Where the bride’s veil meets the rocks You’ll find a place that mocks. Look deeper, deeper still. Until you find your fill.”
Reagan wrinkled her nose and glanced around. “Find your fill?”
“These folks aren’t professionals.” Garrett thrust his hands on his hips and frowned. “I’m about ready to pack it in. Bride’s veil? Come on, that’s what this whole place is.”
“We’ll find it.” Colton knew they would. They always did. “Maybe we have to hunt. Nothing wrong with that.”
Reagan looked around. “This looks interesting over here.”
Garrett looked the direction she pointed and frowned. “Not to me.”
Before Colton could say anything or present a plan, Garrett took off. Guess the guy was ready to be done. Odd, since it had originally been his idea. Hope his attention span lasted longer in law school, or that could be a long ordeal.
Colton turned back to Reagan.
Just in time to watch someone pull her into the shadows.
“Scream and your brother dies.” The low voice filled Reagan with the certainty that whoever this was would do exactly what he said.
She nodded but kept silent as he pulled her off the marked path into the depths of a cavern. Surreal images played in the light and darkness, and she willed Colton to turn around, to see her before she disappeared. The man jerked her around a corner. Had Colton turned in time? She prayed he had.
Fear should scream in her veins. Instead, she felt cold but certain. Now she’d unmask her shadow.
He tugged her closer and kept pulling her backward. Her shoes slipped on the damp rock, and she struggled to stay on her feet. Would it be better to let herself fall and then try to run? Or should she wait?
God, help me.
The whispered words filled her mind, a steady refrain as the man’s progress slowed. He bumped into something, and his grip loosened a moment as an oomph escaped. Garlic-tinged breath overwhelmed her, and she tried not to gag.
“Let me go.”
“Not yet.” Good. Maybe that meant he didn’t mean to harm her, just scare her. As a tremble coursed through her, she decided he was very good at that.
“Who are you?” Keep him talking. Learn something about him in case he suddenly disappears again.
“A friend.” The word held an overtone that was anything but friendly.
“Friends don’t do things like this.”
“They do when it’s the only way to get your attention. You’ve missed all my messages.”
“Messages?” She frowned and thought back over the summer. “I only got a couple.”
“Peekaboo. I’ve watched you all summer. Garrett thought he was so smart. Taking you away from St. Louis so we couldn’t threaten him through you. He thinks he’s smart, but when he comes to find you, he’ll learn how serious we are.”
His words didn’t make any sense. “Garrett?”
“Your precious baby brother has a side you don’t know. He likes to play the games. You know where he’s gone all summer? He’s been driving to Boonville.”
“No, he’s never even mentioned Boonville.”
“Ask him about the Isle of Capri.”
“The what?”
“It’s a fun little place where his debts have multiplied rather than dwindled. He had a run of beginner’s luck and never learned to stop. Now he has to pay. You’re the bait.”
Garrett gambling? She didn’t believe it, but did she know the signs? He’d disappeared several times—at least once a week. Always exhausted the next morning. He never introduced the mystery girl he supposedly spent time with. Why would he start gambling? It didn’t make sense.
His hold tightened on her, and Reagan collapsed, trying to bring him down. She had to get away. He cursed and scrambled to tighten his hold. She scurried to her feet and ran as fast as she could in the dimness that hung like a veil. A shadow in the rock caught her attention, and she aimed for it. Nothing. She slid down the side of the cavern, her hand searching for a break. There! She felt a gap and lunged for it, praying she could disappear into the darkness before he found her.
Chapter 10
Where is she?” Panic edged Garrett’s voice as he joined Colton. “Someone pulled her that way.” Colton took off in that direction as he tried to understand where the man came from. He’d been certain no one followed them. He’d done everything he’d ever seen in the movies to try to lose a tail—well, except turning massive figure eight patterns. The highways didn’t work that way around the lake. Still he hadn’t noticed any cars or trucks.
