The Cave

by Amanda McKinney

  “You didn’t have to kill him for it,” Owen snarled and spat, the black outline of his tall, thick body tensed and poised like a snake about to strike. His shadow stretched along the cave floor stopping just in front of Aaron, climbing to his feet, dressed head-to-toe in diving gear. Blood dripped down the front of his wet suit.

  “Your piece-of-shit uncle got what he deserved. He and that skank he had with him.”

  The tooth—case 7370. “Who was she?” Sadie asked calmly behind him, trying to distract him.

  “Some homeless bitch he’d picked up and befriended. I didn’t expect him to show up with her. Bitch got away from me, but I got her in the end. Collateral damage, but hell, I did society a favor getting her off the streets.”

  “Was Brian Russell collateral damage, Aaron?” Owen’s voice was as cold as ice.

  “And Griffin?” Sadie asked, her tone meeting Owen’s.

  Aaron’s eyes skirted between them, then settled on Owen. “Toss your gun in the lake.”

  Without a second of hesitation, Owen tossed the gun.

  Aaron nodded, his shoulders relaxing, and it was then that Sadie knew why Owen tossed the gun. He could take that skinny rat with one hand tied behind his back.

  “I want that fucking knife.”

  “Sadie,” Owen said, his voice deep and chilling, “I need you to get the knife out of my bag.”

  Her eyes widened. “No, Owen…” It was the only piece of evidence they had.

  “Do it.”

  She grabbed his pack, keeping her eye on Aaron, shifting his weight back and forth on the rocks like a cagey inmate. Sadie pulled the knife from Owen’s bag.

  “I’ve got it.”

  “Stay there.”

  Keeping his eyes locked on Aaron, Owen slowly backed up, and took it from her hands.

  “You get your knife, and no one gets hurt here, Aaron. We’ll all get out of here and never speak of it again. Fuck, Aaron, we went to fucking grade school together for Christ’s sake.”

  “The knife, Owen.”

  “I’m going to toss it in the middle, between you and me.” Owen tossed the knife, the tip of the blade sparking in the light. It clattered on the rock floor, tumbling just inches from the lake.

  Sadie noticed the tremble in Aaron’s hand as he crept forward.

  Sadie gripped her knife and held her breath.

  One step, two, three—

  Owen lunged forward, barreling into Aaron like a bull, knocking him into the air.

  Sadie scrambled up the wall, knife in hand, wobbling on one foot.

  Owen and Aaron’s silhouette faded into a swirling black mass as they wrestled on the cave floor.

  Her stomach turned to liquid as she heard the pop of bone crunching, followed by the sparkle of blood splattering on the shiny rock walls. Aaron scrambled to his feet and lunged for Owen with the knife in his hand.

  “Owen!” Sadie began scrambling across the rocks.

  “No, Sadie.” Owen twisted his head, a flash of panic in his eye.

  Aaron seized the moment of distraction and barreled into Owen, waving the knife. The next few seconds were a blur. The splash of Owen’s body hitting the water, followed by the flash of a body lunging toward her, the glint of light reflecting off the blade slashing inches from her chest. Sadie threw her body backward, her head slamming into the side of the cave. Stars burst in her eyes as her stomach rolled. Her vision wavered, the dark silhouette standing over her with a knife in his hand.

  Her gaze drifted to the water, still and black as death. Where was Owen? Oh God, had he drowned?

  Tears welled in her eyes as Aaron leaned down in front of her, the blood from his mouth dripping down the side of her face. A wicked smile cracked his face, his eyes wild, feral. She flinched as he reached around and grabbed a fist-full of her hair, pulling tiny strands out as he squeezed. Her fingers desperately searched for her knife that had fallen from her hands sometime during her stumble backward.

  She opened her mouth to speak but was cut off when Aaron yanked her head back, exposing her neck to him.

  He raised the knife and pressed the cold steel to her skin.

  “Too bad, really, you’re not half bad to look at.”

  Everything stopped—her thudding heart, the roar of panic in her ears. She was going to die. But she was going to die fighting.

