Chapter Twelve
Home Port
We were back in the cave. I peered down through the darkness and was relieved to find the little girl peering back up at me. Granted, she looked wide-eyed and terrified, but the important thing was, she had come through the portal with us; and although she was scared, she did not appear to be injured. I knelt down until I was eye level with her and framed her small face with my hands.
“Are you all right, sweetheart?”
Her chin quivered but she did not speak.
“Are you still scared?” I asked gently.
She nodded and I hugged her close before getting to my feet. “Just hold on to my hand for now, okay?”
“Are you ready to do this?” I spoke quietly and directed the question to Mike.
He nodded grimly and took a step forward. “How many were there when you came through the first time?”
“I don’t know. I killed—ah—took care of one. But I don’t know how many were coming behind him. I think I heard three other voices. They could have more people with them now. It’s been weeks.”
“They might be gone, too, especially with John out of the picture. But we can’t afford to assume anything. Give me the knife, Claire, and stay behind me.”
“Whoa, wait just a damn minute.”
“What?” Mike turned back to me. He looked like the poster child for impatient men.
“Why do you get to take MY knife and go first?”
“Because, Claire,” he spoke slowly. “I am more experienced with a knife.”
I snorted. “No, you’re not.”
“Well, I’m a man. I’m bigger than you are.”
“That is why I need the knife more than you need it.”
“Just hang on to the little girl.”
“And do what with her after you walk through that door and get killed?”
“I am not going to get killed.” He cleared his throat and glanced down at the child.
“But you could. I should be first. If anything happens, you’ll have a better chance of escaping with her.”
“That is so funny, Claire. You are damn sure not going first. I’m not hiding behind you.”
“It is not hiding. It’s sensible. We need to spread our strengths out evenly. Me with the knife and you with your larger size makes us more evenly matched and thus harder to take down.”
He swore and grabbed the knife out of my hands.
“Jackass,” I muttered. Beside me, the little girl began to whimper.
“Nice job, Claire. You scared her.”
“I did not…oh, forget it.” I looked down at the child and smiled. “Remember what I said about holding my hand? We are going to go someplace safe now, all right?”
She nodded and clutched my hand surprisingly hard for such a small child. I tapped my brother’s shoulder and told him we were ready.
“One. Two. Three…now!” he counted quietly.
We burst through the trap door hidden in the rock and stopped. Silence greeted us. We were alone in the cave. The only thing left in the room to attest to the violence that had taken place was the dark stain on the floor near the exit.
“Was that where you, ah, took care of him?” Mike asked quietly.
“That’s the spot, yes.” I looked away, uncomfortable at finding both Mike and the little girl regarding me with open sympathy. I had done what I’d been forced to do and that was that. End of story. I sure as hell didn’t need pity because of it. I knew even as I thought the words, that I was being too hard on my companions. But the truth was, it was still too fresh in my mind. A lot of things were still much too raw and exposed for me right then.
“Well, it looks like we’re safe enough for now. Let’s get out of here.”
“Do you remember the way in case we get separated?”
I nodded, adjusted the purse strap around my neck, and looked down at the little girl.
“Can you walk?”
“Yes,” she whispered.
Michael and I both stopped and stared down at her before continuing. It was the first time she had spoken since we had run from the guards. Her voice was soft and still had the high-pitched tones of early childhood.
“Good. It’s not very far to the end of the cave,” I assured her with a smile. After the cave was another matter entirely, I realized. She would have to be carried back to the hotel. She would also need regular water and something to eat along the way. Her skin was very light, I noted with growing concern. She would burn under the scorching sun within the hour, and we had no blankets or sunscreen. I brought this up to Mike as we made our way through what I had come to think of as ‘the tunnel of spiders.’
“You’re right.” He frowned. “I didn’t think about that. This is bad, Claire.”
“Well, it could still be worse. And we had no choice but to take her with us.” I chewed on my bottom lip as we walked. “Do you suppose there is a town or a settlement that would be closer than going back to the hotel?”
“There might be. Once we reach the end of the cave we can stop to rest and I’ll check the map.”
“Sounds good, but I should tell you that I buried some of your documents.”
“How far?”
“A few miles.”
“Damn. Well, if we have to, we can just leave them.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. I don’t plan on using them again.” His tone was dark.
“I guess that would be the smart thing to do…” I sighed.
“It is.”
We made it to the end of the cave in remarkably good time, considering we were tired, depressed, injured, and had a five-year-old in tow.
We sat in the archway of the cave for a few minutes to rest and check the map. The good news was that Mike found a city on the map that was only two miles away. The bad news was that the little girl had hunkered down next to a rock and fallen fast asleep.
“Are you ready?”
“Yes. Should we wake her up?” he whispered.
“No, I can carry her.” I bent and scooped her slender body up without disturbing her.
“Here, give her to me.”
I passed her to my brother and we set out for civilization once more.