by Dylann Crush
“Let’s go back to the other tunnel. This doesn’t feel right.” Theo motioned for me to join him at the trail we’d come from.
“Maybe we need to call the sheriff’s department. I don’t know that we should be trying to do this on our own.”
“Just give me a minute.” Theo reached for my hand. “Let’s try the other tunnel. If we don’t find any sign of them, we’ll go back outside and call for help, okay?”
He seemed so composed while I felt like I might collapse into a pile of boneless hopelessness at any moment. “Okay.”
We retraced our steps until we got back to where the tunnels split. Theo gently tugged me behind him. The trail twisted and turned, and the air felt colder. We were descending. The walls seemed to press into me, the air felt like it wanted to suffocate me. I knew it was just in my mind, just my past coming forward, reminding me I needed to deal with it. I clung to Theo like a life preserver. He continued to forge ahead, and I lost track of how long we’d walked or how far we might have traveled.
“Hey, you see that up ahead?” He stopped in front of me and I ran into his back.
He was big enough to fill almost the whole tunnel so I couldn’t see a thing. “Where?”
“Come here.” He let go of my hand and turned to wrap an arm around my back, pulling me up next to him. A dim light flickered ahead.
“I’m going to kill him.” I muscled my way past Theo and traipsed ahead, shaking off my own feelings to make room for the rage at the sheer stupidity of my son and his friends.
The sound of Theo’s boots behind me gave me the confidence to keep moving forward. Until finally, I reached the edge of another chamber, not nearly as big as the one we’d found earlier, but big enough for a group of kids to gather around a small fire.
“Rodney Jarrett, get your butt over here.” I stepped into the space, my headlamp bouncing off the tangle of limbs as the group scrambled. I didn’t care who was there, I needed to find my son.
“Mom?” Rodney’s voice came from the other side of the space. “What are you doing here?”
“Party’s over, kids.” Theo flipped on his flashlight and shone it over their set up. Two coolers, a fire ring, and plenty of empty cans reflected the light. “Everyone out.”
There were grumbles and huffs and lots of groans but they gathered up their things, knowing they’d been busted.
“If it came in, it’s got to go out.” Theo snagged a black garbage bag someone had left lying on the ground. “Be good stewards of the land and it’ll take care of you.”
He sounded like Smoky the Bear in those public service announcements I used to hear all the time as a kid. But I admired the way he directed the kids to put out the fire, pick up their trash and fill their coolers with their empties. I was so focused on getting my own kid out of there, I probably would have rushed off and left the evidence of their trespassing.
Finally, Theo led the group of kids through the tunnel and out the way we came. When we emerged into the clearing I took in a deep breath of fresh air. The sound of the crickets had never filled me with as much joy as they did in that moment. And the moon…I’d never been so grateful for Mother Nature’s natural light.
Rodney followed me out of the cave, Symone’s hand in his. “I’m sorry, Mom.”
I turned around, surprised he didn’t burst into flames under the heat of my glare. “You should be. Do you have any idea what could have happened to you in there?”
“We were—”
“How many times have I told you to stay away from the caves?”
“A lot, but—”
“And yet here you are. Not only did you put yourself in danger, but you also dragged Symone into this.”
“I’m sorry, we—”
“No. You don’t get a chance to explain. Get your stuff and get in the truck. How did you even get out here? I thought Symone’s parents were going to pick you up after the dance? You’re in trouble. Big trouble.” I jerked the headlamp off and stomped to the back of Theo’s truck. Tension coursed through my body, looking for a way out.
“You okay?” Theo met me at the back of the truck and began to remove his gear. “Kids will be kids, huh?”
“What was he thinking?” I had a guess. Probably the same thing his dad had been thinking when he’d lured me to the caves after my own Homecoming dance. And I had been naive enough to let him.
“I’m just glad everyone is okay.” Theo secured the gate. “I’m assuming we need to get his date home?”
I nodded. What was I going to say to Symone’s parents? What would my mom have wanted to hear the night I got dropped off after curfew, clearly having been somewhere, doing something I shouldn’t have?
“Hey, Theo?” I caught his arm before he had a chance to step away.
“Yeah?” The moonlight caught on the angles of his face, casting half in shadow. What would I have done without him here? Would I have been brave enough to go after Rodney on my own? I’d like to think so but deep down I knew the truth. I was terrified of going back into those caves. Scared to death of facing my fears and having to revisit the decision I’d made once up a time. The decision that had changed the trajectory of my life.
“Thanks.” That wasn’t anything close to explaining how much it meant to me to have him drop everything and help me. But it would have to do. And tomorrow I’d return the favor. By swallowing my fear, pushing it deep down inside and doing my best to help him. I owed him that much.
15
Theo
I pulled up in front of Scarlett’s house at eight on the dot. I wasn’t sure she’d still be up for helping me today after the events of last night but, thankfully, she insisted. I didn’t have time to hang around and wait, so I was happy that she seemed able to put her issues with her son aside and follow through on our outing. Despite the dark moments of last night, I was optimistic about today. I hadn’t had much of a chance to scan the cave we were in last night but as far as I could tell, it didn’t show any signs of a place that was frequented by bats. One cave down, a hell of a lot to go.
