Backfire (8 page)

David scratched his chin. Good point. “Except he obviously doesn’t know you’re staying there. Maybe if he’s followed you at all, he’s seen you drive up that way and thought you were staying at the actual main house. Maybe he didn’t even know about the cottage.” Except Solomon had been taken from the cottage. “That is, until now,” he added.

David was jumping to a lot of conclusions. He wasn’t a detective, but he cared about keeping Tracy safe. And he hadn’t wanted to scare her, but maybe she needed to open her eyes.

He’d make some demands from Chief Winters as soon as he could. Find out what the police knew about what was going on and if they were actually searching for this guy. But in the meantime, Solomon was their main concern. And if the dog had found someone else, they’d deal with that, too.

There was nothing for it. He pulled his cell phone out, grateful for the signal, and called Cade. To Tracy, he said, “I need someone to know where we are, in case something happens.”

Her eyes widened. “We’re going in?”

He pursed his lips, then said, “We’re going in.”

Still, he didn’t intend to go too far. Without flashlights they couldn’t anyway. They would see what they could and get out. And then they’d know more about what was needed. Once the appropriate help arrived, bringing the right equipment, they would proceed with taking the proper precautions in extricating Solomon and whoever else they could retrieve.

But what else would they find? Another victim?

Or was the man who wanted to kill Tracy waiting for them inside the mine?

NINE

T
racy stayed right behind David as he crept into the opening of the mine.

This had “bad idea” written all over it, but for the life of her, Tracy didn’t know what else to do. At least they could take a look.

David had called his brother Cade to let him know what was going on and had received a stern warning in reply as though David was a child instead of the eldest brother. But Cade didn’t have to listen to Solomon’s barks turn into whining pleas, the sound of which broke Tracy’s heart.

She couldn’t think with clarity.

And then his whines turned to a low growl... What was going on?

Could there be a bear down there?

Or maybe David was right—this was a ploy to lure them inside.

“We’re just going until the light from the opening no longer guides us, right?” Tracy asked.

“Right.”

God, please keep us safe. Please let us find Solomon, or let him come to us before we have to go too deep.

“And then what? Solomon sounds like he’s much deeper in the mine than we can go.”

“I don’t know. I’m making this up as I go.”

She wished he would have kept that to himself, though she sort of already knew. Anyway, this was her fault, not his. She’d talked him into something he didn’t want to do. Something she didn’t want him to do for her, but she’d had no choice. She’d needed his help.

“We’re coming, Solomon. Just hold on,” she called into the shaft. She wasn’t sure if calling out to him was a good idea, but it was too late to worry about that now.

As they crept forward, darkness slowly swallowed them.

“Hold on to me,” David said.

“Why?”

“Just in case. I don’t want to lose you.”

Tracy hesitated.

He sighed. “Don’t worry. I won’t bite.”

“You
won’t
bite not you
don’t
bite? Are you saying that sometimes you do?”

“Maybe.” His reply held laughter behind it; much-needed levity for the moment.

Though she barely saw it, she liked that he could elicit a small smile even during an intense situation such as this.

Unsure exactly how he wanted her to hold on to him, she pressed her hand against his shoulder and felt a zap of an electric current. She instantly snatched her hand back. Entirely inappropriate.

She’d already been in his arms and let him comfort her through her tears, but this was different.

Instead she wrapped a finger around his belt loop. Clinging to safety at the moment was more important than her self-consciousness. And David Warren was the definition of
safety
.

“I’m sorry. I can’t see much farther,” he said. “This isn’t going to work. I should have known to grab a flashlight from my truck, but I didn’t think we’d be attempting to navigate an old mine.”

David turned around, and with Tracy’s finger entangled in his belt loop, her arm wrapped around him so that she was pressed against him. That seemed to take him by surprise as much as it did her. Using his free hand, he grabbed her arm but didn’t push it away. He held his gun in his other hand.

“Are you okay?” He was so close his warm peppermint-scented breath fanned her cheeks.

Her heart pounded in a way that had nothing at all to do with the desperate barks of her poor dog. No, she wasn’t okay. She was entirely too close to David, feeling his sturdy form against hers.

“Sure. Let me just unravel my finger.” She was glad for the dim light so he couldn’t see the heat crawling up her neck and slapping her cheeks.

David turned away from her and Tracy was able to free her caught finger. Needing to put some space between them, she faced the opening of the mine and saw something.

Or someone.

Just a quick glimpse—but she knew she’d seen someone brush past the opening.

“Hello? Who’s out there?”

