High Passion

by Vivian Arend

  “Walk. Take me to the caves or I’ll tie you to a tree right here and pull the fucking rope until you’re blue in the face,” Vincent warned.

  “Gee, I’d think you didn’t like me or something.” Devon turned and broke trail through the pristine snow. He deliberately walked farther into the meadow than needed to leave a visible trail from the air. Heading to the caves was the only logical choice. He had to keep trying to buy more time. Every moment was one more opportunity for Vincent to fuck up.

  Moving was better than simply allowing the man to choke him to death before he even got to use the knife burning a hole in his back pocket.

  Devon shook his shoulders and tightened his neck muscles as he walked, thankful that when he relaxed there was a tiny bit more play in the circle. He could draw a full breath again.

  He glanced back as he stepped up and over a larger rock. Vincent strode behind him, the rope between them hanging slightly, but Vincent’s fingers were firmly wrapped around the excess length. The gun had vanished.

  Choosing which direction to lead Vincent was simple. Devon had been in the Takkakaw caves more times than he could count—it was a favourite training ground for the SAR school. The number of hours he and Alisha had spent wandering in the dark with only their headlamps to guide them had diminished over the past two years while on Lifeline, but there were some things that were etched into his memories. Like the massive free-fall off the trail shortly inside the upper entrance. No way in hell was he leading Vincent anywhere near that. At the lower entrance he had a chance—there was nowhere good to hide a body for at least a few minutes’ walking, not to mention the river and the falls to deal with. Somewhere in the growing darkness Devon would make his move.

  He clung to that hope as they marched silently over the meadow, the broad face of the rock wall appearing ahead of them. The falls themselves boomed louder as they approached, the constant descent of water crashing into rocks filling his ears, a mist in the air growing as ice sparkled on the limbs of nearby trees.

  They had to descend the final section. Devon was challenged to remain on his feet as he manoeuvred over snow-covered boulders, the mountain walls rising around them as they entered a natural amphitheater where the water foamed up, clouds of vapour and freezing water spray painting the rock shimmering white.

  “Why are we going down?” Vincent asked, suspicion thick in his voice.

  Devon snapped. “You wanted the cave, you’ve got the bloody cave. Look for yourself, asshole.”

  The rope jerked and Devon choked, bending at the waist and shaking frantically to find air.

  Vincent spoke softly. “Don’t push me anymore.”

  A thin thread of air returned as the noose loosened, and Devon dragged in a breath. He staggered for a pace, then straightened and took another step down toward where they’d have to wade through the river to access the cavern opening.

  Runoff was far slower now than in the spring or summer, but the glacier melt never really stopped, the constant moisture of the falls forming into a sparkling cascade of ice in the dead of winter. Devon stepped reluctantly into the shallows, the pounding splash of the cataract covering all other noises. Icy-cold spray coated them both as they edged closer to the mountain, the falls forming a curtain to their right. Rock and water filled the sky as Devon waded forward, thigh deep in the current as the underground stream they were about to follow joined the torrent from above.

  He paused as they reached the actual entrance, the warmer air from inside the opening rushing past them bringing the scents of mold and earth along with it. A moment later a light clicked on as Vincent shone the beam into the cave. Devon struggled forward, climbing out of the water onto a relatively dry path with difficulty, his tied hands pulling him off balance.

  Now that they were inside, the volume of the crashing falls faded, warping into strange echoes and haunting cries.

  “Which way do we go?” Vincent asked. “Never mind. I see it.” He dodged around Devon, the coil of rope in his hands. “This is how this works. You stand here and wait for me. When I get where I want to go I’ll call. If you choose to obey me, I’ll lead you in safely. If not, I’ll jerk you off your feet and push you into the water.”

  “Why not push me in now?” Devon would welcome it. None of the pools in this area were deep, but there were holes along the cavern wall he could hide in, and tall stalagmites he could wrap the neck rope around to give himself time to use the knife to get free.

  Now that they’d reached the caves, his opportunities were better than in the open—as long as Vincent didn’t shoot him. That option he simply didn’t have a solution for.

