Whatever It Takes

by Dixie Lee Brown

  She turned to face him. “How does that saying go? When pigs fly?” Her dagger now comfortingly in her hand and pressed against her thigh, she smiled tauntingly.

  Dropping his hand, he tried to smile, and then winced, apparently not recognizing the danger. “You’re a spirited little thing, aren’t you?” He took a step toward her. “I’ll have to tame you a bit before you go on the auction block.”

  Alex raised her arm, deftly flipping the dagger over in her hand until she held the blade between her thumb and forefinger. “Yeah? Good luck with that.” With a flick of her wrist, she sent the eight-­inch stiletto into Diego’s chest.

  Surprise and pain widened his eyes as his hand went to the knife suddenly protruding from his sternum. He staggered toward her, his other hand outstretched, and blood dripped from his mouth.

  She backed away, waiting for him to collapse, but, as he hugged the wall and moved closer, her confidence wavered. No way was he touching her again, and she wasn’t going to stay and watch him die. She hated the thought of leaving her dagger, but not even that was going to get her to walk up to Diego while he was still alive and yank the blade from his chest. She’d find another weapon if the need arose.

  Their morbid dance came to an end a second later when he slid down against the wall of the tunnel. It was clear he wouldn’t be going any farther. Nor would she be approaching him, with his eyes still open and staring at her.

  Which way should she go? She looked down the tunnel both ways. Each direction was identical to the other, the smooth walls sectioned off and braced with huge timbers every thirty feet or so. No clue presented itself to help her decide which way would lead her out of here quicker. The hacienda, Nate, and Jimmy were at the end of the tunnel to her left. It made sense to return where they’d no doubt be looking for her.

  She turned her head to study the right-­hand tunnel. Was it her imagination, or was the air fresher, wafting through this side? Maybe the end of this nightmare was only beyond the next patch of light up ahead.

  What if she chose wrong and never got out?

  Eerie laughter flowed from the man on the floor, and when she glanced toward him, his face slowly morphed into one that was all too familiar—­Hu Sun. Alex blinked and shook her head, but the terrifying visage remained and continued to cackle. Her heart raced as she backed away. It couldn’t be him. It wasn’t possible. She’d finally tumbled over the edge into the loony bin.

  She ran, blindly tripping over the uneven floor. Picking herself up whenever she fell, she ran on. Barely noticing the second passageway that veered to the left, she followed the wall on her right and kept moving. When she could no longer hear the hideous laughter, she slowed to a walk and finally dropped to her knees, burying her head in her hands.

  Her worst fears had finally become reality. She’d gone friggin’ crazy.

  She’d been right to push Nate away. He didn’t deserve to be saddled with her lunacy. Now if she could just get his blue eyes and impossibly sexy smile out of her head. If he were there, she’d crawl right into his arms and let him take care of her. If that wasn’t a perfect example of her impaired mental state, she didn’t know what was.

  He wasn’t there, yet it was effortless to imagine his hands on her body, to relive his passionate lovemaking that had moved her so deeply. Lost in a world of her own creation, she was aware of the earth’s rumbling, but it all blended with her wildly beating heart.

  When she finally lifted her head, it was obvious she was in trouble. The vibration was all around her. Dust and rocks pelted the tunnel floor. The walls groaned and the ceiling shuddered. Was it a cave-­in or an earthquake?

  It didn’t matter—­the result would be the same.

  It struck her as ironic that, of all the moments in her life, it was now when she suddenly wanted to live, and the reason for her change of heart—­Nate. She loved him, and even if it was the worst idea in the universe, it was worth fighting for.

  Stumbling to her feet, she ran again.

  Chapter 16

  THE BODY LAY slumped next to the tunnel wall and wasn’t moving. Nate was within ten feet before he could say with certainty that it wasn’t Alex. The relief that poured into his veins left him light-­headed.

  Ty pushed by him, knelt, and rolled the body onto its back. “It’s Diego. He’s dead—­and this is Alex’s dagger.”