“What is it? Did you see someone?” David walked toward the entrance.

Tracy trailed him. “I don’t think it was your brother.”

“I don’t, either. No one could get here that fast.” He paused. “Unless they were already here.”

“Then stay here with me.” Fear coiled around her neck. “Don’t go out there.”

A pebble fell from above. Then a few more trickled down with dirt.

“Watch out!” David pushed her deeper into the shaft and covered her body with his as the ceiling of dirt and rocks caved in.

* * *

David coughed in the settling dust, taking care not to crush Tracy but to protect her. He’d shoved her out of the collapse zone in the nick of time or else they’d both have been crushed under the tonnage. He should have paid more attention and looked for warning signs as he was trained to do when fighting fires. But when they’d entered the mine, he’d taken note of the rectangle timber supports lining the shaft to keep unstable rock in place and they’d looked to be intact and stable.

Had someone tampered with the lining?

Time enough to figure that out later. They’d survived, but now they faced another problem. Complete and utter darkness surrounded them. David needed an action plan. He’d been a complete idiot. For whatever reason, he couldn’t think straight to save his life—or rather, save their lives and keep them safe—when he was around Tracy. And that didn’t bode well for either of them.

David wished he could remain covering Tracy, protecting her, and that it would make a difference. But it wouldn’t. He eased off carefully, dirt and pebbles falling away.

She hacked in the dust, as did he, until the air cleared enough they could breathe freely.

“Are you hurt?” he asked.

“No. How about you?”

He wished he could look her over to make sure that was true. “A few rocks to the back, but thankfully nothing big and deadly.”

“What do we do now?” Her voice shook. “I can’t see my hand in front of my face.”

“The mine is deep, of course, but I’m not sure about the quality or quantity of our air supply.”

Solomon’s barking had subsided to only a few whines now and then. David’s prognosis for their situation was not good. Somehow he had to turn this around. Increase their odds of surviving the mine. Or find a way out. He swallowed his fear. He didn’t want Tracy to hear or sense his panic, adding to her own.

This should never have happened, and there was no one to blame but himself. But he could beat himself up later.

He grabbed her hand, glad for her strong and steady grip, and kept himself directionally oriented so he could find the wall. He placed her hand against the cold rock surface. “Here, stay right here. I’m going to edge over and start digging us out.”

“Are you sure that’s safe?”

“What other choice do we have?”

“We could wait for the others to get here.”

“Can’t waste any time. This could take a while. It’s better if I get started.” They needed light and fresh air. He didn’t know if he could provide that for them, but he had to try.

“Then I can help you.”

“No, please, don’t move.” One of them stumbling around in the dark was one too many.

“David, you can’t dig us out on your own. I’m coming, too.”

“Let me make sure it’s safe, okay? Please. I need you to be out of harm’s way in case I get in a predicament.”

“As if we’re not already in one of those.”

“You know what I mean.”

She coughed again. “Okay, okay. I’ll stay here.”

“Good. I don’t want anything more to happen to you.” David squeezed her hand and for some unknown reason pressed it against his chest so she could feel his beating heart. Why, he couldn’t say. He wasn’t exactly making sense to himself. Maybe he wanted her to know how deeply he cared, if something happened to him. And yet he continued to prove to himself just how much he didn’t deserve another chance.

“Please, be careful.” Her voice was soft, tender.

David closed his eyes, though in the dark it didn’t matter, and prayed silently he could get her out of this.

“What do you think happened?” Her question broke the silence. “Do you think whoever we saw at the cave opening is responsible for trapping us in here like this?”

He swallowed the rising panic again. “I hope not.”

But what else could it be? If this didn’t convince Winters, David didn’t know what would. He wasn’t sure how the entrance had been destabilized, but Tracy definitely had someone after her. Was it connected to the man from her past who wanted payback? He didn’t know.

He turned his focus to digging them out and hoped help would arrive on the other side soon. But would his brother think to be on the lookout for someone with nefarious intentions? Cade would try to call him in a few minutes, and when he didn’t get a response, he’d come looking, though cell reception was iffy this far out of Mountain Cove. He hoped Cade wouldn’t come alone. Now David wished he had gone into more detail when telling his brother about their search for Solomon.

God, please, let Cade bring reinforcements. Isaiah and Adam.
Chief Winters would be a nice addition, too, except he would be all over David for entering the mine. He wasn’t alone there.

David hit the wall of dirt and rock and felt his way to the top, figuring there might be an end to the pile, something he could dig his way through. Even if he made a small hole through to the other side, that would encourage him. And right now he definitely needed a boost.

