Chapter 10
CHAPTER 10
Kurt
“I beg your pardon?”
He said it in a calm, polite tone, but Derek Hawkins didn’t need to raise his voice to make it perfectly clear how pissed he was.
“She snuck into the mine.” Kurt indicated the gate he and Roman had opened before calling the owner of Rawhide Ranch here.
“This is partially my fault—” Roman started.
“Stop,” Mr. Hawkins commanded. “There isn’t one single bit of this you need to own up to, Roman.” He pointed a finger toward the shopkeeper, but his eyes never left Kurt’s.
“Did you know she was going in there?” he asked quietly.
“I knew she might.”
“Did you try and stop her?” This came from a man who’d arrived at the mine with Mr. Hawkins. He’d been introduced as Jason Jaeger, and it hadn’t taken Kurt long to understand he didn’t just play at being a cowboy. No, he was the real thing, with a Clint Eastwood silent-but-deadly stare, and an interrogation method as intimidating as Derek’s.
Kurt nodded. “Yes, Mr. Jaeger, I did what I’ve done in the past—I tried to talk sense into her. Tried to reason with her. Tried to get her to exercise some patience.”
“It’s just Jagger,” the man corrected him firmly. Pursing his lips, he searched Kurt’s face for a second before looking over at Derek. “I don’t know how you feel, but I’d say Mr. Ellery’s friend is a grade-A brat.”
“I’d be inclined to agree,” Mr. Hawkins replied drily.
Kurt could’ve smiled, but of all the emotions he was feeling right now, humor wasn’t one of them. “I’ve heard other people describe it in less colorful terms, but… yeah, that’s accurate.”
“Well”—Mr. Hawkins huffed out a sigh—“I’ve spent a lifetime dealing with brats, Mr. Ellery, I assure you, but that’s a conversation for another time. Right now, we need to get in there and make sure she hasn’t gotten herself hurt.” He gave Kurt a sober gaze. “Or worse.”
Kurt swallowed. “I’m sure she just went in to look for the indications she was curious about.”
“And I’m pretty sure I warned you both the mine is in no condition to be walked through. It’s collapsing in places, and nobody—not you or her or anyone else—can give an ironclad guarantee it isn’t going t0 collapse today rather than tomorrow.” He made a dismissive gesture with his hand. “Doesn’t matter now, though. We need to get in there and get her out. The rest we can deal with later.”
Mr. Hawkins turned away from Kurt for the first time since he’d arrived. “Roman, grab three hardhats, some flashlights, and bring the first-aid kit. I hope to God we aren’t going to need it, but… better safe than sorry.”
“Yes, sir,” he replied, then moved off to gather the things.
“I tried calling her on her cell…” Kurt said.
Mr. Hawkins grunted. “’Bout a hundred feet back in there and you won’t get any signal, I can tell you that from experience. Which is a good point…” Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his own cell.
“Erika, it’s Derek. Jagger and I are going into the mine with Mr. Ellery.” He paused, then nodded. “Yes, the old mine. We’ve got something we need to look into, and I don’t want Sadie all riled up, so I’m letting you know. If you don’t hear back from us in an hour or so, you call Dan Forrester and tell him to get the search and rescue team together to come look for us.”
Kurt grimaced. Dana had wanted to keep this a secret, and only involve herself, but that was blowing up in her face right now, and she didn’t even know it.
But she will. She fucking will soon enough.
Another pause stretched out, and Mr. Hawkins closed his eyes. “We’ll talk about who and what and why when I’m back, but… yeah, you’ve pretty much got the gist of it.” He smiled firmly. “Thanks, darlin’. And like I said, not a word to Sadie”—he cast a glance at Jagger—“or Moira, please. No need to worry the wives.” After thanking Erika, he ended the call and turned back to Kurt. “Hopefully, it won’t come to anything, but at least someone will know where we are if there’s trouble, unlike your friend…” He regarded Kurt pointedly.
“I appreciate everything you’re doing,” Kurt replied quietly.
“You hold on to that thought, because you might not feel the same way when this is all over.”
Roman returned at that moment and handed each of them a hardhat—a real hardhat, not the kind that hung on the wall of the exploration center they stood in. He handed out flashlights, too, and once he passed a first-aid kit to Jagger, they all began heading into the mine, Mr. Hawkins leading.
For ten minutes or so they proceeded wordlessly, each of them keeping to their own thoughts. Mr. Hawkins came to a sudden stop. As Kurt looked ahead, his throat went tight.