  Nate caught the gleam of the silver handle, the hilt wrapped in leather, as he knelt beside Ty. It didn’t surprise him to see it there, but it was the only weapon she carried. Why would she leave it? Was she injured? Or out of her head? Was there someone else down here who had control over her now?

  “Let’s keep going.” Nate extended his hand to help Ty to his feet. Ty took the lead while Nate paused to stare at the death scene before him. Diego didn’t get anything from Alex in life, and he wasn’t getting anything from her in death either. Nate hesitated a moment longer before he jerked the blade from the corpse and wiped it clean on the dead man’s jeans.

  Fifteen minutes later, they stood in front of divergent tunnels. It was the last thing Nate had been prepared for. The one on the right exactly mirrored the one on the left, down to the size, shape, and battery-­operated light fixtures mounted on timbers that braced the walls. He stomped between the two openings, his nerves raw with frustration and anxiety.

  “The ground is hard. There’s no way to tell which way she went.” Nate stared down first one passage, then the other, as though he could divine her presence in one of them. “Son of a bitch!” He faced Ty. “It couldn’t be easy, could it? We’ll have to split up.”

  “I’ll take the left. You go right.” Ty stepped toward the mouth of the left-­hand tunnel.

  A faint rumbling pulled Nate’s attention to the ceiling. Great! An earthquake? Damned if that wouldn’t make this day just about perfect. He swore quietly. With any luck, it would be over quickly—­just one of the numerous deep quakes the region was prone to.

  But in the next instant, the right tunnel groaned, the ground beneath their feet shuddered, and the lights blinked out one by one until the only illumination came from behind them. The sounds of collapse were followed by the belching of dirt and fine sand that quickly formed a cloud spreading toward them.

  He grabbed Ty’s arm and jerked him into the left passageway, which seemed stable and free from flying debris—­at least for the present. Nate whispered a silent prayer that Alex had also found a safe place to wait out the tremor.

  By the time the ground stopped rumbling, his heart was in his throat. He stepped from the relative safety of the left tunnel and started down the right side at a jog, his fear of being buried alive forgotten in the light of what Alex might be facing.

  “Wait. We don’t know she went that way.” Ty stood at the spot where the tunnels split.

  Nate stopped, turned, and fisted his hands. “From what I’ve seen, Alex operates on Murphy’s Law. I’d bet good money she went this way.”

  Ty shone his flashlight down the other tunnel one more time and shook his head. “That makes sense . . . in a spooky kind of way. What are we waiting for?” He jogged toward Nate.

  The air was filled with dust, and they stopped long enough to tie handkerchiefs over their noses and mouths before pushing on. Within minutes, they found rubble from the walls and ceiling littering the floor. Large slabs of stone left gaping holes in the smooth arch overhead.

  Some of the battery-­operated lights were working again, though barely noticeable through the dirt that hung in the air, and created an eerie yellow glow more suitable for the set of a zombie movie. Nate directed his flashlight toward the ground and slowed to pick his way around piles of debris, searching for Alex while dreading what he might find.

  Ahead, the tunnel disappeared as though it’d never been there. Nate stopped. The cave-­in was worse than he’d imagined. Thirty feet in front of him, the narrow aisle they walked through was pac
ked full of dirt, rocks, and huge boulders. There was no way through, no way around, and no way of knowing how far the collapse went. Did Alex make it to the other side, or was she buried somewhere in the rubble? He squeezed his eyes closed, fighting against the overwhelming need to punch something.

  A faint new sound carried across the emptiness. A rhythmic, raspy sound—­barking almost . . . and then it stopped.

  What was that? He jerked his head up and strained to hear.

  “We’ll have to go back—­”

  Nate nudged Ty’s arm and held his hand up.

  There it was again—­a hoarse, shallow cough. Ty evidently heard it too, and shone his light toward the collapsed section.

  “Alex?” Nate jerked the kerchief from his face. “Alex!” More labored coughing drew him forward until he zeroed in on her. He scrambled over a pile of rock and halted. In the beam of his flashlight, all he could see was her head, arms, and one shoulder. The rest of her body was pinned under a large slab of stone.