Had this guy put a transmitter on his car? He’d have to check later. Now he had to find Reagan. Garrett caught up with Colton, grabbed his arm, and spun Colton around. “Stop. They want me. That’s what this is all about. They’re using her to get to me.”
Colton’s chest turned to stone as he studied the young man he thought he knew. “You’d better explain.”
“I owe some money. They threatened Reagan. I created the stalker in St. Louis to get her to leave.”
“You killed her cat?” Colton struggled to keep from strangling Garrett.
“I had to get her out of town! They told me they would kidnap her unless I paid, and I couldn’t. No matter how much I played, I kept losing. My debt mushroomed. But I had to get the money back plus enough for law school.” “That’s messed-up thinking.”
“I know. But they kept pushing. Started threatening her.” Garrett ran his hands over his head again and again. “I had to get her out of St. Louis. This seemed like the perfect excuse and hideaway. But they still found us.”
“The note on your car …”
“Not me. I swear.”
“So they followed you. Now they have Reagan.”
Garrett nodded, a miserable expression on his face.
“First, we call 911 and get the police involved. We get Reagan back, and they can straighten this out.”
Garrett seemed to crumple into himself as Colton watched, but he couldn’t focus on him. He had to find Reagan. The thought of her in the hands of some gambling enforcer made him want to move faster, rush in to save her. Instead, he forced himself to slow down, take a couple of breaths. Getting Reagan hurt wouldn’t help.
After he pulled his phone out, Colton checked for a signal. Moved a few feet and checked again. Nothing. Should they split up? Should he send Garrett to get help? Pressure built inside him at the thought of what the enforcer could do to Reagan as they raced around. Could he even find the right cavern again? There was nothing that marked the one the man had pulled her into. He’d give it a few minutes. Try to find Reagan. “All right. We’re going to follow them. This time we’ll be the ones using the shadows.”
Garrett nodded, but Colton got the sense he wasn’t listening.
“Hey, if you’re not with me, go find help. I won’t let you get Reagan hurt.” Any more than Garrett already had when he set this mess in motion.
Garrett’s gaze darted around as if he expected to find a gangster with a gun waiting. “I’m coming with you.”
“Fine, but focus on Reagan. She’s all that matters right now.” Garrett had no idea how much she mattered. The idea of her scared out of her mind about broke Colton. He had to get to her before something happened.
Once she was safe, he’d wring Garrett’s neck.
He shook off his anger and focused on the slit Reagan had disappeared into. Time to move.
Reagan listened. Each scruff of a shoe on stone sliced the silence.
Her lungs demanded that she gulp air, but she resisted. The man was too close. At the smallest sound, he might find her.
She had to stay hidden. Her mind reeled with this man’s allegations about Garrett. If any of his accusations held truth, then Garrett needed help. Gambling was a serious problem, with life-altering consequences.
Another scrape of a shoe against rock had her pushing deeper into the shadows. He couldn’t find her, not when she had no way to defend herself. She brushed her fingers along t
he cave’s face. Somewhere she could at least grab a rock. That would provide some protection, better than a scream and prayer.
“Come here, little girl. There’s no way out except past me.”
She bit her lip and slid another step back. Her heart raced until she thought it might explode. She gasped for air.
Another step, then a slice of light pierced the darkness. He must have heard her inhale, because he laughed. “Didn’t think I’d come down here without a way to find you, did you?” The light switched to the other wall. “Will I find you here? How about here?” The light danced in rapid motions.
Reagan pressed farther back. She needed a plan. Her hand grasped at a rock. Her fingers barely wrapped around it. Not as comforting as a lethal weapon, but at least she had something.
“You want to make this hard? Fine.” The man laughed, a sound that forced a shiver through Reagan. “No problem. I’ve got hours. I’ve got a jacket. I can wait. Eventually, the cave closes, and I have all night to find you. In the morning, the staff will find a surprise. I don’t think it will affect them the way it will Garrett.”