Scarlett bounded down the steps from her porch, a thermos in her hand. She wasn’t kidding about the need for coffee.
“Good morning.” The smile on her face made it look like she hadn’t spent most of the night arguing with her son or stressing out over his choices.
“You seem pretty chipper.” I took the thermos from her and settled it on the floor behind me.
“Chipper, huh? I’ll take chipper. It’s an improvement over worst mom in the world.” She pulled her seatbelt across her middle and buckled.
“That bad, huh?” I shifted into gear and backed out of the driveway.
“He’ll come around. Rodney and I have been through a lot but we’re all we have. We always find a way through, even something as awful as this.” The smile she gave me was full of hope but held a hint of resignation.
“But?”
“But what?”
“Seems like you left out a but there.”
“And you know all about buts?”
“Excuse me?” Joking was a good sign.
“You’re right. It seems like the older he gets the longer it takes him to come around. He could use a positive male role model. Dustin’s trying, but—”
“Dustin’s your brother?”
She nodded. “Yeah. He’s got his hands full with Harmony’s son.”
“That’s Liam that I met the other night?”
“Yeah. You’re good at this.”
The compliment slid through me like that warm shot of whiskey last night. “Good at what?”
“Keeping everyone straight. It’s easy if you’ve been around here all of your life like me, but you’re pretty impressive for an outsider.”
“Um, thanks?” I smiled back, comfortable with the easy banter. In spite of the circumstances and the late-night rescue mission, I was having a good time with Scarlett. She was wicked funny, super easy on the eyes, and, underneath that protective shell she seemed to have ar
ound her heart, she definitely had a soft side.
“So you ready for this?”
“Absolutely. Where do you suggest we start?”
She pulled something up on her phone. “Before Rodney decided not to speak to me ever again, he told me where they shot this footage. It’s a cave over on the south side of our land. There’s not a direct route unless we hike it which I’d really rather not do.”
“So how do we get there?” I waited, engine idling for her to point me in the right direction.
“We’ll have to go around. Then it’s just a short walk to the entrance.” She pulled up a map on her phone and flipped it around. “I think turn right.”
“You sure?” I glanced at the sun where it slowly rose from the east. If we need to go south then we probably ought to go left.”
She turned her phone around again. “It’s not like I can plug an address in my GPS. Sorry, I’m not known for my fantastic sense of direction.”
I held out a hand. “Let me check.”
She gave up her phone and leaned against the door of the truck. “Have at it.”
Zooming in and out on the map I figured out the best route to take that would circle around the property and put us closest to the mouth of the cave. “Left it is.”
Scarlett rolled her eyes and took back the phone I handed her. “Next thing you’ll tell me is you’re a professional navigator.”
I bit my lip to keep from laughing. “It’s helpful to know east and west when you’re trying to navigate underground.”
“But your phone doesn’t work down there. At least mine didn’t last night. How do you even know which way’s east or west?”
“The old fashioned way.”
“You carry a needle and a magnet?” She smirked.
“That’s a little rudimentary. I carry a compass.” I reached over to release the glove compartment. As I did, the side of my hand brushed her knee. She shifted, breaking contact. Damn, if I had more time I wouldn’t mind seeing where things could go with Scarlett Jarrett. But I didn’t. I was here to find the bats and earn some respect in the golden circle surrounding my dad. That’s all.
Scarlett took the compass I handed her. “Were you a Boy Scout?”
“Eagle Scout, all the way.” That was practically the only time I felt close to my dad. He helped me build bat houses as my final community service project. I’d never forget the feeling of pride, the way my chest swelled, at the Eagle Scout ceremony. Scarlett might find it amusing that a guy who played high school and college ball would be involved in such an organization, but at the time it was the only point of connection I had with my family.
“I tried to get Rodney into Scouts when he was younger. He went for a while until all the other kids and their dads had to work on projects together.”
“I can imagine that would be hard on a kid.”
“Hey, I can operate a power tool like the best of them. He just didn’t want my help. He wanted something I couldn’t give him.”
I reached over and found her hand with mine. “Rodney doesn’t know how lucky he is to have you. I have two parents and probably felt half of the love you obviously have for him.” I didn’t just say that because it was nice or because I hoped it would make her feel better. I said it because it was true.
“Yeah, well I wish he felt that way. I get it though. Growing up here, it’s been hard for him. But he’s a good kid.”
“Seems like it. He’ll find his way.” With Scarlett’s guidance the kid didn’t have a choice. She didn’t seem like the kind of woman who’d give up on someone when the going got tough. She seemed more like the kind who would double down and give it all she had. The kind of parent I wish I’d had.
I gave her hand a squeeze then pulled away to check the map. A few more turns and we’d be ready to park and hike in the rest of the way on foot.
“So, what made you want to study bats?” she asked.
“I guess I never thought I had a choice. My dad founded the Bat Conservation Alliance and everything we did as a family revolved around bats. He rehabilitated injured bats he found in the wild, went on long exploratory trips to study them, and became an expert photographer so he could capture them in their natural environment. I suppose I just always knew I’d grow up to join the family’s efforts.”
