Chapter Fourteen
The Trap Beneath
These mountains seemed to breathe as if they were living entities.
He’d felt their rhythm through the walls many times. They vibrated like they were breathing. The lantern flame beside him trembled with each of his movements.
She was smart, figuring out his breadcrumbs, but they would never be able to figure out his identity. He knew these tunnels better than anyone. He’d developed an intricate system to lead him back to his ice castle high above the lake.
The rumblings of his latest clue continued to rock the earth at his feet.
She’d betrayed him before. Taken his honor and threw it in his face. Her blood tie ran deep, much like her will to survive. She’d survive this new test, he had little doubt.
And when she walked out of the mine shaft, she’d see it wasn’t her he’d designed the explosion for.
If she were up to this latest challenge perhaps he’d reconsider and bring her back into the fold.
Wax smiled faintly at the prospect. He reached the ladder he’d placed that would help him move past the blockages seamlessly.
He listened closely. The last of the aftershocks were finished. Soon, her people would begin the search for survivors.
Once he reached the upper level, he lifted the ladder and carried it to the next exit site.
Here in this part of his sanctuary, candles flickered low around the edges of the chamber, their flames painting liquid gold across dozens of waxen faces of his precious ones.
Silent witnesses frozen in agony and reverence.
He traced one gloved finger along the cheek of his latest creation. Smooth. Almost perfect. A likeness of a woman he knew better than anyone. Not Ava, but the likeness was close.
“Do you hear them?” he whispered to the figure. “The dogs. The voices. She’s come back to me.”
His gaze flicked toward the narrow vent he’d built in the ice wall. An old mine pipe now served his purpose. On the air, it carried faint words, fragmented but recognizable.
Whispers came from those trapped below. He strained and heard her voice. Confident despite being trapped below earth.
He exhaled softly. “Brave little Ava. Always pretending she isn’t afraid. Come find me. I know you can,” he murmured. “Let’s finish what we started.”
◆◆◆
The first collapse came like thunder. But the aftershocks were the scariest because they kept coming. And just when it finally felt safe, the mountain proved different.
Another scream ripped through Ava’s frame and barely cleared her lips before Caleb’s hand clamped around her arm, jerking her back away from the continuously falling debris.
The force drove her into his chest—solid muscle, warmth, and the faint scent of pine and gun oil.
For one suspended heartbeat, the world was just that—his body shielding hers from death.
After what felt like an eternity, the roar ended, and reality returned in a cloud of choking dust.
“You okay?” Caleb’s voice rasped near her ear.
She turned her head slightly, her temple brushing the edge of his jaw. “I think so.”
Ava checked on her K-9 partner and confirmed Shadow was safe.
The Malinois pressed tight into her thigh, body quivering with both fear and anxious for the next command.
Once more, Caleb tested the radio in an effort to reach their teammates. “Comms are dead. I lost my phone and the flashlight. Do you have yours?”
“Not the flashlight, but my phone is still in my pocket. Hang on.” She pulled the phone from her pocket.
As soon as she hit the button to get the phone out of sleep mode, a chilling sight grabbed her attention.
“The battery life’s down to twenty percent.
” She clicked on the flashlight app and scanned the area.
The beam cut through the silty haze, landing on the wall of rubble that sealed their exit.
“We’re not getting out that way,” Caleb whispered.
Ava steadied her breathing, pushing back the tremor that wanted to rise. “He did this on purpose,” she said. “He wants us alive.”
“Alive, but boxed in. You think he’s coming after us?”
Wax didn’t do anything by accident. This was done deliberately to reveal another clue.
“Are you sure you’re up for this again?” Caleb’s concern for her was right there in his eyes.
“I’ve been up for this since the night I got away.” Brave words. Ones she wasn’t sure she could back up.
Their eyes locked, and the past they’d once shared was there once more.
The last time she’d seen that look, she’d been bleeding, broken, and leaving him without a goodbye because staying meant reliving her captivity.
Caleb had been her anchor once. But back then, she hadn’t known how to stop drowning.