  She swept her good leg along the rocks, knocking him off balance. As she scrambled to pull herself up, Aaron lunged forward and raised the knife just as Owen barreled into him from the side.

  Aaron flew back, the knife tumbling from his hand, his head bouncing off the rock floor. Sadie watched his limp body roll into the water.

  “Sadie…” Owen fell to his knees next to her. “Are you okay?”

  Blood speckled Owen’s face… but that was nothing compared to the river of blood covering his side. “Owen, oh, my God…” she grabbed the flashlight. “Owen, you’re bleeding badly.”

  He frowned—as if just noticing it—and glanced down at his arm where a deep gash ran across his bicep. She grabbed his good shoulder, and gently turned him to the light. Blood ran down his arm, dripping from his fingertips.

  “Well. Shit,” he said.

  “Owen,” panic swept through her as she inspected the wound. It was bad. Puffy flesh lined a deep V that cut to the bone. “This is beyond needing stitches. And you’re losing a lot of blood. A lot.”

  Her heart picked up speed again, racing with a different kind of fear.

  He calmly assessed, then stepped past her and grabbed his pack with his good arm and tossed it to her.

  “Can you grab my bandana out of the side pocket?”

  Her hands trembled as she fumbled with the pack.

  “Here.”

  “I’m going to need you to help tie this off.” He nodded to the wound.

  “A tourniquet?”

  “Exactly.”

  Sadie pushed up to her knees as he kneeled down next to her. Owen had just been in a life-or-death fistfight and had his bicep sliced in half, but was as calm as she’d ever seen him. It was a remarkable thing to see and inspired her to suck it up and man up.

  “Loop it just above the wound,” he instructed. “And tie it off. As hard as you can. Use your teeth.”

  She nodded and wrapped the fabric, ignoring the dip in her stomach as the blood oozed out.

  “Tighter,” he said through his teeth.

  She looked at him, noticing a flush on his cheeks. “Tighter? Are you sure?”

  “Yes. As tight as you can.”

  She blew out a quick breath and using all the energy she had, pulled the fabric tighter.

  “Good job. Now hand me the whiskey.”

  She unscrewed the lid and handed it to him.

  After three solid chugs—she smiled—he lowered to a sit, blew out a breath, and looked at her.

  “So that happened…”

  “I can’t believe…” she positioned herself in front of him as he seemed to take a second to get his bearings. “I’m worried about you, Owen. That needs medical assistance, like, now.”

  “Can’t believe the fucker got me.”

  Sadie looked at the water, still as glass, and imagined Aaron’s body floating through the darkness, disappearing into the depths of hell. “You won the fight, though.”

  “Fucking Aaron.” He shook his head, grabbed the whiskey then took another sip. “Okay,” he looked around the cave. “You’re right. We’ve got to get out of here.”

  She looked down at her ankle. “… A broken ankle and severed arm.”

  “A winning combination.” He winked in his ever-calming nature, then shifted his gaze to the water and seemed to decide something.

  “Can you get my tarp and duct tape, please?”

  She dumped his pack and separated the items. “Now what?”

  “Take the knife and cut a square out of the tarp, about two feet long and a foot wide.”

  She did it quickly and efficiently, knowing that time was of the essenc
e.

  “Now, we’ve got to wrap up my cut, over the tourniquet, and secure it with duct tape.”

  He watched her as she did it—not to ensure it was done correctly, but staring into her eyes, making her heart skip a beat.

  She finished. “What do you think?”

  “I think I want a kiss.”

  A grin tugged at her lips as she leaned forward and kissed him, a soft, sensual kiss.

  “Better than the whiskey.” He winked. “Okay, do another layer of tape… who the hell knows what tiny organisms and bacteria are in this water.”

  “Water?”

  “How do you think we’re getting out of here?”

  “We’re swimming out?”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  She looked at her ankle. “I can’t… I mean, I won’t be able to—”

  “I’ll carry you.”

  She laughed. “You’re kidding.”

  “Sadie, I’m a rescue swimmer. This is kind of what I do.”

  “But not with one arm!”

  “At least it’s my left. Lucked out there. We’ll have to work together. You’ll use your arms in the water, and I’ll use my legs. We work together.”