“And your whole family does this?” She shook her head. “I thought my family reunions were bad. What do y’all do? Get together in caves and pick up bat poo?”
“Guano.”
“What?”
“Bat poop is called guano. You actually don’t want to touch it. It can transmit all kinds of diseases.”
Scarlett seemed to scoot a little bit farther away on the seat. “Good to know.”
“Are we close?” I slowed the truck as we neared the spot Scarlett had picked on the map. “I don’t see anything.”
“Just pull over here and we can walk in.” She gestured to the non-existent shoulder on side of the two-lane road. “Hardly anyone comes out this way so I’m sure you’ll be okay leaving it here.”
“You sure?” If I wanted to pull over anywhere near here I’d be pulling up next to a slope of dirt and tree roots. “You won’t be able to get out if I stop here.”
“It’s okay. I’ll crawl over and get out on your side.”
“You’re the boss.” I stopped the truck, getting as close as I could to the slope to minimize the chance of someone speeding by and taking off my side mirror. After I climbed out, I offered Scarlett a hand. She scrambled over the console and half stepped, half fell into my arms. The smell of her shampoo surrounded me as her chest pressed against mine. We both seemed to freeze. I didn’t really want to let her go. It felt nice to have a woman in my arms for a change. Not that I didn’t have the opportunity. I was the kind of guy women judged on looks, and looks alone. As crazy as it might sound, I didn’t want to be with a woman just because she found me attractive. I wanted someone I could talk to. I’d never admit that to my guy pals. They’d call me a pussy and never stop giving me shit about it. But Scarlett was the kind of woman I had in mind when I thought about the future.
“I think I’ve got it.” Scarlett maneuvered out of my grasp.
“Yeah, sorry about that. Didn’t want you to fall.”
“You know, I am capable of standing on my own two feet. I’ve had lots of practice.”
My cheeks heated. So that’s how it would be. I vowed not to perform any additional acts of chivalry, at least not unless she appeared to be in mortal danger. “Noted.”
“So what do we need to take with us?” She moved to the bed of the truck. “Load me up.”
I picked through the supplies and double checked my pack. First aid kit, check. Headlamps, check. A change of clothes, check. I had the major necessities, plus the just-in-case stuff that I rarely needed. Between my dad and the Scouts, I’d been trained to always be prepared.
“We’re ready.” I slung the backpack onto my shoulders. “I just need you to show me the way.”
“All right then.” Scarlett pulled a baseball cap onto her head and slid her sunglasses into place. “Follow me.”
16
Scarlett
Walking in front of Theo made me uncomfortable. I couldn’t tell if he was just following me or checking out my ass the whole way up the slope and across the field. I kept turning back, not to make sure he was following, but to try to see if he was focused on my butt. His dark shades made it impossible to tell but it didn’t keep me from wondering.
By the time we reached the mouth of the cave, I’d about given myself whiplash from all the back and forth head turns.
“So this is it?” Theo asked.
“I think so.” I pulled up the footage on my phone. “Rodney said they were out this way the day they filmed. He got an extra week of being grounded for being out here then. The kid’s got to learn these caves aren’t safe.”
Theo slid his sunglasses from his eyes and I stared up into his brown-eyed gaze. Heat slithered through my b
elly as his eyes crinkled at the corners. This unwelcome attraction was just that, unwelcome. I didn’t need the complication of a man in my life. Not even one whose sheer proximity made my heart pitter-pound and my knees go weak. Encouraging Theo, as charming as he was, Boy Scout and all, would be a big mistake. I knew that deep down inside. I just needed the rest of me, the softer bits and pieces, to get the memo as well.
“You sure this is the one?” He squinted at the opening of the cave. “It looks a little different than the video. Might be time of day but I’m not one-hundred percent sure this is the same cave.”
I glanced around. “I don’t see anything else nearby. What do you want to do?”
“I say we go in. We’re here so we may as well, right?”
“Right.” I faced the mouth of the cave. This one was slightly larger than the one we’d entered last night. Still not big enough to walk in side by side but hopefully I wouldn’t feel as squeezed. “I’ll let you take the lead since you’re the cave expert.”
“Oh, I’m not a cave expert.” Theo slid his headlamp in place then passed one to me.
“But you said you spent most of your childhood underground.” I tried to smooth down my hair as I took off my baseball cap and replaced it with the headlamp.
“I said my dad did. After the, uh, incident—”
“When your dad abandoned you in the dark?”
“Right.” He gave his head a slight shake. “I probably shouldn’t have mentioned that.”
“Why not? I’m sure the statute of limitations on me reporting him has long passed. Especially since you’re an adult now and don’t have massive lingering trauma.”
I expected him to smile at the smart ass remark but he just looked at me, his brow pulling down.
“What? I’m sorry. I don’t mean that your dad’s an asshole or anything. I probably won’t ever even meet him so you don’t have to worry about me saying anything, or—”
“Truth is, it kind of did mess with me for life.” The admission didn’t appear to be an easy one for him to make. His mouth quirked up on one side into somewhat of a crooked frown. He held my gaze for a brief moment then shifted to look at his hands.