Now, she knew the only way to stop it was to bring down Wax.
“Then we move forward,” he said finally. “Together.”
“Together,” she murmured and clutched his hand. “I can’t think of anyone else I’d rather go through this with.”
Shadow’s bark snapped the tension.
Ava smiled at her K-9 partner. “You, too.”
The dog pawed at the right-hand side of the pile of rocks his nose pressed to a faint seam.
“There’s a small opening,” Caleb said, crouching beside the dog. “Air is moving through it. Unfortunately, it’s not big enough for us to get past. We’ll have to get some of these rocks out of the way first.”
Ava knelt beside him, their shoulders brushing. “Where do we start?”
“There’s something in your hair.” Caleb took the phone from her and angled the light. He touched her hair and lowered his hand to reveal iridescent specks of wax caught in her hair.
“You have the same in yours. Maybe it was part of whatever explosive device he used to collapse the shaft?”
“It’s possible,” he said before glancing back toward the sliver of an opening. “Ready to get out of here?”
Ava nodded. “More than ready.” She eased the dog away from the area where they’d be working.
Shadow stood watching as Ava propped the phone up close so that they could see and grabbed the first rock before tossing it aside.
The remaining pile of rubble shifted dangerously and she froze. “What happens if this whole thing collapses?” she asked, the thought chilling.
“Then it will take forever to get free.”
Those ominous words chilled her to the bone.
“Wait.” Caleb stopped her before she could grab the next rock.
“What is it?” But he wasn’t looking at the rock pile but at something on the wall.
“There.” Caleb retrieved the phone and held it closer. “It’s some type of access panel.”
Ava moved closer. “You’re right.” She grabbed hold of the panel and pried it open. Cold air spilled through the space carrying on it the scent of wax and vanilla.
Caleb’s breath caught. “That smell...”
“Wax’s calling card.” Her tone turned to steel. “He’s been here recently.” “Shadow, search.”
The dog slipped through the opening, moving with precision, every line of his body alive. Ava followed with Caleb.
She looked around at what appeared to be a small, narrow chamber lined with flickering candles. Wax glistened down the walls like frozen tears. On a ledge to their left, a silver metronome ticked—a slow, deliberate rhythm. Sixty beats per minute. A resting pulse.
Caleb’s voice was soft beside her. “He’s mocking you.”
Ava reached out and stopped the pendulum with one touch. The silence that followed throbbed in her ears. “No,” she said. “He’s reminding me. Time is running out.”
He turned toward her, the light brushing her cheek. “You don’t have to prove anything—to him, or anyone.”
She met his gaze, the memory of old warmth tugging against the walls she’d built. “This isn’t about proof, Caleb. It’s about ending it.”
He smiled faintly—the same half-smile that used to undo her resolve. “Then we end it together.”
For a heartbeat, neither of them moved. The years between them dissolved, replaced by something older and truer. What they’d once been before darkness tore them apart.
Shadow kept close to her. The dog’s ears were pinned, eyes locked on something behind the ladder bolted into the back wall. Ava followed his gaze upward and caught it—a tiny glint of glass embedded in the rock.
“A video camera,” Caleb said quietly.
“He wants me to know he’s always watching.” Her voice broke. “This whole collapse was just another game.”
Caleb stepped closer, his presence solid and grounding. “He doesn’t get to win again, Ava.”
For a moment, she let herself believe him.
“What is that?” Ava spotted something near the ceiling and took a step closer.
“Looks like some type of ventilation system. That’s not old. It wasn’t part of the original mine set up. He’s added it.”
“Unbelievable. You think he lives in the mine?”
Caleb glanced around. “Not here, but these old shafts go on forever and they weave in and out of the mountains. He’s obviously familiar with the layout enough to avoid us and create a controlled collapse.
“Agent Blake, can you hear me?” A voice coming through her radio startled them both. Ava recognized the ERT agent in charge, Agent Devlin.
“I hear you, Devlin. Can you track us?”
“We’ve got you and the rest of the teams. We’re working on getting you all out.”
