a jerk about it? He should be jumping at the chance, not acting like some hot-to-trot hero.
She said, “Our chances are better if we split up.”
The muscles in his jaw clenched. “No, they’re not.”
Her chances wouldn’t be as good, but that wasn’t the point. She was fit, but not like him. She’d slow him down. They both knew it. She took a deep breath. Just put it in terms he could accept. “I’ve got a big target on my back, and I don’t want you to be collateral damage.”
“I’m not leaving you. And I’m not going to get killed, at least not without putting up a good fight. Neither are you.”
“If you get out first, you can call for help.”
He scoffed.
Extreme Exposure Page 2