He pressed his palms against the rubble to find traction and made sure it was solid. The last thing he needed was to create a rockslide that would bury him and take Tracy down, too.

“You okay back there?” he asked.

“I’m fine. What are you doing?”

“I’m climbing to the top of this pile and then I’ll start digging, removing rocks and dirt. If this turns out to be a mistake and it slides, please back out of the way but don’t lose contact with the wall. I can find you that way. Understand?”

“Yes.” Tracy’s voice was barely a whisper. “Please be careful, David.”

“I will.”
I promise.
The words zinged back to him from the past—the same words he’d said to his wife when he’d left for the Kenai Peninsula to fight a wildfire. He’d promised Natalie that he’d come back and he had, but she was dead before he got there.

David started up the pile of rubble, finding his way by feeling and gripping the larger boulders. He and Tracy were fortunate they hadn’t been completely crushed. Regardless, he didn’t know if he could forgive himself for making such a stupid mistake as coming in here without backup or proper equipment.

Again, he pulled his thoughts back to the task at hand.

He’d equate this experience to rock climbing with a blindfold. He wouldn’t be surprised if there was already such a sport, something extreme-sports addicts participated in. He had about ten feet or so to climb, with only a few more to go. Tucking his foot against a secure boulder, he reached up and felt his way for his next hold.

Then everything shifted and collapsed beneath him.

Somewhere in the chaos, Tracy’s scream broke through.

TEN

B
oth hands against the wall and eyes squeezed shut, Tracy turned her face away, pressed her forehead down and against her shoulder, even as she flattened herself against the wall. Screaming, hoping and praying through the rockslide. Or had the ceiling caved in even more?

Her bottom lip trembled.
Oh, God. Oh, God. Oh, God...please help us! Keep David safe. Please, please...

Before the dust settled, Tracy called out for him. “David, you okay?”

Nothing but silence answered. She was grateful he’d told her to cling to the wall because that was her only anchor. From deep within the mine, Solomon’s intermittent whines broke through the trickle of pebbles, but she wasn’t as concerned for him as for David. Now she realized what an idiot she’d been to pressure him into going inside—even a short distance—for her dog. They should have waited for help. Her stomach twisted at what she’d done.

She kept her eyes shut until she knew the air was clear so she wouldn’t get dirt in her eyes. Though it didn’t matter—she couldn’t see anything anyway. “David, please answer me. Are you okay?”

Tracy opened her eyes, expecting to see pitch black. But she could see the slightest outline of the wall. What was going on? Where was the light coming from? She felt her way forward, unable to see well enough to trust her eyes yet.

“David!” she called again.

When he still didn’t answer, panic kicked in, her heart thudding against her ribs. She sucked in rapid breaths.
Lord, where is he? Please let him be okay.

Then she saw a gap between the pile of rocks and what was left of the ceiling of the mine shaft—a hole that allowed light inside.

“David!” someone called from outside the entrance to the mine, the sound filtering through the small opening. It sounded like Cade. Relief whooshed through her that help had come.

“In here,” Tracy cried. “We need help!”

He didn’t respond, but she heard another voice outside. Heidi? Tracy tore her gaze from the hole and allowed her eyes to adjust to the darkness around her so that she could search for David.

“You guys, please hurry. David is hurt,” she called, unsure if anyone could hear her.

And then she saw him. His body appeared lifeless.

Oh, Lord, please no...

Hot tears burned down her cheeks. Tracy dropped to her knees next to where David lay and assessed his injuries. No boulders or rocks had crushed him, and she thanked God that he wasn’t pinned or buried.

But he must have hit his head. That was the only explanation for how he’d been knocked out. She wouldn’t think the worst, but that he’d simply been knocked unconscious. As the clatter of digging erupted from the other side of the rocks and fallen earth, she edged closer to David and, with limited lighting and equipment, did her best to assess David’s injuries. There didn’t seem to be any broken bones. She ran her fingers gently through his dirt-filled hair, around his head, searching for a knot. There. She found it, along with sticky moisture.

Blood.

He’d hit his head. She prayed he would wake up soon with nothing more than a concussion, if that.

“You hear that, David? Help is on the way. They’re digging us out of this. We’re going to be fine. And you’re going to be good as new. Thank you for protecting me, for pushing me out of the way. I didn’t think I needed protecting.” Tracy lowered her voice to a mere whisper. “But I needed your protection after all. Thank you for watching out for me, for being stubborn about my safety. You’re a special man, David Warren. And I wish you weren’t so good-looking.”