She clamped her lips together to keep from answering. She pulled the rock in front of her then groped along the wall with her other hand. How far back did the crevice go? She slid away from the opening a step, keeping an eye on the waving beam of light. It slid across the wall toward her, and she ducked farther back. Please don’t let him find me.
Another press into the darkness. The crevice never expanded, yet she hadn’t found the end.
The light winked closer.
The crevice narrowed.
Please don’t let it close now.
She pushed back and fell into emptiness.
A woman’s scream pierced the air. Colton broke into a run and headed in the direction of the shriek. “Reagan.”
Garrett caught him and yanked his arm so hard Colton spun.
“We’ve got to get her.”
“If we race in there, whoever’s with her will just kill us.” Garrett hissed.
“Better me than her.”
Garrett rolled his eyes. “If you die, what’s to keep him from killing her, too?”
Colton yanked free and stared at Garrett, disgust curling through him. “Man up. You got her into this. Now we have to save her.”
“Sure, but not by rushing in blindly.”
A laugh reverberated toward them. Colton picked up his pace again and headed that direction.
He turned back when silence surrounded him. “Go call the police now. We need help.”
Garrett took a step toward the Bride’s Veil then turned back. “I’ll go till I find cell coverage. Then I’ll be back.”
Colton nodded. There was a fire in the younger man’s eyes Colton wanted to believe, but Garrett had to prove himself.
The scream had come from in front of him to the right. No rushing in there, or he’d get both of them killed. Garrett had that much right. But sitting back waiting for the cavalry wasn’t an option. The light was dimmer off the regular path that was laid out for the tourists who came through the caves. He’d have to go by gut instinct.
In his years since Boy Scouts, he hadn’t spent much time in caves. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he shot up a prayer for direction.
He leaned forward, straining to hear anything in front of him. There. To the right. Were those footsteps? He crept forward a few steps then paused. There it was again. Ah, a small tunnel opened up, one he hadn’t seen from a few paces back.
After waiting another moment to see if Garrett would return, Colton stepped into the tunnel and then down into another cavern. A narrow band of light zipped back and forth.
A flashlight? Maybe the man had lost Reagan.
Colton stepped into the cavern, sticking to the wall like a spider. Too bad he couldn’t web his way up the wall and over the top of the enforcer. Then he’d disable him and find Reagan.
A muffled cry reached him, and he picked up his pace. His foot collided with a rock, sending it skittering across the cavern’s floor. The sound ricocheted like a boulder crashing down a mountain. Colton froze as the beam of light pivoted in his direction. It teased across the front of his dark T-shirt, and Colton sucked in, as if that would make him disappear.
“Ah, someone comes to rescue the damsel in distress.” The deep voice held an ominous tone and was followed by a snicker that was anything but funny. “Too bad you can’t have her.”
The light drew closer, and Colton felt pinned in place by its brightness like a mounted moth on display. He had to break free, get to Reagan.
The beam flashed to his face, and Colton squinted against the glare.
“You’re not Garrett.”
“You have a gift for the obvious.”
“A smart one, huh.” The man stepped closer still. Another step. Colton had to break free from the beam of light. “That’s what my mom said.”
“Too bad, this will end badly for you.” A glint of metal. Then the metallic sound of a gun hammer cocking. “Any last words?”
Chapter 11
Last words? Pain throbbed through Reagan’s ankle with each heartbeat. She muffled her whimpers as tears slid down her cheeks. She’d fallen into another chamber and crawled into a crevice fighting pain. Now she tried to push to her feet.
She had to help whoever the thug threatened. Colton or Garrett. She cared about both.
The realization of how much she cared for Colton swept over her.
As she tried to stand, her ankle collapsed. She couldn’t reach them. Not now. She slid her cell phone from her pocket and tried to find a signal. Nothing. Any hope she’d held threatened to evaporate.