  Nate threaded his way through the debris, careful not to dislodge anything, and knelt beside her. “It’s me, darlin’. Look at me, okay?” Alex swung her unfocused gaze toward him, and the first thing Nate noticed—­tear tracks on her dusty face—­nearly ripped the heart from his chest. Her eyelids fell shut every few seconds, and she clearly had to fight to open them again. Nate took her hand and squeezed. Her skin was cold and a sickly shade of gray. Hopefully, the latter was from the thick coat of dust covering everything. “We’re going to get you out of here. Do you hurt anywhere?”

  Alex studied him for a moment as though she wasn’t quite sure who he was before recognition dawned in her glazed eyes. Then her lips tipped upward in a barely discernible smile. “Hey, handsome. It’s about . . . time . . . you got here.”

  Nate grinned and brushed the hair off her forehead before he leaned toward her and placed a kiss there. She was probably in shock, and it was obvious from her speech pattern that she was struggling to breathe. The rock must be compressing her chest.

  He met Ty’s gaze as his partner crouched on the other side, and the same worry Nate felt was reflected in his eyes. The only thing that had kept her from being crushed to death seemed to be a smaller stone that hit the ground first and caught one corner of the big slab that covered most of her body, preventing its full weight from coming to bear. Wedged tightly beneath the stones, she was unable to extricate herself.

  Ty sat back on his heels. “Can you move at all, Alex?”

  She wiggled her free hand in front of her face. “Only . . . what you . . . can see.” She stopped to catch her breath. “It would be . . . great if . . . you’d get this . . . rock off of me.”

  Nate studied the rock placement and then glanced at his partner again. Ty shook his head slightly. He’d obviously come to the same conclusion. They didn’t dare try to move the rock by themselves. It was too heavy. One misstep and they’d crush her.

  Ty rose to his feet. “I’m going for help. I’ll try the left hand tunnel first. If that doesn’t go anywhere, I’ll head back to Diego’s hacienda. Either way, you two hang tight. I’ll be back before you know it.” He climbed over the pile of debris and disappeared.

  “I’ll be right back, Alex.” Nate uncurled her fingers from his and followed Ty until they were far enough away she wouldn’t be able to hear him. “Don’t spare the horses, Ty. If we have another quake, it’ll be all over.”

  “I know. I’ll be back before that happens.” Ty moved out as quickly as the dangerous footing allowed.

  He was the man Nate would want in his corner in a fight. They’d been there together more than once. Nate had no problem putting his life in Ty’s hands. So why was he having trouble trusting him now that Alex’s life hung in the balance?

  Nate clambered over the rock pile and crawled on hands and knees to Alex’s shoulder. He contemplated tying his handkerchief over her nose and mouth, but she was already having trouble breathing. That might make it worse, and anyway, the air had settled somewhat.

  Her teeth were practically chattering so he unbuttoned his long-­sleeved shirt, slipped it off, and tucked it around her. Then he lay down beside her on the hard ground and wrapped his arms around her as best he could with that lousy rock in the way.

  “Is Marco . . . all right?”

  “He’s just fine, and in Jim’s capable hands for the time being.” Of course, that would be her first concern.

  “Did Joe get in touch with Maria?”

  “He put Walker in charge of that, but last I heard he hadn’t reached her yet.”

  “And Jimmy?” She turned her head to look at him.

  “It’s going to take more than a bullet to stop him.” Nate kissed her forehead. When he pulled away, tears rolled down her cheeks. “Don’t cry, darlin’. Everything is going to be fine.”

  “I’m . . . not crying.”

  Nate snorted a laugh. “Whatever you say.”

  “Don’t . . . patronize . . . me.” More tears welled over and she turned her face away.

  Nate leaned on his elbow so he could see her better. “I want to talk to you about something. Now might be a good time since you can’t run away.”

  She met his gaze again, curiosity in her moist brown eyes. “And you . . . think I might . . . want to run? This . . . should . . . be good.”

  “Was Jim right about you trying to get yourself killed?”

  She flinched.

