* * *
Dani had just entered the cave when she heard the snap of a twig behind her. She whirled around to see two men pulling themselves out of the tangle of bushes opposite the cavern mouth. She nearly screamed but held it in. Panic shot up her spine like a lightning strike.
There was no time to run back out of the cave. Her only hope was to somehow lose them on the inside. Dani sprinted into the darkness past the entrance, following the curve around and running hell bent.
When she noticed there was enough light to see, she realized the cave interior was artificially lit. That meant she'd found the lair of the rogue miners. And here she was, running deeper inside.
"Shit!" she muttered, making out some big machines before her in the large and surprisingly well-lit chamber. Dani slipped behind the bulldozer and wedged herself down low, hiding in the open area between the tracks that propelled the machine forward. Her chest was heaving, and she struggled to control her breathing. She heard the pounding of feet and prayed she could lay low long enough to get away.
It was not to be, however. Before she could catch her breath, she heard one of the men telling the other to search the equipment. Dani folded herself into the smallest ball she could, hoping the dim light would keep her in shadows.
She was thinking small thoughts when a pair of legs came to a halt in front of her. Apparently, the tracks were not as concealing as she thought, as her pursuer was able to see pieces of her ponytail sticking up between the tread links. "Come on out," he said, crouching down to make eye contact.
"No!" she shouted, her fist shooting out to connect with his face before she even realized what she was doing. He stumbled backward in surprise and fell over onto his ass, grabbing his nose with both hands. Dani could see blood dripping from around his hands and was frozen in wonder.
"You broke my nose, you bitch!" he squealed, then moaned in pain. His words broke the spell, and she was no longer frozen. Dani unfolded herself from under the track and sped past him, her hopes now pinned on making it back to the entrance.
The fallen man's partner, however, was rushing toward her. She had yet to clear the bulldozer, so she zagged backwards and pulled herself up onto the treads. Silently praising Janna for introducing her to Crossfit training, Dani dove into the cab and popped out the other side, the side closest to the entrance. She jumped down and ran toward the mouth of the cave, amazed she was actually going to escape.
A well-placed foot knocked her flat, face in the dirt. She heard a hoarse chuckle and figured it must belong to the owner of the leg. Before she could jump up herself she was hauled to her feet, her elbows pinned behind her back. Dani kicked out backwards and struggled, attempting to pull away, but her captor merely tightened his hold on her until it caused pain. Crying out, she went limp.
"That's right, frog lady," the rough voice said into her ear. "Calm down."
Dani felt plastic loop around her wrists before it bound her hands together tightly. She was then dropped unceremoniously on her feet.
The big man stood behind her holding her elbows, and he pushed her forward.
"How'd you find us?" he asked as he propelled her deeper into the chamber toward the source of the light. There were several piles of loose rubble, assumedly from the walls of the cave around her.
She noticed a few folding tables holding various pieces of equipment, and several chairs grouped together here and there. Her captor led her past a bank of artificial lights hooked to a humming generator. The lights were illuminating a large stretch of wall and cave floor that had been drilled and blasted away.
Deep inside Dani thought she caught the sparkle of gold.
Her attention was yanked back to her progress by the tightening of the hold on her elbows. Still, she wouldn't give the bastard the satisfaction of hearing her scream again. Gritting her teeth, she focused on the ground in front of her.
Soon she was led away from the center of the chamber and toward what seemed to be a smaller cavity off the central area. This room was lit by a few exposed bulbs nestled in bright orange plastic. The light had a wavy quality due to the uneven cycling of the generator that powered it.
Dani blinked, scanning the smaller chamber. Near its entrance sat a man dressed in black, a knit cap pulled down over his head and his back to her, but she could see the barrel of a gun and its stock on either side of his torso.
As her captor pushed her further into the room, she stumbled and he failed to catch her. The big man laughed as he let her drop to her knees. Since her arms were bound behind her, Dani wasn't able to balance quickly enough, and she fell over heavily onto her chest.
"Son of a bitch!" a ragged but familiar voice shouted and Dani looked up into the bright blue eyes of her ranger. He was reclined half in shadows, his arms obviously bound behind him as well.