“Nothing for you.” Colton!
She screamed long and loud. She had to distract the man, turn his attention away from Colton. She screamed again, wincing as the shrill noise ricocheted off the rocks, bouncing back.
The light swiveled away with Reagan’s scream. Colton launched out of position, unpinned and desperate.
“Going somewhere?” The man pointed the gun at him and fired. Colton spun away from the man, feeling the brush of the bullet along his arm. He grunted, but kept moving away from the direction of Reagan’s scream.
He had to keep the man moving. Get him as far away and occupied as possible.
The man laughed. “You can’t escape. I’ve got lots of time. Nothing else to do.”
Colton moved again, ignoring the fire flaring across his arm. Just a few more steps. He could see the entrance to the next cavern. If he could get near there, maybe someone would be there. Would see and understand what was going on. Maybe a tourist had heard the gunshot and was already getting help. Or maybe Garrett would show up. All that mattered was that every step drew the man from Reagan. He had to lead him away from her without taking him and his gun straight toward tourists.
“Colton.” Garrett’s voice sounded from off to Colton’s right.
“Stay back.” Colton flinched as the man laughed, a bone-chilling sound.
“You drew him here.” The light swiveled like a firefly, darting around until it landed on Garrett’s white face. “Welcome back, Mr. Graham. Have the forty thousand with you?”
“Not yet. I’ll get it.”
“Empty promises, kid. My employer is out of patience. Time to pay.”
Garrett’s eyes grew wide. Colton took advantage of the man’s distraction to slide to the side. Then he took slow steps around. A couple more and he could jump the man. Between himself and Garrett, they could surely contain the guy until reinforcements arrived. They had to.
The light bobbed as if the man had remembered him.
One.
Two.
Colton lunged.
The gun fired again, and Reagan screamed again. Where was Colton? What had happened to Garrett? Horrible images flashed through her mind. She had to get help.
No matter the cost to her, she couldn’t let them get hurt without doing something. She reached for her hiking boot and tightened the lace
s to the point she almost couldn’t bear it. If she escaped, she’d need all the stabilization she could get.
Reagan pulled to her feet, her weight balanced on her good leg. A wave of pain coursed over her, but she closed her eyes and gritted her teeth until it passed. She could do this.
She leaned against the rock. The fall didn’t mean she couldn’t find a way to crawl out.
Fifteen minutes later, as sounds of activity carried toward her, she had to admit defeat. There wasn’t a way out she could manage with two arms and one leg.
Should she yell for help?
What if it wasn’t help that had come but instead reinforcements for the man who’d haunted her nightmares? Could she risk it?
She closed her eyes, the darkness not any different from what pressed against her when her eyes were open. Then she shouted, “Colton. Garrett. I’m here.”
Over and over she yelled. The words bounced off the walls, echoing in her ears.
“I hear her.” A strange voice carried to her. She shrank into the shadows. Had she called the enemy to her?
“Bring the gurney. If she’s calling for help, she’ll probably need it.”
At the word gurney, she relaxed and started shouting again. A few minutes later an officer was lowered over the side. “Are you hurt, ma’am?”
“I think I broke my ankle when I fell.”
“We’ll get you out and checked over.”
“How are the guys?” Her heart squeezed as she waited for an answer.
The light on his miner’s hat blinked, and she wished she could read his face. “The paramedics are working on one. The other’ll be fine.”
She swayed, and he caught her before saying, “A little help.”
In a minute, several rescuers had her out of the sunken cavern and on the gurney. But all she wanted was to see for herself, verify that Garrett and Colton were okay.
What was taking them so long?
The paramedics had descended before Colton could get to Reagan and refused to let him go. He knew he had a scratch—one that hurt like the dickens—but all the same, just a scratch. What they didn’t understand was he wouldn’t relax until he knew Reagan was okay.
RAINBOW’S END: FOUR-IN-ONE COLLECTION Page 20
