Chapter 14

Caleb led the way back into the larger chamber, sliding with his back against the wall and edging around the corner to make sure the coast was clear. He couldn't see anyone nearby, so he motioned for Dani to follow him.

He marveled at the sudden reversal of their luck. Not luck, he corrected himself. She did this. That tiny remarkable woman managed to outsmart our captors and get us free.

She was astonishing, incredible. More than any man could ever hope for. But now it was up to him to keep her safe.

Danielle had done her part; now he had to do his.

They stuck to the shadows, and soon Caleb led them to a set of cluttered tables. He dug through the varied contents on their surfaces while Dani kept watch. Although they could both hear voices and other noises from different parts of the cave, no one was within eyesight.

"It's not here," he said finally, trying to hide his frustration.

"I saw another table across the chamber," Dani said, pointing off to their right, past the lights illuminating the mining area. "Let's check there."

Caleb nodded, and they went back to creeping along. It seemed an eternity before they reached the other table, but their cautious movements had yet to attract any attention. Caleb scanned the surface, moving around pieces of equipment, but there was no sign of his cell phone. "Fuck!" he cursed, wanting to bang his fists against the useless junk.

"Not there?" she asked, then frowned when he shook his head. "Well, when they took my phone, I saw the big guy shove it in his pocket. Do you think he's got yours too?"

"I don't know, but I don't know where else it could be."

Dani nodded, resignation settling into her fine features. "We need to find him then. If we can corner him alone, we should be able to get it from him."

"If he has it," Caleb warned, but he had no better plan.

"Let's do it," he said and began leading her toward the voices. They stayed deep in the shadows as they approached their captors, and Caleb was glad to hear the gruff tone of the one called Chief. The man's disgusting words from earlier ran through his mind, and he swore to himself that he would show the pig who was really in charge.

Caleb signaled for Dani to crouch beside him behind a portion of rock as they listened. It sounded like the Chief was getting a report from one of his men.

"The shipment is set for tomorrow morning. The conveyances are ready, and we'll have men stationed at intervals along the river to ensure that they stay on course."

"Excellent," the Chief replied. "I'm sure our employer will be quite happy with the news."

Caleb took a risk and leaned around the rock outcropping that blocked them from sight. He caught sight of the big man in profile and his companion, who was now taking orders from his boss.

The Chief was settled into a canvas chair, his feet propped up on a cooler. He had a magazine in his lap and was only paying partial attention to the presence of the other man. When he finished talking his lackey headed out, and Caleb pulled himself back, putting a tense arm across Dani's chest to keep them both in the shadows.

The lackey passed by without noticing, and Caleb finally let go of the breath he didn't even realize he was holding.

"It's now or never," he whispered to Dani, knowing that they wouldn't get a better chance of catching the Chief alone. "It's going to be near impossible to sneak up on him, so we'd better just go in quickly brandishing our guns and hope he doesn't put up a struggle."

Dani nodded, and Caleb marveled at her strength and courage. He did see a healthy dose of fear crowding her dark eyes, so he gave her a quick kiss. With a smile, he motioned her forward, and they leapt from their hiding place and rushed toward the seated man.

The Chief didn't even bother to look up from his magazine until they were almost on top of him. His eyes widened in surprise, but a smile soon followed. "Get your hands up and then don't move," Caleb ordered, pointing the shotgun at his adversary's wide chest.

"And if I do move?" the man asked, not willing to follow orders right away.

"Well, then you make one hell of a big target." Caleb cocked the shotgun and secretly wished the man would give him a reason to use it. Although he did not like guns, he realized their use could sometimes be justified.

Especially in situations that involved sociopathic pieces of shit like this guy.

The big man gave a hoarse laugh and finally raised his hands. Caleb motioned with his shotgun for Dani to empty the man's pockets.

"Ooh, this could be fun," the bastard said, moving so that her hands fumbled onto his crotch.

"Knock it off," Caleb growled, his finger itching to tighten on the trigger.

"Ignore him," Dani said, pulling several items from his pockets. The man seemed to have more things than could generally be found in an old lady's purse, and Dani piled them in his lap while she searched for Caleb's phone. "Got it!" she yelled in triumph at last and held out his cell to him.

"Good. I want you to send the last two pictures I took to Brice Masterson, then text him that we are being held prisoners in the caves about three miles downstream from the southern split of the Alsea. Tell him to bring reinforcements."

Dani nodded and began working her thumbs furiously. She found the pictures, then added the text and sent them off to Masterson. "Shit!" she shouted. Her outburst prompted another husky laugh from the big man, and Caleb felt a twinge of fear.

"What is it?"

"There isn't enough signal in here!"

Caleb took a deep breath, considering the situation. "We've got to get closer to the entrance."

He brought the shotgun up to press it against the big man's chest. "Stand up. We're going for a walk."

The Chief rose, pushing his pockets back into their rightful place. The items that were piled on his lap tumbled to the cave floor, but Caleb ignored them.

The big man stared at him, anger finally taking up residence in his cold eyes. "And what's gonna stop me from alerting my men?"

"A bullet wound to the chest might," Caleb replied. "Dani, keep your gun on him." She pulled up her pistol and aimed it at the man's chest.

The big man laughed. "Well, isn't that cute?"
"Yeah, it'll be real cute when I let her shove it up your--"

"We don't have time for this," Dani growled, cutting Caleb off.

He nodded, shaking his head to clear it. He took his place behind the Chief and shoved his gun into the man's broad back. "Let's go."