  Vincent stepped away another pace. “Lana mentioned a place where I could leave you. You’ll never get out, not without gear, but it seems more like something she’d do, doesn’t it? If we’re going with the lovers’ spat. Alisha will be heartbroken when they finally find your body next spring. I’ll be sure to offer lots of sympathy.”

  Devon fought the urge to spit on the man. Vincent really thought he had Lana so cowed she wouldn’t call for help when she got free?

  Any mistakes Vincent made now only helped Devon. He stood silently as Vincent backed away, then turned to use the headlamp to guide himself along the narrow path at the edge of the water, the noose rope slowly falling from his hands as he moved away.

  As soon as darkness closed around him, Devon had his fingers in his back pocket, the switchblade out and pressed to the ropes entangling his wrists. He cut quickly, forcing his breathing to remain calm, watching the light Vincent carried bob into the distance.

  He wasn’t nearly through the fibers when Vincent called for him to move. The man shone the light toward him, the muted glow illuminating an eerie world of shadows and glistening water, ribbons of tiny streams shimmering as they trickled down the ancient cavern walls.

  “Moving. Just give me time.”

  He kept working the blade, the occasional misdirection cutting his fingers, sliding too near to his wrists, but he couldn’t afford to be cautious. Every step took him closer to Vincent, and if he discovered what Devon was doing, the knife would be gone.

  Devon’s chances might be gone as well.

  Pressure eased slightly on every tug, but the ropes were still too tight to fall away.

  A familiar sound reached his ears, echoing through the higher tunnels toward them, and Devon grinned in spite of the hellish situation. Somewhere outside the cave a helicopter was landing.

  “What’s that?” Vincent snapped.

  “Bats,” Devon lied.

  Vincent paused, then swore violently. “That little bitch.”

  Devon wasn’t sure if Vincent meant Lana or Alisha, and he didn’t care. The ropes were nearly off. He stepped quicker now, hoping to catch Vincent distracted. Only the light vanished and he had to jerk to a stop before he slipped off the path or tripped over something.

  The final thread snapped free, and Devon twisted his hands loose, blood rushing into his numb fingers. He bit the inside of his cheek to stop from making any noise as his eyes attempted to adjust to the even more limited lighting.

  Ahead of him Vincent had fallen to his knees, frantically digging into the backpack. The flashlight in his hands focused in a narrow beam as he searched for something.

  It was his only chance. Devon jerked the noose free from his neck. He tossed the rope ahead of him on the path, then stepped as close to the cavern wall as he could, crouching behind a rock and hiding.

  Vincent rose, the round circle of light in his hand blinding Devon as he endeavored to tuck himself farther out of sight.

  “You bastard, where did you go?” Vincent tugged the neck rope sharply, and the free end flew through the air. “How the hell . . . ?”

  Vincent flicked the light from side to side as he searched.

  Even though he’d broken free, his hiding place wasn’t perfect. In fact, Devon was a bit of a sitting duck. How much had Lana told Vincent about the cave system, and could he use Vincent’s
ignorance against him? It was a long shot, but Devon had to take it.

  “If you start running,” Devon called, “you might get out of the cave through the upper exit. If you go now.”

  For all his polish Vincent had a fairly extensive vocabulary. When the curses stopped, Vincent moved toward him. “This is your fault, you know. Alisha was far more malleable before she got involved with you.”

  “Bullshit. Alisha’s the strongest, most opinionated person I know. You misjudged her.”

  Vincent took another step closer. The beam of light widened with every pace. “You’re as ignorant as the rest of them.”

  Devon stilled his breathing and braced himself, readying to leap at Vincent if he came any farther in his direction.

  The entrance to the cave glowed in the distance, the broken outline of a semicircle highlighted with the light of the wintery sky. A body stepped into view, framed by the darkness and light.

  Rescuers had arrived. For the first time in ages, Devon took a deep breath and allowed himself to hope.