“Copy,” Ava replied in relief. “We’ve lost Ranger Larabee. He was ahead of us on the passage.”
“Larabee is safe. Hang on, let me get the location pinpointed.” Tension filled the seconds that ticked by.
A whispered voice came through the nearby ventilation pipe.
“Almost, Ava. You’re always almost.”
The chilling voice from her past sent waves of terror through her. “He’s not nearby, but close enough for his voice to carry through the ventilation system he’s set up. He’s watching what’s unfolding from a different location.”
“Soon, we’ll be together. For the last time.”
Caleb gathered her close. “What is that?” He pointed to something on the opposite wall of the chamber. They crossed to it.
“Looks like another panel.” Ava radioed Devlin and asked him if he could see where they were.
“Got you. It’s another passage that will lead you above ground. It appears clear of debris and accessible. I’m sending people in now.”
“Thank you. We’ll meet them.” They were almost free. Ava couldn’t wait to get out of the tunnel.
Caleb pushed the panel open.
Following Shadow’s lead, they moved down a narrow passage. As they kept walking Ava realized something. “There’s fresh air coming inside. We’re close.”
Caleb pointed ahead. “I see flashlights coming our way. Over here!”
“We see you!” Larabee’s voice echoed down the passage.
Ava hurried toward the sound of Larabee’s voice with Shadow and Caleb. They met Larabee and several members of the ERT team.
“Boy, are we glad to see you,” Larabee said with a relieved grin.
“And we’re glad to be seen,” she said smiling at Caleb. “Did everyone make it out safely?”
She stepped out into the fading day. The cold air was a brisk reminder that they were still alive.
Ava’s stomach tightened when Larabee hesitated. “Who’s missing?”
“So far, just one person. Rachel.”
Ava’s knees threatened to buckle. “How did she get separated? She was with Grace, right?”
“She was,” Larabee told her. “We’re still not sure how they were separated—everything happened so quickly.
According to Grace, she and Rachel were heading down the passage, and Rachel was in the lead.
She said the ground gave way beneath Rachel’s feet.
Grace rushed forward and tried to reach Rachel, but the opening closed before she could reach her. ”
“Some type of trap door leading to another secret passage. He planned it all along.” Ava turned to Caleb. “It wasn’t me he was after. It was Rachel.”
Shock ripped through Caleb’s eyes. “She looks similar to you, like the rest of his victims.”
Ava hadn’t thought about it before, but he was right. “That’s true,” Ava said quietly. “He’s never been this bold.”
“The game is getting closer to the end.” Caleb said those chilling words that brought home the urgency. Time was running out for Rachel.
Shadow whined, turning his head toward the east slope. His body grew rigid. Ava recognized the gesture too well. Shadow was onto something.
She followed his line of sight. There, half-buried in snow near a cluster of pine roots, she saw it. “It looks like a small wooden box.”
Everyone gathered around her as she knelt and brushed the frost away.
Ava opened it. Inside lay two gold rings, similar to wedding rings.
One smaller, clearly a woman’s. The second appeared to be a man’s.
Etched on the inside both bands were interlocking letters—H and L—and beside it, a strip of blue cloth tied in a bow.
Caleb’s voice dropped low beside her. “Any idea what he’s trying to tell us?”
Ava shook her head. “We’ve ruled out Hidden Lake, and we can’t confirm a name. What if this is another location?”
Caleb thought for a moment then snapped his finger. “Hunter’s Lodge. It’s an old hunter’s camp east of here.”
Ava’s throat tightened. “Let’s move on it. We don’t have long.”
Deputy Vaughn’s voice came through the headset. “Ava, dispatch just reported an explosion and smoke near Hunter’s Lodge. The dispatcher said she heard screams in the caller’s background before the line went dead.”
Ava lifted her gaze to Caleb’s. Their eyes met. Years of loss, love, and unfinished promises collided in that silent exchange.
“He’s waiting for us,” she said softly.
Caleb reached out and touched her cheek. “But this time, he isn’t going to win.”