“Yeah. Within reason. If you want to be a circus acrobat, that would be pretty tough. Maybe not impossible but not as easy as helping you become a bank teller or dog walker.”
“Hmm. I’ll have to think about that.”
He wished she could stay in the Underground. Stay with him. But as his grandmother used to say: wishing was one thing, doing was another. And his duty was to do.
A green directional sign sent him onto a state parkway. Traffic was sparse, for which he was grateful. The fewer vehicles, the less the chance he was being followed. If they could get to their destination and find a hiding spot, they could wait for Nate and a conductor. Transport tonight, hidden in seclusion tomorrow and, within a month, the new life Nadine wanted would be hers.
Which meant it was time to quit thinking. He kicked up his speed, assuming the presence of troopers on this barely-traveled highway would be slim to none. They needed to arrive while the town was busy. Daytime visitors weren’t often remembered. People nosing around at night usually were.
“Almost there,” he said as they passed a sign announcing their nearness to Horse Cave. “We’re starting at the visitor’s center.”
His online research had advised that the center was built over a sinkhole that led to the labyrinth of caves under the town. Called a Karst formation, the tunnels were created by water erosion over thousands of years and had fascinated explorers for years. Learning the story of Floyd Collins, an experienced spelunker who had gone into the caves, gotten lost and died there, had reminded him of the dangers involved. Yet, if Nate was right and Vince Madison was trailing them, normal precautions weren’t enough. Abnormal precautions might not even be enough.
Clancy parked in a residential area and walked hand-in-hand with Nadine, nodding and saying hello when they met someone. Camouflage seemed to be a popular wardrobe choice, so they didn’t stand out as he had feared. Inside the museum, he picked up a brochure about the caves and wandered through, looking at the exhibits. The information added to what he’d already learned and boosted his confidence slightly.
They walked out into the waning afternoon. Clancy found a café with an outside area. Ordering sandwiches and coffee for them both, he used the privacy to call Nate.
“Man, I’m glad to hear from you.” Nate’s voice was a welcome connection. “All hell’s breaking loose.”
“Because of our friend?”
“No, you.”
Clancy swallowed hard and pushed away the growing anxiety.
“They miss my TLC that much?”
“Jack has them convinced you’re headed to Washington with your little Jezebel.”
“So? That sends them in the wrong direction.”
“But not him. He figures the news will report it as a murder-suicide, a hooker and a psychopath. You know the government can dig up a few unsolved murders to make it look real.”
“Shit, Nate, you’re not making me feel any better.”
A chuckle came across the line. “Don’t worry, I’ll offer a little misdirection. Should be able to take him out before he gets below ground if things go right.”
“And if they go wrong?”
“Then you better be packing heavy.”
Clancy cut the call and rejoined Nadine at the table, assuring her things were fine. He drained his cup and said, “Let’s go.”
They didn’t speak on the short ride out of town. Clancy followed Nate’s directions and found the place his friend had used to get in and out of the cave as a kid. Clancy wasn’t fond of the dark and cold; he hoped Nadine didn’t become claustrophobic once inside. Nate had warned that the caves were low and narrow in places but that if they went as he’d said, they’d eventually come to a good-sized room.
A small thicket of trees offered a modest amount of coverage for the car. Clancy threw a drab net over the vehicle to lessen its exposure after making sure he had everything he thought they’d need. Nadine was pale but composed. He knew he should take a look under her bandage but decided against it. If the wound was worse, there wasn’t a damn thing he could do for her out here.
“You ready?” he asked.
“No. I’d rather be sitting with you on a beach in Cancun, drinking something yummy served with little umbrellas. Next time we run off together, I get to choose the location.”
The image of Nadine in a bikini temporarily supplanted the too-familiar vision of her dead or dying. Sex with her had been both a great idea and a terrible one. He would never regret making love to her; it had been the most amazing experience of his life. Yet, if he’d kept things impersonal as he should have, fear wouldn’t now be dancing along his spine and driving him to second-guess himself.
