By Request Collection April-June 2016. Оливия Гейтс
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it out, Duncan recognized the leather pouch immediately.
“It matches the one that your aunt Vi and Adair found the first earring in,” he murmured.
Piper set it between them on the stone floor and then met his eyes. “Your theory. Maybe you should do the honors.”
“No. You’re the one who found it.” Another part of Eleanor’s dowry would be inside, he was certain. But he still held his breath as she folded back the flap of leather and reached in. Even in the dim light, the gold of the earring glistened and the sapphire glowed. She lifted it out and offered it to him. When he clasped his hands around hers, the stone flashed even brighter, and Duncan felt that same, strong, sure connection to Piper that he’d first experienced on his mother’s wedding day. Time seemed to stand still.
Then they heard a clatter of rocks.
“Shhh,” Duncan breathed in answer to the question in Piper’s eyes. Only time would tell if the noise had been caused by some of the rocks they’d loosened on their journey or by someone who’d followed them.
Seconds passed—five, ten, fifteen. Just as he was about to breathe again, there was a second scrape and clatter of stones. He leaned closer to whisper, “Someone’s in the tunnel we just came through.”
If he’d been alone, he would have doused the light and waited at the side of the opening they’d just stepped through. But he wasn’t alone, and he wanted a better tactical advantage and more data before he initiated a confrontation.
He took the earring out of her hand and secured it in the leather pouch. Then he slipped it beneath his T-shirt and tucked it into his back pocket. Finally, he picked up the flashlight and rose to check out the tunnel the stones and boulder had tumbled from. It was smaller than either of the ones they’d walked through. But for now, it would offer some cover.
“We’ll have to be quiet. C’mon.” He spoke the words lower than a whisper, but she rose and gripped his outstretched hand. Ducking his head, he led the way into the cramped space. Being quiet was easier said than done. But he let out the breath he’d been holding when he noted the rocks that had tumbled loose near the entrance gave way to smoother stones in a matter of a few yards. The bad news was that he couldn’t see a curve in the tunnel yet, and he had no idea where it would take them.
But he could swear he felt the warmth of the sapphire through the thickness of the leather that enclosed it. Pausing, he glanced back. They’d come far enough that he could no longer see the room they’d left. But there was another clatter of rocks. He moved on, and within a few steps, the beam of the light illuminated the curve he was hoping for.
Drawing her around it, he spoke in a hurried whisper. “I’m going to have to turn off the flashlight, but first, get the gun out of my backpack.”
She didn’t hesitate a beat, but handled the task with the same ease and efficiency that she might have exerted if he’d asked for his water bottle. When he held out his hand, she placed the gun in it. “Now, switch places with me.”
Once she had, he turned off the light, pitching them into total darkness. And waited. While they did, Duncan put himself into the mind of the person or persons who’d followed them into the cave. Whoever it was had to know that Piper wasn’t alone. If it was the person who was sending the flowers and the death threats, why would he or she make this move? Setting that minor avalanche of stones off the cliff—that he could see. But following them in here seemed reckless. Desperate.
For now, he and Piper had a slight advantage. They weren’t moving. And there was a very good chance that their pursuer still was.
At first the silence was so total that Duncan was sure he could hear the beat of his own heart. Then he heard what he’d been waiting for—the sound of more rocks being dislodged.
But which ones?
In his mind, he pictured the route they’d taken—the first pile of stones had been in the second of the caves he and his brother had played in as kids. So that’s where their pursuer must have been earlier. That meant he had to be in the cave they’d just left, the one that Piper had discovered, where they’d found the earring.
Close, Duncan thought. He listened hard.
Nothing. No more rocks shifted. And there was no conversation, not even a whisper sounded. Then the darkness in front of him lightened fractionally. Whoever it was had seen the tunnel and was shining a light into it. Beside him, Piper placed a hand on his back to indicate she’d seen it, too, but she remained perfectly still. Perfectly silent.
A lone pursuer, Duncan guessed, who was weighing options. And listening for a sound—just as he and Piper were. To go forward or retreat? Pursuing them any farther was risky. Especially if your quarry knew you were coming. And in the silence, he had to at least suspect they did.
Rocks tumbled again. Behind him, he heard Piper suck in a quiet breath. But the darkness was total once more. The next sound of stones came from farther away. Still, Duncan didn’t move and neither did she.
He’d counted to twenty when Piper breathed. “He left.”
“That’s the good news.”
“What’s the bad?”
“We can’t go out the way we came in. Whoever it is could be waiting. And that’s not the worst scenario.”
“It can get worse?”
“He could suspect we’re listening, and he could have retreated just to throw us off. Even now, he could be doubling back. That’s what I’d do.” He took her arm and urged her in front of him. “I’ll bring up the rear just in case.”
WITH ONE HAND PRESSED against the wall of the tunnel and the other out in front of her, Piper concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other, testing each step as she went. Just think about that, she told herself. Worry later about who might have followed them into the cave and why.
The stones beneath her palm were cool to the touch, some smoother than others. She couldn’t see a thing. And this tunnel could dead-end in front of them in a Hollywood minute.
Don’t think about that. Instead, she pictured what the two of them must look like. With one hand clamped to her shoulder, Duncan was totally relying on her to lead the way. The perfect image of the blind leading the blind. Much better to think about that than to worry about the fact that his other hand was probably gripping that very large gun she’d found in his backpack.
Seconds ticked into minutes, and she felt as if they were moving at a snail’s pace. But Duncan said nothing, and he didn’t have a problem with telling her what to do. She heard a whack, then Duncan’s quick intake of breath.
“Hit my head,” he breathed. “Need a minute.”
She used the time to reach up. The rocks overhead were only inches away, which meant that Duncan had to be practically crab-walking. In the short silence that stretched between them, she heard only the sound of their breathing.
Then came the faint sound of rocks hitting other rocks.
“He’s in the cave we just left,” Duncan whispered. “When I see a light behind us, I’ll let you know.”
Oh, good, Piper thought. One more thing to be nervous about. What would they do then? Run?
No, she wasn’t going to go there. In her mind, she corked up all the worries and started forward again. She was just going to pretend she was on her morning run—which she hadn’t had a chance to get in yet.
In the next seemingly endless stretch of minutes, she imagined that she was passing the shoe store, the bookshop. All routine except she found that the floor of the tunnel was climbing upward more steeply. The walls had begun to press in, and they were