"You okay?" he asked softly.
"Yeah," she said, able to bring herself back to her knees and awkwardly shuffle to a spot on the wall beside him.
Dani searched his face, noting the blood that had leaked down his neck and onto his left shoulder. "Are you?"
Caleb didn't answer. He'd turned back to burn the big man who'd captured her with his gaze.
Her captor laughed again, crossing his Popeye arms across his barrel chest. "Let me guess, you'll kill me for that," he said, giving Caleb a nasty smile.
The ranger just stared back at him, and Dani almost fled from the intensity she saw in his look. Caleb didn't have to say the words; his eyes said it all.
The smile melted off her captor's face. He slapped the shoulder of the lazy-eyed guard who sat silently watching the scene before him. "Check her pockets," the big man instructed, and the man in black complied.
Dani sat still while he tugged her possessions out of her pocket and brought them to his boss. She couldn't be sure, but she thought that perhaps Caleb growled at the man as he pushed her over to search the pocket on her right side. Still, although the guard deprived her of her phone, two pens, a used tissue, and a tin of mints, he only searched her pockets.
The .22 sat undiscovered in the holster on her calf, and Dani exhaled in relief.
"Well," the big man said after pocketing her things, "you've got a little time ahead of you before the big boss shows up. I suggest you take this time to plan how you're going to beg for your lives. I can't see the rich guy wanting to leave any loose ends around, and I'm pretty good at making things look accidental. Like I told you, Ranger, if he offers, take the money and promise to be quiet."
"Fuck you."
"You kiss your lady with that dirty mouth?" the big man asked, laughing. He pointed at Dani, and a nasty leer spread across his wormy lips. "I know what I'd do if I had her all tied up in front of me like that. Or I should say, what I will do if the boss man allows it. Hell, I guess what he don't know won't hurt him."
"I will kill you," Caleb snarled then, coming to his knees and then his feet. He rushed at the big man, but the guard was quick. He had the barrel of the shotgun pressed to Caleb's chest before he could reach the other man.
"Sit down," the guard ordered, pushing against Caleb's chest with the gun. Caleb pushed back, and suddenly Dani realized that he wasn't backing down.
"Caleb," she cried. "Stop! This isn't the time for that. He's just trying to rile you up. Please stop!"
It took a minute, but her words finally penetrated his haze. With a growl, he spun around and resumed his seat beside her.
"Nicely done, frog lady," the big man said, tipping an imaginary hat her way and bowing at the waist, then turning and marching back into the larger chamber.
She hated him. He clearly got off on toying with other people's lives. But this was no time to let emotion rule them. She had to calm Caleb down. As the guard resumed his seat, she scooted closer to the ranger, close enough to lean her shoulder against his.
"It's okay," she said softly, trying to slow his heavy breathing. "It'll be fine." She hoped the empty words would soothe him, but instead, he turned, his eyes burning into hers.
"No, it's not okay. It won't be fine. You heard the man. They're going to kill us." His voice was harsh, but his tone wasn't. "And it's all my fault."
"No--" she said, but he interrupted her.
"Yes, it is. You followed me here, and now you're sentenced to death. Why, Dani?" His voice broke as he asked, "Why did you follow me? Why didn't you go for help?"
Dani felt tears well up in her eyes, and she tried to blink them away. "I didn't know where they'd taken you. And the battery on my phone was dead. I figured by the time I plugged in, they'd have taken you somewhere else, some where we couldn't track you. And I thought that if the authorities descended on the park and tipped them off, we might never find you again. I had to locate you before I could call in reinforcements."
Caleb closed his eyes and exhaled heavily. "You're crazy, you know that?" He opened his eyes, and she was amazed by the depth of feeling she saw there. He smiled, and she couldn't help laughing.
"Believe me, I don't feel very smart right now. But it seemed like the best idea at the time."
Both of them laughed, their sound echoing off the cave walls, and she felt a little like she was laughing at the devil in the darkness. It revived her spirit and galvanized her to action. "Look, we need to figure out some way of getting out, or at least of getting word to the outside world. I think these guys are serious."