“Here goes.” He shouldered the backpack and took a deep breath. The opening was hidden by an overgrowth of trees and shrubbery, yet there were faint traces of prior use. This definitely was the spot Nate had recommended.
The process should be simple. He and Nadine would find the room and set up their defense. Even if Vince had somehow managed to tap into his calls to Nate, tracked them through surveillance video and whatever other means, things would be cool. Nate was on his way, and he’d be waiting outside in full sniper mode.
Once again, Clancy was plagued by ifs. If they found the room, if they had enough weaponry, if Nate got there in time… dammit, he was done with negativity. Nate would get there, they would get out and, by the time anyone figured out about the caves, they’d be long gone. Nadine would be in the safe hands of a conductor, Nate could resume his few days off, and Clancy, well, he wasn’t sure what he’d do next. Call Mother or Thorne and ask for reassignment, he guessed.
Chill radiated off the damp limestone as they started into the interior of the cave. Clancy led the way carrying an LED flashlight with a concentrated beam while Nadine had a broadcast lantern behind him. He ducked to keep from bumping his head and concentrated on Nate’s directions. The shaft of light illuminated the junction Clancy had been watching for.
“This way,” he said, mostly to hear his own voice. The silence was unnerving.
“Okay.” Even though she spoke quietly, the word echoed.
The new passageway was narrower but slightly higher. Clancy straightened, feeling the threatening spasm in his back slip away. He slid one hand along the wall as they walked until his fingers became cold. Glancing over his shoulder at Nadine, he saw she was keeping up. Anxiety had made him set a fast pace.
Another turn, this one to the right. Clancy concentrated on remembering each turn. He had no intention of becoming the twenty-first century Collins, memorialized by a community play put on each summer. Not that such a fate was likely. Nate was on his way after all.
“Remind me not to complain about the heat come summer,” Nadine said from behind him.
“I’ll put that on my calendar.”
Despite the pressure to find their safe place, Clancy couldn’t help being impressed by what this below-earth kingdom offered. The rock formations created by years of water on stone might have been carved by master artists. He took care not to brush against the columns unless absolutely necessary. He wanted others to enjoy the unique scenery as much as he was.
Another turn into a tunnel so small he could barely make it through then he stepped into the room Nate had promised. It reminded Clancy of a miniature cathedral, complete with stone ledges that looked like benches.
“It’s like a theater.” Nadine sat on a ledge. “All we need is a movie and some popcorn and it could be a date.”
“Some weepy chick flick, I suppose.”
“No,” Nadine corrected, “something more in keeping with this place. Like the original King Kong film, maybe, or some sweeping saga. You’d want a big action flick with lots of gun and violence.”
“Nah, I’m a lover not a fighter.”
Nadine cocked her head and gave him a teasing smile. “I believe we’ve already established the first. I’m hoping you don’t have to prove the fighter thing.”
Clancy rubbed his hands ac
ross his face. The fight was coming. He knew Vince. When the man went after something, he got it, whether it was needed medical supplies or someone who was a threat to the Underground’s cause. Now Vince was coming after them.
He unbuckled his ankle holster, pulled out the small gun and removed the magazine. After making sure there wasn’t a round in the chamber, he handed it to Nadine.
“Remember, never point it at anyone.”
“Well, duh,” she said.
“And it’s got a laser scope which may help,” he continued as if she hadn’t spoken. “Try it out and see how it feels. You need to be really familiar with it before I load it back up and hand it over.”
“Just right,” she said, putting her finger on the trigger without squeezing. “Exactly my size.”
After a few moments of pointing and handling the weapon, she handed it back to Clancy. Once it was reloaded, he laid it on the ledge beside her. She left it there, looking at it almost as if it was a snake coiled to attack.
“Knowing how to use one doesn’t make me like guns,” she said.
