Chapter 18 #2
"Perhaps I should have said back-up. You see, Cara here is the real prize.
" Michael took a step forward. "I'd stop, if I were you.
" Michael held his ground. "Now, I know you have the hots for our little girl.
Truth be told, so do I." He dropped a kiss on the top of her head.
"But she is oh so much more important than that.
You see Cara can take me to the Promise. "
"There's nothing to take you to, Vargas. There is no silver. It was stolen long ago."
"That's what you'd like me to believe, isn't it? But I think your appearance here, is testament to the fact that there's something up there. And Cara here is going to show me the way."
"She doesn't remember where it is," Michael said. "But I do."
"Rubbish. But a good try, Macpherson. In fact, the truth is you have absolutely no value at all. So…" He slowly pointed the gun at Michael.
Cara reacted instantaneously. She slammed her free hand into Nick's arm and bent back her leg, driving her foot into his groin with all the force she could muster. He grunted in pain and relaxed his grip. She wrenched free just as a shot rang out.
She ran for the rifle as Michael dove for Vargas, Nick's shot ricocheting harmlessly off a wall.
Circling Nick's gun hand with steely fingers, Michael shoved him backward.
They struggled and the gun went off again, the bullet embedding itself in the ceiling.
Cara scooped up the rifle, but realized that the two men were too tangled for her to get a clear shot.
They continued to wrestle, each, from Cara's vantage point, seeming to hold his own ground. Somehow, Nick managed to twist their arms around so that the gun was between them, pointed at Michael. Cara froze, watching as an unholy smile lit Nick's face.
"Michael." She screamed his name in warning. He reacted instantly, managing to turn Vargas' hand just as the gun exploded. The sound reverberated through the room. Nothing moved. Gripping the rifle, she inched forward, her heart beating a frantic cadence in her ears.
One of the bodies moved, disentangling itself from the other. "Michael?" Her voice came out a croak. She seemed to be incapable of saying anything but his name. Dropping the rifle, she threw herself at the man standing before her.
His arms locked around her, and she heard him murmuring her name over and over. She breathed his scent, feeling the press of tears now that the danger had passed. They stood locked together, for a minute, an eternity, content to simply feel the other breathe.
Finally, she tipped back her head, meeting his blue-black gaze. Blood streaked his cheek and she reached to wipe it away with gentle fingers.
"Is he dead?"
"I think so." He pulled away and walked toward the body. Nick lay face down, blood staining the floor.
Suddenly she felt sick. "Don't touch him. Let's just get out of here. Please." She felt the world start to spin. Michael caught her just as her knees gave way, swinging her into his arms. He started for the door. And she remembered their mission. "The pendant."
He nodded and deposited her gently near the door to the mud room. "Stay here."
She leaned against the wall and smiled weakly. "Don't worry."
He dashed into the bathroom and was back in an instant, handing her the necklace. "Shouldn't we call the sheriff?" He jerked his head toward Nick's body.
"Not now. There isn't time. It's already nearing sunset. And if we're right about time being the same then tomorrow is the day."
Michael's face tightened. "All right. Let's go."
"It's not working." Cara was exhausted, driven on only by her overriding need to help him get back to his brother.
Michael looked as tired as she felt. "I've been in and out of this blasted tunnel in every conceivable way. I don't know what else to do." He sank down on a rock in the entrance, staring off at the orange rays of the sinking sun.
There wasn't much time left and they didn't even have a flashlight.
She rubbed her arm. It ached where Nick had twisted it, but, thank God, nothing was broken.
"We've just got to try again. It has to work.
" She reached for the pendant, surprised when it wasn't there. "Michael, the necklace. It's not here."
"What?"
" It's not here ." She met his gaze then dropped to the ground, frantically searching for the pendant.
A sparkle beneath the rock caught her eye.
She smiled and reached for it, surprised to see how much her hand trembled.
She grabbed the chain, but somehow, between her shaking hand and the finely wrought silver, she managed to drop it.
It clattered against the floor of the tunnel and rolled deeper into the mine. Cara watched it disappear, but her tired body was slow to respond.
Michael moved faster, heading into the tunnel after the necklace. "Cara. Come here." The words were sharp, and pulled her immediately out of her lethargy. She stepped into the faint light of the tunnel. Michael was standing with the pendant in his hand. It had evidently split in the fall.
Heartbroken, she met his gaze. "I broke it?" She'd meant the words as a statement, but they came out a plea. What had she done?
"No." His whispered words were almost reverent. "It's a locket, Cara. The fall must have triggered the mechanism holding it closed."
"A locket?" She felt stupid. All she seemed to be able to do was mumble questions.
"Yes." He extended his hand and even in the growing shadows she could see that the broken pieces were in fact the two halves of the locket, still joined by a slender hinge.
"Is anything in it?" She held her breath, not knowing what to expect. She'd never even realized the pendant was a locket.
"Yes." Again his tone bordered on amazement.
"What?" She snapped the word out impatiently. God, she needed sleep.
"Well, there are two locks of hair. And a note."
"There's a note?" She was back to repeating. She swallowed and tried to pull her brain online. "What does it say?"
"I don't know. It looks like a code of some kind. But, Cara, I recognize the handwriting."
The hairs on the back of her neck stood at attention as a chill splintered down her spine. "Whose writing is it?"
"My father's."
She opened her mouth to speak, but before she could even formulate her thought, a strong arm wrapped around her throat and she felt the cold metal of a gun against her back. "I'll take that, Macpherson."
Nick.
She twisted her head around, trying to see him and wished she hadn't. His face was caked with blood, distorting his features. His mouth was swollen and twisted, making him seem almost inhuman.
Michael took a step forward, his hand clenched in anger.
"Oh please. Let's not go through this again." Nick shifted the gun to Cara's head. "Give me the locket or it's all over for your lovely girlfriend."
Michael held out the necklace. Keeping the gun firmly against her temple, Nick released his hold on her throat and reached for the pendant. "The paper, too. What do you take me for, a fool?"
Michael's mouth tightened into a grim line, but he held out the note. Nick snatched it and, with a hard shove, sent her sprawling toward Michael. Everything after that happened in an instant.
Michael snarled and dove forward just as Nick shot twice at the ceiling. There was a loud rumble and then the entire earth seemed to move. Rocks and debris from the tunnel rained down on her.
She huddled on the floor, trying ineffectually to cover her head, surprised to hear someone screaming. It was a moment before she realized the blood curdling sound came from her own throat.
A solid chunk of rock crashed against the back of her head sending shards of white light dancing through her brain. She struggled to hold onto consciousness, but felt the encroaching blackness take control. As her vision dimmed and the darkness enveloped her, she whispered his name.
"Michael."