If there wasn’t, then he’d carve a way in. He would get to his agents.
Cadence coughed, choking on the dust and soil that had fallen down on her. But…
She wasn’t hurt.
The dust and soil also weren’t the only things that had fallen on her.
“Kyle?”
He’d grabbed her, even as the explosion had thundered. He’d yanked her close. Thrown his body over hers.
His blood soaked her shirt.
“Kyle!” She twisted, pushing against him.
Where was her light? The chamber was pitch-black.
She fumbled out with her fingers, looking for her gun or light.
Her fingers curled around the rim of the flashlight. Kyle was a dead weight on top of her.
No, no, not dead. Not Kyle.
He couldn’t be dead.
She hit the button for the flashlight. The beam flew across the room and caught Anniston’s back as he ran from the chamber.
If there’s only one way in, then where the hell is he going?
She saw her weapon. Stretched for it. Got it. Hell, yes. “Stop!” she yelled as she took aim.
Anniston didn’t stop.
She didn’t shoot. If she missed him or if the bullet went through him, more rocks could fall.
“Stop him,” Kyle growled as he heaved himself off her. “Go.”
Cadence didn’t run after him. Instead, her fingers flew over Kyle, checking his injuries.
The stab wound was vicious. Too deep. Too close to his heart.
“He can’t get away…”
“I can’t just leave you!”
“Get help…” Kyle’s fingers grabbed hers. “Dammit, please! Stop him. Don’t let him get away.”
Cadence leaned forward. Pressed a hard, quick kiss to Kyle’s lips. “I love you.”
Then she looked around the chamber. Found his light. Shoved the flashlight in his hand. One for him. One for her. “I’m coming back. We’re getting out of here. Keep the light—” So I can find you. She was afraid Kyle would pass out before she could return. Too much blood loss.
The light would guide her back.
Cadence stumbled to her feet and rushed after Anniston.
He hadn’t headed back to the entrance she and Kyle had used. One way in, my ass. The guy was rushing even farther down the main tunnel, away from the cave-in.
His light was shining, bobbing.
She raced after him. He wasn’t getting away from her. There was no way he’d escape after the hell he’d unleashed on them.
That’s your plan, isn’t it? To bury us in here. To destroy any remains from your victims and then to disappear.
Only he wouldn’t really disappear. A guy like him wouldn’t be able to stop killing. He’d go someplace else. Start hunting again.
She wasn’t going to let that happen.
Cadence pushed forward.
And Anniston’s light vanished.
Kyle’s fingers sank into the dirt. His chest burned, his blood soaked him, but he wasn’t giving up. Inch by slow inch, he dragged himself up.
The light shone beside him, revealing the location of his fallen weapon.
He should have killed the bastard while he’d had the chance.
Kyle, I want to come home!
His sister’s cries seemed to echo through his mind as he rose to his feet.
Cadence was gone. Hunting Anniston.
She wouldn’t kill the man, though. She’d catch him. Try to turn him in.
I don’t want him in a cage.
Kyle wanted the bastard in hell.
He pushed the gun in his holster. Staggered to the wall. The light trembled in his shaking grasp.
One step.
Two.
He held onto the rocks as he advanced.
He knew Anniston had sealed the main entrance to the caverns. He’d heard the thunder of the rocks falling. The SOB wouldn’t have retreated that way.
Kyle turned to the left when he eased out of the chamber. His steps were slow. He knew he’d be leaving a trail of blood as he walked.
But he wasn’t going to miss the endgame.
He wasn’t going to let Anniston win.
The tunnel was empty.
Cadence jerked to a stop. Her light swung to the left. To the right. The man couldn’t just vanish.
“Anniston!” she yelled. Her voice echoed back to her.
No other sound.
He’d just been there. He was cuffed.
“Help me!” A woman’s scream. Coming from what sounded like straight ahead.
Dear God, was he telling the truth? What if Anniston had come back because someone else was still in the tunnels? Someone they’d missed on their initial search?
Don’t scream. Maybe she’d been too afraid to call out.
Or maybe…dammit, maybe it was Anniston. Using another recording to trick her. Her breath heaved out. She couldn’t leave a victim—and she also couldn’t let a killer get away. Cadence tightened her hold on her weapon and moved forward.
Anniston slammed into her, leaping from the darkness. He lifted his hands and drove them—and the cuffs—right at her weapon.
The gun discharged as it flew from her fingers.
Ben’s head jerked up.
“That wasn’t an explosion,” Dani said, voice definite. “That was gunfire.”
Yes, it was. Ben was already running toward the fading sound. It had come from the east, back in the trees. He slipped and fell, but jumped right back to his feet.
Dani was with him, rushing as quickly as she could.
A gunshot. Either that was his team, trying to signal him—
Or Cadence and Kyle were in trouble.
Cadence wheezed for breath as Anniston’s hands closed around her throat. He’d pinned her against the rocks with his body, and his hands were slowly choking the life from her.
He brought his mouth close to her ear. “Those were Fiona’s screams. Before she learned how much I value the quiet, she used to scream. I kept the screams, the pleas—little mementos I liked to listen to.”
She kneed him in the groin.
He just laughed, but at least he moved his head away from hers. She tried to shove her hands between them. Tried to go for his eyes.
But he just deflected her attacks.
“I’m glad that I get to kill you. That I get to touch you while you die.”
Sick freak.
“You’ll have the full experience this way, and isn’t that what you wanted?” He pressed a kiss to her cheek. “To know the victim, you have to be the victim.”
Her left hand managed to wedge between them. Her nails scraped over his chest.
Red dots were dancing before her eyes, and the throbbing of her blood in her veins was like a desperate drumbeat.