“Which is the right attitude,” Clancy agreed. “I feel better knowing that if something would happen, you’re armed.”
“You mean if something happens to you.”
“Yeah. But I plan on being around a long time yet.”
Nadine lifted her eyes to his. “Long enough to give me a goodbye longer than a kiss?”
Man, there was a loaded question. Hell, yes, he wanted to give her the kind of farewell she’d never forget. Three days in bed, coming up only for food, sounded just about right. But if that happened, he’d be fucked up for a long time.
She wasn’t just some woman, she was the right woman. Beneath that sophisticated exterior was a true lady, warm and loving yet tough enough to handle what life threw at her. She made him renew his faith in what he was doing. Being with her reminded him that corruption didn’t have to be permanent. The country could be saved despite the tendrils of wrong that feathered through it.
“I don’t say goodbye.” He chose his words with care. “If we’re meant to meet again, we will. If not, then I have some memories to help me through the hard times.”
“Doggone, Clancy, you’re going to make me cry.”
He thought she was kidding until he saw the glisten of tears in her eyes. She didn’t want to let go either.
This was one hell of a mess he’d gotten them into.
Chapter Eight
Vince Madison stomped down on the accelerator of the beefed-up truck and swore. He couldn’t be too late. He had to get to that godforsaken place and find Clancy and the woman.
Nate was coming for them. Vince had intercepted enough of the calls between the two men to figure that out, the same way he’d gotten an idea of where Clancy was headed. He had to get there first.
A talker by nature, Nate liked to tell stories, especially about his Kentucky boyhood. Vince had listened, mostly because there were times with nothing else to do. He remembered Nate bragging about exploring caves and caverns when he was a kid. He’d returned to the same story again and again, about how he went into a hidden opening and thought he was lost forever after his flashlight died.
“Damn landmarks still better be there,” Vince muttered as he goosed the accelerator a little more. He’d brought everything he thought he’d need to go underground, but it wouldn’t matter if he couldn’t find the entrance. Nothing would matter if Nate beat him.
He liked Clancy. He really did. But the guy had been a fool to keep the woman, let alone operate on her. One quick call and she’d have been whisked away and everything would be right as rain. Then again, this incident might just turn out to be what he’d been waiting for – that much anticipated golden opportunity.
Vince was carrying a mini-arsenal in the locked box of his truck bed. He probably wouldn’t need a flamethrower, but he’d loaded one anyway. Far as he could tell, Nate was coming alone, but it never hurt to be prepared. There was enough firepower on board to take down two or three of Nate’s caliber.
He glanced at the mile marker as he passed. Fifteen or so miles if he had it figured right. He looked down at the speedometer. He ought to be there in twelve or so.
Maybe just enough time to beat Nate.
* * * *
“You cold?” Clancy asked.
“I’m okay.”
“Which is why you’re shivering.” He reached into the backpack and brought out a thermal emergency blanket. “Cover up with this. Or at least sit on it so your ass isn’t on the rock.”
“Join me.” Nadine patted the place beside her. “They say body heat is better than any blanket.”
He wasn’t sure the offer was as innocent as she made it sound. He suspected the hyper-awareness he’d had around her all day went both ways. He wanted to strip her, to kiss her, to touch her, to love her, to see if the magic of the other night could be repeated.
No way could he do that to her. The tears he’d seen just moments before were proof. He didn’t believe in soul mates, love at first sight, or any of that other romantic shit, but he definitely believed in chemistry. And they had it in spades.
If they hadn’t both been screwed over by the government, they might have met in an ordinary way. He might have been a high school coach, his career goal before military school, and she could have been a teacher. Or the teller at his local bank or the agent who handled his car insurance. They could have met like normal people, dated like normal people, had a relationship before they went to bed together.
Maybe, instead of sitting in a dank, wet space right now, they’d be shopping for wedding rings or booking a honeymoon cruise.