Dirt and pebbles trickled from the top.

Her pulse jumped.

She hoped by digging her and David out, they wouldn’t disturb the pile even more.

If there was a chance of another rockslide, she needed to move David. But first, Tracy did her best to carefully climb closer to the hole. She needed to let them know what was going on.

Anchored against the wall and a boulder wedged near the top, she called through the break in the debris. “Hello out there.”

“Tracy? Is that you?” Cade asked.

“Yes. David’s hurt. I’m scared that if you dig us out, the rocks will fall on him and crush him.”

“There isn’t time to come in any other way. This whole thing could collapse in on you both, Tracy. You’ll have to move him.”

“But I’m scared I’ll hurt him.”

“Did you assess his injuries?”

Tracy had some medical training, but she was far from any kind of certification. “I did, and I think he has a head injury.” Man, she hated how the words sounded.

Cade’s hesitation said volumes. “Okay, then. No back or neck injury that you can ascertain?”

Oh, God, why do I have to do this?
Apprehension pressed against her chest. What if she made a mistake?

“Tracy, there’s no time to waste, please...”

“I can’t be sure. What if I’m wrong?”

“In order for me to climb through to check him myself, I have to move rocks, and that could put him in danger. I need your best assessment.”

“No, I don’t think he has a neck or back injury.”

“Then do your best to gently move him away.”

“But can’t you call others to help? I’ve seen how they rescue people who get stuck in old mines or caves.”

“That kind of expertise would take hours to get here, and we don’t have time to wait. The shaft is unstable. We have to get you out
now
.” Though he was patient, frustration edged into Cade’s tone.

“Okay, okay. I’ll let you know once I have him positioned out of the way. But be careful.” Tracy hoped no one else would get hurt because she’d insisted on an ill-equipped rescue of Solomon.

She climbed back down to David and gently tugged him by the shoulders. Though she was strong, David was pure muscle weight and she struggled every inch of the way. Finally, after she’d managed to tug him several yards from the collapsed debris, she cradled his head in her lap.

“Everything okay, Tracy?” Cade again.

“Yes, David’s at a safe distance, I hope.” But as she said the words, pebbles trickled from above her. “Please hurry!”

If this truly had been planned, the goal must have been for Tracy to be buried alive, and Santino would have exacted his revenge. As it was, this could still end badly, and in that case, he would have the pleasure of knowing he’d killed her along with someone she cared about deeply.

Someone she cared about deeply...

When had she started caring about David in that way that would lead to deeper feelings—feelings that were supposed to be reserved for that one special man? Especially when she’d made sure to guard against caring like that. Tracy needed to harden her heart, but right now she had to focus on getting David the help he needed. Getting them both out of this mine was far more important than issues of the heart.

“David, please wake up.” She couldn’t take this anymore. A knot grew in her throat. “Why is it that every time I care about someone, they get hurt?”

Saying the words out loud, she heard her own desperation. She couldn’t let this happen again. She couldn’t care about him. Tracy stiffened, her heart and mind warring with wanting to move away from him and wanting to hold on to him. She only wanted to protect him from further injury. But the urge to hold on to him was more than that. For far deeper reasons, she wanted to be close to him.

When she shifted to reposition his head so she could pull away, David’s hand reached up, catching her wrist.

“Where do you think you’re going?” David stared up at her, a half grin on his face.

She started. “You’re okay. Thank You, God.”

She tried to move away again.

He held fast to her wrist. “I asked you a question.”

Even in the dim lighting, she could see a glimmer in his eyes.

He acted as though he’d been enjoying their proximity a little too much. Was he teasing her? But he’d been unconscious, hadn’t he? Given their predicament, her pulse really shouldn’t be racing at that look in his eyes.

“I need to find out what’s taking so long.” Tracy still held his head in her lap. Awkward. She eased away.

Was that disappointment in his eyes? Releasing her, David sat up slowly, gripping his head. He groaned.

“Just how long were you awake?” she asked.

“What?”

“I was...talking to you.” She shoved thoughts of his reaction to her when he’d opened his eyes just now out of her mind. No point in dwelling on it. “Have you been awake and listening, just letting me...?”

“No. Not long. I heard a voice and I don’t know... I wanted to wake up and find who it belonged to.” His voice was husky. “And I found her.”

Tracy couldn’t breathe.

David winced. “My head is killing me.”

“You’re lucky you weren’t killed.”

When he pushed all the way to his feet, Tracy grabbed his arm to steady him. “Take it easy.”