  “I figured it couldn’t be entirely true since it was Diego’s body we found with your dagger in his chest.” Nate brushed his thumb across her knuckles. “If you were looking for a way out, you missed a perfect opportunity.”

  “It seemed . . . only fair, until . . . today.” She struggled with the words.

  His eyebrows shot up. “What changed your mind?”

  Alex twined her fingers in his. “You . . . you big . . . jerk.”

  He laughed, and when she would have said more, he placed one finger on her soft lips. “Shhh—­save your breath. You’ve been dying to hear my life story, haven’t you?”

  “Why not? This . . . might be your . . . last chance . . . for a captive . . . audience.”

  Nate settled down next to her again. “Thirty years ago, in the month of August, I was born in Rockaway Beach—­a blink-­and-­you’ll-­miss-­it kind of town on the Oregon coast. My folks still live there. I’m going to take you there after we get back to Portland. My mother will love you. Of course, she’ll make me sleep on the sofa.”

  Alex chortled and then fell into a coughing fit. When she finally quieted, she was obviously spent.

  Nate scooted closer, needing to touch her, as though by doing so he could keep her there. He hated feeling helpless, and he’d never been quite so helpless in his entire life. The only thing he could do was talk and possibly distract her from her situation. He let his breath out slowly. Hell, he was a cop. His job was asking questions. Talking ­people down off ledges. Negotiating hostage situations. He should be able to do this in his sleep.

  “I’m the oldest of four siblings. Believe me, it’s no exaggeration to say I spent all of my time keeping my three baby sisters out of trouble. Susie, Gina, and Ashley. Susie’s married with a kid of her own. Yeah, I’m an uncle, and a damn good one, if I do say so myself.”

  Alex closed her eyes, breathing easier.

  “Gina is a high school teacher. Now there’s a tough profession. I’d sooner be a cop any day. Ashley is a psychologist. Both bright women, but absolutely no common sense when it comes to men. I’ve got hopes they’ll figure it out one of these days, though.” Nate dropped a kiss on the pulse spot of her temple.

  Her eyes remained closed, but her smile grew.

  He moved his lips close to her ear. “How is it possible you’re so damn sexy even though you’re trapped under a rock, with dirt all over your face?”

  She popped her eyes open an
d scrutinized him. “It’s not . . . possible. Now . . . get on with . . . your life . . . story.”

  Nate grinned.

  She dozed off about the time he got to his police academy days. Figured. Just when his life was getting exciting. He couldn’t allow her to sleep, though. There was no way of knowing whether she’d cracked her head when the tunnel caved in, but if there was any chance she had a concussion, she had to stay awake.

  But she looked so darn peaceful. This was the first time since he’d found her that her breathing sounded almost normal. Maybe he’d let her sleep a minute or two, but beyond that he couldn’t take the chance.

  “Alex.” A short time later, he kissed her ear and worked his way to her lips. “Wake up, darlin’.”

  She frowned without opening her eyes. “It’s . . . so cold.”

  Aw, hell. Her body temp was probably dropping and, with shock likely adding to the problem, it wasn’t a good sign. He shifted so more of his body came in contact with her exposed skin. “If this damn rock wasn’t in the way, I’d get you warmed up in a hurry.”

  “A real man . . . would . . . figure out . . . how to make . . . it happen anyway.” Her lewd grin and smart mouth made him laugh out loud.

  The rumbling started, faint and distant, marking the earth’s disturbance deep inside the rock, reverberating through the air that surrounded them. Alex’s eyes opened wide, and she fixed her gaze on the damaged archway overhead as her breathing grew more ragged. The vibration intensified until it sounded like a runaway locomotive, bearing down on them.

  Her gaze darted to his. “Nate. You have to go. Please go. Before it’s too late.” She tugged her hand from his and pushed against him.

  He leaned over her and grabbed her arms. “Alex! Alex, look at me. It took me thirty years to find you. If you think I’m going to leave you now, you really are crazy. Besides, I’m starting to get used to you rocking my world.”

  A disparaging snort escaped her, but at least she was concentrating on him now. “Do you have . . . much luck . . . with lines like . . . that?”