  Vincent cursed again, then turned, the glow of his flashlight vanishing. Devon remained motionless, listening hard, forcing himself to ignore the person hesitating at the entranceway and to focus on tracking Vincent.

  The other man wasn’t moving.

  From the mouth of the cavern a bright light flashed, streaming into the darkness like a shooting star. Brilliant red reflected off myriads of water rivulets, veins of quartz sparkling with blood-toned diamonds as the light blasted past. Another emergency flare followed it, and another, and Devon glanced over the rock to discover Vincent only feet away.

  Devon leapt without thinking, pushing against the firm stone flooring and flying through the air. He slammed into Vincent and took him to the ground, a gasp of pain escaping the other man.

  They rolled, Devon clutching to grasp Vincent’s hands. A blow hit him in the face and another in the solar plexus. He got in a few good punches of his own, Vincent grunting as the blows landed. Around them the darkness made his eyes ache as he scrambled to subdue his target.

  An ear-shattering explosion rang out as pain sliced through Devon’s leg. It felt as if a raging hot knife had stabbed into his calf, but he tightened his grip on Vincent, keeping hold of him in spite of the pain.

  Vincent had shot him.

  Alisha was going to kill him for being stupid enough to get shot.

  Something hard brushed the back of his hands, and Devon jabbed the gun away, clinging to Vincent for all he was worth. Vincent got in another lucky blow and the ringing in Devon’s head got worse. The stars in front of his eyes grew brighter.

  The world moved into slow motion, a blend of agony and coloured lights. Devon was seriously pissed off as for the second time that day darkness overwhelmed him.

  CHAPTER 28

  When the shot rang out, everything inside Alisha threatened to tear apart.

  They’d been forced to separate, her and Erin. Two distinct sets of tracks led to the lower entrance while a lone set aimed straight for the upper, and the possibility that Lana had sent them into a trap was too great to ignore.

  Alisha had promised to be careful, they both had, but there was a lot that could be accomplished while they waited for the RCMP to catch up in the next five to ten minutes.

  A blend of cautious waiting and frantic rushes forward got her to the foot of the falls, where the icy-cold spray wrapped itself around her like a shroud. The pump of blood whooshing past her eardrums deafened her even to the overload of noise created by the cataract to her right.

  Fear had become her constant companion, clinging like some demented devotee—a sentinel demon lusting for her to fall.

  Terror skittered up her spine as she stepped into the frigid waters of the river. Images of the flash flood weeks earlier surrounded her, and the bitter taste of bile hit the back of her tongue. Alisha closed her eyes for a moment and dragged in a deep breath.

  She could do this. Search and rescue was in her heart, in her soul. She’d trained and struggled and worked her ass off to be the kind of woman who could face her fears and still move forward.

  Blue eyes shone into her memory—the confidence Devon had in her coming through first and foremost. The caring he showed her.

  The passion they’d shared.

  Fear eased—not vanished, but fading enough that she could breathe again. Breathe, and take another step forward. And another, until the rocky cave entrance loomed overhead.

  The long open cavern before her held dark mysteries, the boom of the falls reverberating around her as Alisha prepared the emergency flares. The first round of flashes shot into the chasm to highlight a human figure standing two-thirds of the way down the passage. She stooped to prepare another set of flares when blurred motion caught her attention in the fading glow. She scrambled to light a flare when a gun echoed in the cavernous chamber, and Alisha’s stomach rolled.

  She crawled to one side and waited.

  A flashlight clicked on as someone escaped farther into the cave system. Alisha waited, confused and yet eager to move forward. It had to be Vincent retreating into the mountain. Devon knew there was no way to get out that direction without climbing massive walls in the dark, impassible without a rope already in place from the top.

  Unless Lana had gone in the other direction. Maybe even now she was setting up an escape route.

  Alisha clicked on her walkie-talkie. “Careful, Erin. You might have company soon.”

  Erin’s response sounded in the earbud Alisha wore—a silent solution to keep their communication from carrying to the people around them. “Got it. I’ll camp outside the metal gates. Which, by the way, are open. Someone cut the chain on the lock. There’s only one set of tracks heading into the caves, though.”