Had he forgotten where they were? What had happened?

Though he appeared disoriented, David found the wall, leaned against it and rubbed the back of his head. He’d found the knot. Then he gazed at her. “We
both
could have been killed.”

Guilt washed over her.

Dirt and pebbles trickled from the wall of debris as Cade worked to clear a path. The ceiling shifted above them. David pulled her into his arms and shielded her against the wall, protecting her and trapping her at the same time. She was scared they were going to die. But there was no other place she’d rather die than in his arms.

She was in trouble.

* * *

A small rock tumbled. Scraping sounds coupled with more shifting and moving from the front of the mine caught David’s attention.

Cade stuck his head through a hole he’d been widening at the top of the pile. “Okay, boys and girls. Sorry to interrupt your fun, but we need to get out of here.”

He tossed a flashlight in.

“I couldn’t agree more.” David reined in his emotions and tried to ignore his pounding head. Tried to ignore the feel of Tracy’s soft form in his arms.

She had power over him just as he’d feared that first moment he’d met her. It was the whole reason he’d intended to stay away from her. Even this dangerous situation hadn’t prevented her effect on him. When Tracy had held David, spoken softly to him, he’d heard both her desperation and something more in her tone that had warmed him, drawn him out of his unconscious state. And he couldn’t seem to shake this...whatever it was between them.

Nor could he be open with her about it, especially when he hadn’t figured things out himself. He knew well enough he shouldn’t connect with her on an emotional level, and here he was. It was too late. David slowly released her.

Dizziness swam over him.

She shifted under his arm, bolstering him. “I told you to take it easy.”

Anyone else would have done the same thing, but it wouldn’t have had the same effect on him as Tracy. He had to shake off these emotions.

“I’m all right.” He untangled himself from her. He could stand on his own. “We need to get out of here.”

“But what about Solomon?” Tracy’s distress rushed over David.

From deeper in the mine, the dog’s barks grew stronger and his form became visible as he emerged into the dim light from the opening of the mine shaft. Solomon nearly knocked Tracy over in his exuberance.

She hugged him to her, rubbing his head and body. “What happened to you, boy? Why’d you go so far into the mine?”

David should remind her that he’d likely been taken to lure them in. The trap would have worked perfectly if he hadn’t called his brother to let him know where they’d gone.

Solomon started in on David then, jumping up to lick his face. He didn’t want to push the dog away, but they needed to get out while they still had the chance. “Come on, Solomon. Let’s get you out of this mine.” He projected his voice toward their small exit. “Cade...”

“Yeah?” His brother stuck his head into view.

“A little help, please? Call the dog.”

Cade called Solomon, pulling him up and out through the hole.

Then David assisted Tracy, positioning her as carefully as he could.

God, please keep things stable until we can make an escape.

Tracy climbed up ahead of him. The debris appeared to have settled and was packed enough that they could climb it without causing another shift. Once Tracy climbed through the opening, Cade and Heidi assisted her the rest of the way and David followed.

He was grateful that if this had to happen, it had happened during summer in Alaska. The sun wouldn’t completely set until late, and even then, they could expect twilight until well after eleven. Not that he was afraid of the dark, but they weren’t safe here and every bit of added visibility helped. “You guys came alone? You didn’t bring Isaiah or Adam?”

“They were on their way,” Cade said. “Terry, too. But I just texted them you’re out.”

“What happened in there?” Heidi rubbed her hand over the back of David’s head.

He winced. It could take him days to get over this headache. He’d stop by the hospital and get his head checked out as soon as he could.

Heidi peered at him, concerned.

“We went into the mine after Solomon.” David crouched down. “Solomon, come here, boy.”

The dog wagged his tail and came willingly, then licked David all over his face again. Not something he’d normally prefer, but he allowed it for Tracy’s benefit. When he looked up and saw her beaming at him, it was worth all the dog slobber in the world. But his chest tightened. He shouldn’t be thinking along those lines.

She crouched next to him to pet her dog and wrestle him from David’s face. “I think he likes you.”

Cade and Heidi laughed.

“You think?” Heidi said.

“I’m sorry,” Tracy said. This time she pulled Solomon off David, but she had to use so much force that she overbalanced and fell on her backside. Laughter erupted.

He liked her laugh and he liked her voice. A soft, compelling voice that had pulled him from an unconscious state. He couldn’t seem to grab hold of her exact words—they hung at the edges of his mind, just out of reach—but there’d been something inviting in them, that much he knew.

Then he noticed the thick marine rope around Solomon’s neck. “This yours, Tracy?”