"Do you think this goes above ground somewhere?" Donna-Lou asked as she crouched in the cold water, her hands on Corry's shoulders.
Corry was shivering.
"I bet this is how the bats got out," Chet said as he splashed into the tunnel. "And it's a good thing you thought about it, Rory. Thanks."
Rory nodded and he turned back to Emma. Her teeth were chattering. "The water's cold, isn't it?"
Emma nodded, too cold to answer.
Rory rubbed the outside of her arms, "Just hang in there. You're doing great."
Emma nodded as she hunched her shoulders up against the cold.
"Let's go see if we can find the warm sun," Rory said as he took her by the hand and made his way forward through the cold water.
Corry, Donna-Lou, and Chet splashed through the cold water behind him as they all made their way forward.
Rory saw a sliver of light in the ceiling of the tunnel about one hundred feet ahead. "I see light up ahead," he yelled back to the others. He began pushing his way as fast as he could through the cold water with Emma. Corry, Donna-Lou, and Chet all moved faster now, splashing through the cold water behind Rory and Emma as well, eager to get to safety.
Within minutes, Rory reached the light and found an angled exit to the surface above. The opening was filled with thick tree roots crisscrossing over each other. "Let me go up first just in case," he said to Emma.
She nodded and wrapped her arms around her shivering body.
The others caught up, their bodies shivering as they waited in the cold stream flowing along the bottom of the tunnel.
The fit was tight but Rory used the roots as pull bars to lift himself upwards. He slowly worked his way up a small incline to the side of the stream of cold water that now tumbled past on his left. He saw the surface! Slowly pushing his way up he found himself at the bottom of a gully that was surrounded by trees. The small stream stretched out ahead of him, disappearing into the trees.
Everything was quiet. There was no evidence of anyone around.
Rory moved back down, using the roots as stairs until he reached the opening in the tunnel ceiling, "Okay, give me your hand, Emma." She reached up and Rory pulled her upwards. "Use the roots to help you climb," he told her and Emma began climbing.
Corry came up next, followed closely by Donna-Lou and then Chet, all of them passing Rory and headed for the light above.
Rory followed Chet back to the surface where he soon joined everyone on the dry bank of the stream, under a long canopy of trees. He sat down heavily, breathing in the clean air of the Blue Ridge Mountains. After giving them a few moments to rest, Rory saw how cold everyone was, "How about we get right into the sunshine and warm up?"
Donna Lou nodded as she got to her feet, her teeth chattering, "That's a good idea. Do you think any of the Knights of the Golden Circle are around here though?"
"I have no idea. Maybe back at the Range Rover."
Chet shook his head, "And we don't have our guns anymore."
"We can't worry about that, now," Rory told him. "We can go that way and see if anyone is there. I doubt Old Tuck left any men outside to guard the Range Rover and I doubt they'd still be there after the explosion no doubt buried that entrance. But if we have to, we'll just head over to the highway and hitch-hike. Let's go." He led the way up the side of the gully and through the trees. It wasn't long before they found a clearing and stepped into the warmth of the sun. Smiles lit up everyone's face.
It was Corry who spoke up after several minutes, "What do we do about the treasure?"
Donna-Lou looked at her son, shaking her head, "We almost died and you're still worried about the treasure?"
Chet looked at Corry, "Don't worry. We know where it is and I can come back with climbing gear and masks–"
"But what if other people come and find it before we get back?" Corry protested. "We're going to need a new house, mom."
Rory had his face up to the sun and he said, "If people haven't found this upper entrance to the treasure cave after all these years, Corry, I doubt they'd find it now."
"And the Knights of the Golden Circle didn't know anything about it until they tracked us here," Chet added. "Now those members are dead and buried below us so the secret should be safe."
"Okay," Corry said, finally convinced. "But we need to be able to find it." He began searching the area around them.
"What are you looking for?" Donna-Lou asked him.
"This," Corry said triumphantly. He had a sharp-edged rock. Walking back over to a tree at the edge of the clearing, he began carving into the bark, "I'll make treasure signs so we can find our way back."
"Good idea," Chet said as he looked for a rock of his own.
"Boys and their treasures," Donna-Lou said as she shook her head again. But this time she smiled.
Chapter 56
HILTON HEAD, SOUTH Carolina
6 Months Later
RORY MACK STEELE stepped into the beachside restaurant and took off his sunglasses. He slipped them into the top pocket of his shirt and squinted, trying to adjust his eyes in the darkness. The tantalizing aroma of sizzling steak and baked seafood started his taste buds anticipating the meal to come.
"Ohhh! There he is," Jesse Flint squealed as she advanced rapidly on Rory and wrapped her arms around him.
Rory groaned, a smile on his face as she squeezed the breath out of him.