Caleb barked out another short laugh. "That's an understatement. The big guy looks like he tortures people for fun."
Dani wanted to agree but decided to focus on the task at hand instead of dwelling on their possible fate. "How many guys do they have around here?"
"Not sure," Caleb replied. "I've seen at least four, but there's probably more. Another one seems to pop up around every corner."
"So the likelihood of escape is minimal."
"I'd say," he said with a nod toward the gun and the guard holding it.
"So the only other option is to get word to the authorities."
"How are we gonna do that?" he asked. "Have you been training your specimens as carrier frogs?"
"I wish." She rolled her eyes, then got serious once again. "We've got to get to a phone or a computer."
"They took my phone. If I can get it back, I can text Masterson our approximate coordinates, as well as send some pictures I took of their operations."
"So where's your phone?"
"I don't know. I was unconscious when they brought me in, and by the time I woke up, they'd already taken my phone, my knife, and everything else in my pockets."
"Shit," she said with a grimace. "We have to assume it's out there somewhere." She'd lowered her voice, realizing at last that if they were to formulate a plan, it would probably be best if the guard couldn't hear it.
"Yeah, either one of the men has it, or they've put it up somewhere." Caleb was as quiet as she and he bent over now to talk softly into her ear. "But how do you propose we get past this guy and his gun?"
"Well, if we can get the shotgun away from him, we've got a chance. And I've got a little surprise for them hidden in my pants."
"What?" he said too loudly, her words confusing him. "Are you sure it's appropriate to talk about sex, considering the situation?"
"Not that!" she protested. "The surprise is in the holster on my leg. Remember?"
"Yes," he said, seeming to realize she was talking about her .22. "But we can't do anything if we're stuck here with our hands tied behind our backs."
"Indeed." She considered their bindings. "I've got an idea though. Follow my lead. Scoot forward."
Caleb didn't hesitate. He began scooting forward, drawing the guard's gaze, his bored expression still thankfully intact. Dani got up on her knees and started to shuffle behind him.
"Hey," the guard barked finally, "knock it off."
"He's injured," Dani protested, whispering in Caleb's ear, "Help me out."
"Ahhh, my head hurts!" he said at her prompting.
"No messing around," the guard ordered gruffly.
"I'm just looking at his head wound if that's okay with you. He could have a concussion, or even have a seizure."
"And I should care because...?"
Anger burst inside her like a firework, and she growled at the guard in a huff. "If the ranger dies before your boss gets here, he might not like it. It's not like I can do anything about it, but the least you can do is let me look at it. I am a biologist, after all."
Dani didn't know what being a biologist had to do with looking at a head wound, but it seemed like maybe the guard bought it.
"Fine, but no funny business."
"Oh yeah, a brain injury is real hilarious," she shot back at him.
"Brain injury?" Caleb said, a touch of genuine anxiety in his voice.
"I just said that to convince him," she whispered in his ear. "Besides, your brain is already injured. If anything, they probably knocked some sense into you."
She heard his soft chuckle, and it sent warm vibrations through her chest. "The light in here is terrible!" she grumbled, making a big show of squinting at his wound. "Stand up and move forward so I can see a little bit better."
Caleb stood, and Dani came to her feet behind him, keeping an eye on the guard. He watched them closely but didn't move. "Bend back a little," Dani ordered, then whispered frantically in the ranger's ear. "I need you to make yourself as big as possible. The widest shape you can pull off without looking suspicious. You need to make me invisible for a minute."
Caleb nodded almost imperceptibly and bowed out his arms as much as possible. He groaned, attempting to make it appear that he was stretching his sore muscles. As quickly as possible Dani crouched behind him, contorting herself so that she could step through her bound arms and bring them around to her front. While Janna had been an evangelist for Crossfit, Dani's first love was yoga, and right now she was thankful for hours spent on the mat, increasing her flexibility.
Although her wrists were tied with the zip tie, her hands still retained limited functionality. She bent and grabbed the small handgun from its holster beneath her pants. Gun firmly in hand she checked to make sure it was loaded, then clicked the safety off, coughing to cover any noise it might make.