  “No, Owen, no. There’s got to be another way.”

  “Sadie.”

  His tone had her snapping to attention.

  “Here’s the deal. One, the sooner we get you to a doctor, the less likely you’ll have to have surgery.”

  “I don’t care about my damn ankle.”

  “I’m not done. Two, you did a great job with this tourniquet and have slowed the bleeding significantly, but, the longer the lower half of my arm goes without blood, the greater the chance I’ll have to have it amputated. And, I’ve kind of become attached to the little guy.”

  Her stomach fell to her feet. “Amputated?”

  “Yep. With no blood flow, the tissue dies. I’d say we’ve got a handful of hours before that begins to happen, and this water isn’t going to recede before then.”

  She stared at his arm. That was it. There were no more options.

  She set her jaw and nodded. “Swim it is, then. Let’s get going.”

  He smiled, leaned forward and kissed her on the forehead. “Good girl. Alright, let’s pack up. I’ve got a waterproof bag to wrap the SAT cell in.”

  They gathered the packs, her slithering along the rocks like a snake, and him like a bird with his wings clipped. They were a hell of a team.

  “How did Aaron get the jump on us? There’s no way he crossed that bridge. We would have heard him coming.”

  “He came from the opposite side of the cave, where I found the knife. There’s an exit point somewhere down there. He snuck in, and under the rocks through the water. Fifty bucks that’s how he knew Griffin found the knife.”

  She slid on her pack and helped Owen into his. “Did you know Ray was having an affair with Aaron’s wife?”

  “No.” Owen looked down for a moment. “He wouldn’t have told anyone. That’s how he lived his life.”

  “Jane Doe must have gotten away during the scuffle, but not before Aaron got a solid hit on her. And I’m guessing that’s what she was so hysterical about when she ran to Kat’s house. Kat wasn’t drunk. Her story was true.”

  He turned to her. “We don’t have time to play detective now, we’ve got to get a move on.”

  She nodded. “So which way are we going to go?”

  “We’re not exactly in the shape for new explorations, so, we go back the way we came. Through the lake, then we’ll have to swim across where the log is down.”

  Her stomach tickled with nerves.

  Owen grabbed her chin, and with a twinkle in his eyes said, “You’ve got this. Just like the ravine. I’ve got you, and you’ve got me. We can do this. Together.” He turned and squatted. “I can’t lift you over my shoulder, so you’ll have to get on my back.”

  Sadie slid onto his back, and after a grunt, Owen was up and making his way across the rocks to the bridge, now completely under water. In a slow fluid movement, he squatted down and Sadie released her weight on her good foot.

  Owen scooted to the ledge and dangled his legs into the water. “You’ll hook your right arm around me, and will flow behind me, at my side. Hang on, and use your other arm like hell to push us through. I’ll kick and use my right arm. Only use your upper body. Got it?”

  She nodded.

  “There’s an undercurrent we’re going to have to fight. You use your arms to keep us straight, okay?”

  “Okay.” She scooted to the edge and wrapped her arm around him, careful to avoid hitting his wound.

  “Okay. Bottoms up.”

  He put the flashlight between his teeth, slid into the lake, pulling her with him.

  Sadie gasped as the icy water flowed over her. They dipped initially, the water coming over her chin. Then, she felt his legs kicking and with one arm, Sadie grit her teeth and pushed thorough the water. Inch by inch, they swam through the blackness, water splashing into her eyes with each stroke.

  “Current’s picking up here,” Owen yelled out.

  Sadie pushed harder, gasping for air.

  “Good girl, you’re doing good. Almost there.”

  Finally, they reached the far side of the lake. Sadie pulled herself onto the ledge, then Owen came up beside her and spat out the flashlight. Her chest was heaving, he was barely breathing heavily.

  “You okay?”

  She nodded, her teeth chattering. “Let’s get the hell out of here.”

  “Music to my ears.” He turned his back to her. “Your chariot awaits, darling.”