  There were definitely at least two people inside the maze of passages then. “Someone got shot. I’m going to check them out,” Alisha whispered.

  “Can you wait?” Erin asked.

  “Negative. It could be serious.”

  Erin’s colourful response broke off fast. “Fine. Just don’t go in farther. I see the RCMP at the edge of the meadow. You’ll have backup in approximately ten minutes.”

  Alisha stared down the passage. She lit off another flare, but there was no longer anyone moving. Desperation rushed her, the urge to move driving her forward.

  The water running underfoot increased in volume as the river narrowed. Darkness closed in. Flashes of memory broke through again: the flood sweeping over her and Devon, attempting to steal her breath away, surrounding her in a trap, but that fear had been tamed. She walked quietly with her headlight on the lowest beam possible, hurrying while remaining alert in case the shooter stepped out from the distance.

  Uneasiness was wiped clear by shock of a different sort as Devon’s blond hair came into view, his body crumpled to the ground on the wet path. The rock was redder than usual under him, and she bit back a cry as she realized why.

  She dropped to her knees, slapping a hand around his leg above the point where the blood stained his khakis. “Devon. Do you hear me?”

  Her pack hit the ground. She set up a larger flashlight beside it to help her see the supplies she needed. Alisha rushed into medical assessment mode, the shallow breaths he took reassuring her he was still alive.

  And when his eyes opened and he turned his face toward her and smiled, it was if the sun had risen in the cave.

  “Vincent,” Devon whispered. “He’s got a gun.”

  She nodded, ripping his pant leg open with a knife and shoving a tourniquet band under his calf. “He’s gone deeper into the caves. Erin’s at the other end, and we think Lana as well.”

  “She’s with him. Well, sort of,” Devon warned.

  “Shh, I know. RCMP are on the way. I love you.”

  His grimace broke into an enormous, although still pained, grin even as she tightened the band. “I love you, too. Let’s get the hell out of here.”

  Alisha nodded, “Let me stabilize you first. W
e’ll have help in—”

  Her head jerked back as she was pulled to her feet, fingers tangled in her hair. Panic rose as she was hauled away from where Devon lay.

  He rolled to his side, and Vincent spat out a warning. “Don’t move, or I’ll shoot her.”

  The light she’d set up at Devon’s side clearly showed him lifting his hands in surrender. “I can’t move, you bastard. Why are you doing this? Give up already.”

  She felt Vincent shake his head, his grip tightening as he dragged her back. “There’s always a way out.”

  Devon’s lips tightened in disgust. “Lana told you about the secret exit. Dammit, I don’t believe this.”

  Neither could Alisha. What secret exit? She knew two ways in and out, and an actual loop like that was uncommon in cave systems—a third exit would be extraordinarily rare. She tested the hold Vincent had on her, but it was no use. This was one time her size was a definite disadvantage.

  “Stop wiggling or I’ll shoot him again,” Vincent snapped. She stilled instantly. “Turn out your light. Now,” Vincent ordered Devon.

  Devon nodded, his gaze meeting hers. He didn’t try to hide his fear, but there was a spark there of something else. Something that gave her hope. “I love you, Alisha. It’ll work out, got that?”

  He flicked the switch and thrust them all into darkness again. Vincent twisted her, his arm around her throat pinching off her air supply. He turned on his flashlight and shoved her forward, rapidly increasing the distance separating them from Devon. From the RCMP team who even now should be reaching the cave entrance.

  Behind them was nothing but darkness. Vincent moved them in rushes, pausing at odd intervals to listen, probably in case someone was following.

  “Vincent, please let me go,” she begged.

  He ignored her, hesitating as the path narrowed with two branches before them. “Devon said there was a secret exit. Show me.”

  Alisha gasped in pain as he squeezed. She clawed at his arm in an attempt to loosen his hold to get more air. She still had no idea what the hell was going on. “I thought Lana told you about the exit.”