"Okay, work with me now," Dani whispered to Caleb. "I've got to get behind him before he notices." She then raised her voice so that the guard could hear once again. "Oh no, this is bad!"
"What is it?" Caleb asked, the fear in his voice sounding genuine.
"It looks like you've got a major occipital occlusion here."
"And that's bad?"
"Real bad," she said, wrenching up the anxiety in her voice. "There's something we can do about it, but I need my hands."
"Not gonna happen," the guard said without hesitation.
"Then he might die!"
"He's probably gonna die anyway," the guard replied with an unconcerned shrug.
"You can't be sure of that! What if your boss decides to let us live? I'm a pretty important scientist, you know. I could do a lot of good for your boss if he keeps us around. And who better to have on his side than the sole ranger in charge of this park? Once I convince him of that fact, the next thing I'll do is let him know how you were willing to let the ranger die."
"Fine!" the guard sighed with frustration and got to his feet. "But I ain't gonna untie you."
"That's okay," she said, "I can tell you what to do."
"As long as I can do it one-handed," the guard added, "because I ain't putting down my gun."
"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Dani said, sliding around to Caleb's side as the guard drew up behind his back. She wanted to make sure he didn't notice that her hands were now on the wrong side and holding a weapon.
Thankfully the guard's attention was fully focused on the bloody back of Caleb's head. "What do I do?" he asked, sliding his shotgun to his left hand while making ready his right. Dani slid up behind him and pressed her gun into his back.
"You drop the gun. Right now. Or so help me God I'll shoot you."
The guard tensed but didn't move. "With what?" he asked, keeping his cool.
"With the gun, I'm shoving into your back right now." She cocked the gun, satisfied at the dry click of the round sliding into the chamber. He stiffened, proving he'd heard it too.
The guard still didn't move, however, so she pressed harder on the gun until she was sure it was digging into his back painfully. "I said drop it. Right now."
The guard sighed and let the gun tumble from his hands. Dani kicked it away. "Caleb," she said, and the ranger turned to face them. "Look in his pockets and see if you can find a knife to cut these bonds. And see if he's got your cell phone."
The ranger positioned himself awkwardly so that he could empty the man's pockets. Because his hands were still bound, he had to turn his back to him and slide up against him while he searched. Dani kept the gun firmly in place between his shoulder blades. "Found something," Caleb said.
She watched as the ranger carefully opened the short knife and sawed at his zip tie. Finally, his hands were free. He wasted no time, grabbing the shotgun and carrying it back over by the guard.
Dani's eyes widened when she saw him bring the stock up and bash it into the back of the guard's head. The man tumbled forward without a cry and lay there, unconscious.
Caleb set down the shotgun and quickly cut through her restraints. He removed the pistol from her hands so he could gently rub her wrists, scowling down at the red lines that circled them.
"You're amazing," he whispered, and she blushed at his praise.
Dani looked up at him, at the intensity of his eyes, at the blood that had trickled down his neck and soaked his shirt, at the pain in his features. It was overwhelming, the emotion she felt for him. Without hesitation, she placed her hands on his shoulders and jumped up, sliding her legs around his waist and pressing her lips to his.
The handsome ranger brought his strong arms around her back and down to cup her bottom. He met her kiss for kiss, his tongue demanding entry to her mouth, blazing a trail past her lips and between her teeth to meet hers in a delightfully erotic dance. The kiss seemed to last forever, but crazy enough, she wanted more.
Caleb pulled his head away, muttering, "Damn woman." He looked like he wanted to go on holding her, but with a sigh he let her slide back down to the floor. "No time," he said, indicating the guard before him.
Dani watched as the ranger picked up the guard and settled him into his chair. The man's head lolled until Caleb managed to prop it up well enough. He slid the knit cap around to cover the wound at the back of his neck and then said, "Good enough. Let's go find my phone."
Dani nodded, readying her handgun as he brought up the shotgun. They crept from the smaller chamber back into the central area, prepared for anything.