Jesse unwrapped her arms and grabbed his hand, pulling him through the crowded restaurant, "Everybody is in the private side room, waiting for you."
Rory laughed, nearly tumbling because she was pulling him so fast around the tables loaded with diners. He was pulled into a large side room overlooking the ocean. Everyone inside the room exploded with delight. Chet Calhoun, Corry Haney and his mother Donna-Lou, as well as Emma-Mae Lynn Houston, took turns giving him a hug.
As Emma stepped away from Rory, Donna-Lou spoke, "Rory, this is Emma's mother, Charlene Houston."
Charlene Houston, a tall, thin woman, rushed to Rory and threw her arms around him, tears spilling from her eyes, "Thank you for saving my Emma. I can't thank you enough."
"You're welcome. But there were a lot of others involved."
Charlene nodded as she stepped back from Rory, wiping tears from her eyes, "I know. But if you hadn't persevered...."
"This is for you," Corry said. He held out the gun case holding the gold LeMat revolver.
"Are you sure...?" Rory asked in surprise
"Your sister told us you like to collect things," Donna-Lou said.
"We even put a bunch of different old coins in there as well," Emma added in delight.
Rory took the gun case, "I don't know how to thank you...."
"We're the ones who need to do the thanking," Chet said. "If you hadn't stepped into our lives, maybe most of us might not be here." He held his hand out to Rory.
Rory shook his hand firmly and then he changed the subject, "How was the honeymoon?"
Donna-Lou slipped her arm around Chet Calhoun's waist, "Perfect," she said with a big smile.
"Except they wouldn't let me go and search for treasure in Hawaii," Corry complained.
Donna-Lou messed his hair up with her left hand, "Boys and their treasure."
Corry let out a big belly laugh while moving away from his mother.
"Speaking of the treasure, how did you folks make out?" Rory asked.
"Thanks to your sister Skye, and all that equipment she supplied, we were able to get back down there," Chet said. "But we're playing it smart, though, staying under the radar. Items like all those 1866 Liberty Head Double Eagles down there can be moved easily to coin collectors. The 1866-S with no motto on them are are in mint condition and going for ten grand each."
Rory whistled.
Chet grinned, "So far, we have far more money than we could ever spend."
"I wanted to buy a helicopter to fly in and get it, but they don't want to," Corry said as he stuck his hands in his pockets, a little miffed.
<
br /> Chet laughed, "That he did. But as we explained, we don't want to attract any attention. We split up the money and really don't need much more right now," he said as he looked at the others, "the rest will stay put in the cavern, waiting for a rainy day."
Everyone nodded.
"We bought a condominium overlooking the ocean and all of us are living there," Donna-Lou added.
"Us too," Emma said. "Me and momma can go swim in the ocean anytime now."
Jesse Flint beamed, "And I also bought this restaurant."
Rory was surprised, "You did? I thought you'd retire to a life on the beach?"
"Oh, I do a lot of that. But I always wanted my own place like this near the ocean and now I got it, thanks to all of you."
Rory, happy for all of them, changed the subject to something more serious, "Any signs of our friends?"
Everyone went a little somber.
Chet shook his head, "No. Nothing so far. Like we surmised, the fact there no troopers guarding the Range Rover would seem to indicate all the ones who followed us up there was killed. I would imagine the other members are back to guarding the old spots."
Donna-Lou squeezed Chet's waist, "Chet, Jesse, and Charlene gave their houses back in Golden to friends. I did the same with my property and someone can rebuild there. We don't intend on going back. Right?"
Chet nodded and pulled her closer, "Right."
AFTER A GREAT LUNCH, Rory stepped out of the restaurant, the Civil War gun case held securely under his arm, and he gazed out over the sparkling ocean. The scent of the salt water was pleasant and soothing. Hearing the light laughter of everyone back inside, he felt relief wash over him. Hopefully, they had all seen the last of the Knights of the Golden Circle.
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Now in a single box set - 855,000 words - the first twelve action-packed thrillers in the Rory Mack Steele series. Like fast-paced thrillers? Then you'll love to go along with Private Detective Rory Mack Steele and his sister Skye Steele in a set of adventures that will keep you turning the pages.
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A Rory Mack Steele Novel
Betrayal
Storm
Hunted
Stealing a Country
Fire Plague
Jewel
The Echelon Mind
The Chinese President
Knights of The Golden Circle
Cruise
Mask
The Overstolz Code
Box Set: Rory Mack Steele Thrillers Books 1-12
The Stopper Files
Iron Pipeline
Economic Hitman
Whiskey Empire
King of the Bootleggers
Gangsters
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Vendetta
Burn Powder
King of the Bootleggers Box Set
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Knights of the Golden Circle Page 27