  She was lifted into the air as her arms wrapped around his shoulders. He was warm, strong, safe, her knight in shining armor. And it was that moment that Sadie knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that she could fall crazy, head-over-heels in love with this man.

  Hell, maybe she already had.

  With a steady pace, they made their way through the cave. No breaks, no breathers, in a comfortable rhythm they’d already established during journey number one. Minutes later, they reached the small river—the last obstacle before the homestretch.

  Using the same technique as before, Owen lowered into the water, and together, they swam the short distance to the other side.

  Exhilaration burst through her as she pulled herself onto the ledge.

  “We did it!”

  “Don’t count your chickens till they hatch, darling. Let’s get out of the cave, call in the cavalry, then I’m going to rip your clothes off, pin you against the rocks…”

  Sadie grabbed his sopping wet-shirt. “Why wait?”

  “Because my arm might get cut off.”

  She gasped and released. “Shit. That’s right. Okay, let’s go.”

  He laughed. “Let’s go.”

  A few long minutes later, they reached the exit. The rain had slowed but was still coming down. Not a soul was waiting for them. Not a single person.

  “The phone won’t connect inside the cave. We’ve got to go outside.” She kissed the back of his neck as they stepped past the cave entrance, into the sprinkles of rain. “You freaking did it, Owen.” A smile slid across her face, “You did—”

  A flash of movement beside them—

  “Owen!”

  Aaron leapt out from behind a boulder, a bloody knife in his hand. As Owen whipped around, Sadie’s weight shifted, sending her tumbling off his back and onto the wet ground. Owen dipped to catch her, but slipped on the rocks and went down on his left arm.

  “Owen! Aaron, no!”

  The knife cut through the air above Owen’s head—

  Pop!

  Aaron’s eyes popped as he locked up and tumbled to the ground, a red dot spreading over his chest.

  Owen jumped up, shielding Sadie, shock and confusion washed over his face… until the dark silhouette stepped out of the tree line.

  “Dad,” he slowly breathed out.

  Chapter 23

  2 weeks later…

  Ho
lding her briefcase in one hand and a coffee in the other, Sadie hobbled through the lab doors. She was welcomed by a wall of cold air and a buzz of conversation from a group of interns, each dressed in crisp white lab coats huddled around a silver table in the back.

  “Sadie!” Kimi crossed the room, an ear-to-ear smile over her face, her body vibrating with excitement like a miniature poodle. “Every single bone is accounted for. Can you believe this?”

  “You double-checked?” She skimmed the lab.

  “Three times.” Kimi’s gaze shifted to the bottom of Sadie’s dress. She grinned, then bent down and popped something off the hem. “Tag’s still on.”

  “Dammit. Thanks.”

  “Oh, come on. You look good in dresses.”

  “I hate wearing dresses. But I’m not cutting off the bottom of another pair of pants just to fit around this damn boot.”

  “I’ll admit, the walking cast distracts, but you still look pretty. And it’s a good day to look pretty. Are you all set with your presentation?”

  The presentation that had taken her all night to put together? Hardly. Her stomach tickled with nerves. “Is the boss here, yet?”

  On cue, the lab door opened and Sadie’s boss, Ronnie Sharp, followed by Allan Tedrick—the owner of KT Labs, and the father of her last failed relationship—stepped into the lab.

  Her breath stopped as a hush fell over the room.

  “Oh, my God…” Kimi whispered as the suits made their way across the lab. “Did you know he was coming?”

  “No…” she swallowed the lump in her throat.

  “Dr. Hart, good to see you again.” Allan smiled and stuck out his hand.

  “Mr. Tedrick, sir, good to see you, as well,” she forced herself to yank her shoulders back and look him square in the eye. The guy put his pants on just like everyone else… except her. She required a twelve inch bellbottom.

  “I hear you’ve been digging up quite a few bones lately.”

  “They just… fall into my lap, sir.” She fought an inward eye roll.

  Her boss shot her a look that told her he didn’t realize the big boss would be joining them. He stepped forward to exude his authority. “Let’s step into the conference room.”

  Sadie grabbed her folders from her briefcase and cast Kimi a quick look before following the suits into a small office that they’d turned into a conference room.