They could still get to know each other. He walked over and sat by Nadine, pulling the blanket to cover them both.
“When’s your birthday?” he asked.
“February twenty-sixth. I’m a Pisces. You?”
“November twenty-ninth.”
“Ah, you’re a Sagittarius. That explains why you’re so stubborn and always sure you’re right.”
“Hey, be nice,” he protested.
“It’s not my fault when you were born. Now us Pisces, we’re kind, creative and highly intelligent.”
“So you’re smart, huh?”
“Smart enough to know we’re wasting time we’ll never get back.” She curled against him, laying her head against his chest. “Smart enough to know that if we do get out of this alive and in one piece, it’s the beginning and not the end. I didn’t expect to walk into a rose garden when I sought sanctuary. I just wanted a chance to be me.”
“Which is also what got me here, in this place at this moment. I used to hear the guys in my unit gripe. I’d think yeah, you don’t like your duty or you had your tour extended, but they fucked around in my head and changed everything. Until I learned to control this thing, I stayed away from people. I got a reputation as a loner because I didn’t want to know their secrets or catch their worries. There’s something to be said about being oblivious.”
Nadine sighed. “We’re quite the pair.”
“Yeah. Perfect for each other.”
Clancy regretted those words the moment he uttered them. Rubbing salt in a wound wasn’t his style. He should have kept his mouth shut, pretended – what? That he hadn’t come to care about her? That he didn’t give a damn if she lived or died?
She knew better. She was smart, and she understood how much better off he would have been if he’d kept going south and turned her over to that head doc.
He moved over slightly, putting distance between them. Time for some serious talk.
“When Nate gets here, you hang back with him,” he said. “I’ll go out first. If Vince’s waiting, I’ll draw his fire. Nate says he knows these caves well, so he should be aware of an alternative exit.”
“No.”
“Yes.” Clancy tipped her face toward his and met her eyes. “Remember those scars of mine? I could have died then, but I didn’t. I won’t now. You, though, were trained in espi
onage and not warfare. So you’re going to do as I say.”
“Still determined to be the white knight, huh?”
“Oh, woman, you don’t want to know how far I am from a hero. If you weren’t so cute, I’d have left you back there with Thorne to learn a trade.”
Nadine’s eyes glistened again, but she wore a small smile as she said, “The man’s a master chef. I could have had my own TV show if I apprenticed under him long enough.”
“You’d be cuter in coveralls with a monkey wrench than behind a stove.”
“And you look a lot better alive than you will as a corpse.”
“I’m not going to die.” The fierce words poured from Clancy. “I’m a mobile killing machine, remember? I can look a man in the eye and shoot him in the gut. I was created to survive and go on, like an armored tank.”
“But you’re still flesh and bone!”
Nadine yanked the blanket and stood, wrapping it around her shoulders as she stalked to the room’s opening. Clancy let her go despite a yearning to comfort her with pretty lies. Truth was: he was expendable. If Vince took him out, someone would take over his duties. But Nadine had knowledge that could be currency for the Underground and might prevent terrible acts and even a loss of life.
Nadine turned, her eyes wide, and mouthed, “I hear something.”
Clancy motioned her back and handed her the Ruger. He grabbed the Taser and pocketed it. The knife went inside his boot, and he slid the machete into the waistband at the back of his pants. Useful at close contact only, it was his weapon of last resort. His confidence in Nadine’s ability as a shooter grew when she assumed the stance, her feet apart and elbows at her side. Taking deep breaths for maximum calm, he stood just in front of her, ready to take the first shot.
“I’m not armed.”
Vince’s voice boomed in the confined space; Clancy tensed instead of relaxing. His finger stayed on the trigger in case the man he considered a friend was lying. But he wasn’t.
Entering the room with his arms up, Vince stopped just inside the cavern’s opening.
“Despite what you’ve heard, buddy, I’m here to help you.”
Freefall (New Reality Series, Book Three) by Bella St. James Page 9