“First branches,” Mr. Hawkins informed them quietly, shining his flashlight left and right before pointing it toward the ground continuing ahead .
“Good girl,” he said softly before turning to look back. “Okay, your friend’s smarter than her actions make her seem.”
“Why do you say that?” Kurt asked.
“Because she stayed straight instead of taking one of the side paths,” Jagger explained, sweeping his beam of light across the tunnel floor ahead of them. “You can see her footprints. If she keeps it up, should make our job a little easier.”
“I hope you’re right,” Kurt murmured, “because it’d be the first time Dana’s made anything easy.”
No one laughed, and given the circumstances, Kurt understood why. A moment later, Mr. Hawkins moved forward again, and they all continued down the passageway.
Kurt wasn’t sure how much longer they pressed on in silence until Mr. Hawkins came to an abrupt halt. All three of them stood statue-like, then Kurt heard it, too.
“Hello?”
The word was faint, but Kurt recognized it instantly.
Dana.
“That’s her.” He pushed past Mr. Hawkins, sprinting ahead.
As Mr. Hawkins and Jagger caught up with him, another cry came.
“Hello! I’m down here!”
Kurt surged in the direction of Dana’s voice. “Dana? Can you hear me?” he called out as he strode forward, and a moment later a response followed.
“Yes,” was all she said, but Kurt heard something in her voice he rarely had before.
Fear.
Less than a minute later, the bobbing beam of Kurt’s flashlight fell on her. She was lying prone on the floor, and it took him a second to realize what he was seeing.
“Dana!” He raced forward and dropped to his knees beside her.
“Hi,” she whispered.
“Dana. Are you okay?” He cradled her head, stroking her hair gently.
“Umm… not really.” She tried to make it sound humorous, but her voice was weak, laced with the same fear he’d noted earlier, and there wasn’t a single fucking thing amusing about this.
Mr. Hawkins was beside him, peering into Dana’s face.
“Hello, Ms. Aziz. Wish it were under better circumstances.”
“I’m kinda okay with the current circumstances as opposed to ten minutes ago, honestly.”
“I suppose you would be,” Mr. Hawkins agreed diplomatically. He ran his hand across her shoulder, then along her side to where it disappeared in the rubble. “Do you feel any broken bones? Any bleeding?”
“No, sir.”
“Can you feel your legs?”
“Yes,” she answered with a bob of her head. “I just can’t move them.”
Mr. Hawkins nodded, then pulled back, standing.
“Okay, this is what we’re going to do. If we start trying to dig her out, it’ll only break more rock loose and fill the void.” He pointed to several pieces of old wood that had long been buried in the original cave-in. “Jagger, Mr. Ellery, I want you to dig out two of those pieces of timbering. Be careful as you’re doing it; if anything starts moving, stop.”
Both Kurt and Jagger nodded .
“While you’re doing that, I’m going to start digging out a pocket on each side of her. Once you’ve got the boards free, what I want you to do is push them into the gaps I’ve created to try and stabilize the pockets so I can take more material out.”
“Side cribbing,” Dana said quietly.
“Yep,” he replied, looking down at her.
“I thought you were in the BDSM resort business, Mr. Hawkins, not mining.”
“I’m a man of many talents,” he replied. “Now let’s get you the hell out of there.”
For several minutes, there was no sound other than that of all three men working.
“Okay, Ms. Aziz.” Mr. Hawkins lay down to face her. “I’m going to start digging along the sides of you. You start to feel anything move, or you’re in pain, you say something, alright?”
“Yes, sir,” she answered softly, “and please, call me Dana.”
He didn’t reply except to nod, and then he began working to pull the loose rock and dirt from where it had her trapped.
Kurt was first to work a board loose, grunting as the earth eventually yielded it to him. He laid it to the side and helped Jagger with freeing his until both lengths were uncovered.
“Okay, you ready?” Jagger looked down to where Derek had cleared two openings parallel to Dana’s body.
“Yeah.” Derek scooted back. “Slip one right in there alongside her.”
Kurt worked with him to wedge the board in the cavity Mr. Hawkins had cleared. They moved to the opposite side and did the same thing.
“You doing okay?” Kurt asked Dana quietly .
“Peachy,” she returned ruefully, and for the first time since they started into the mine, all three men chuckled.
“I’ll work the left side, you work the right,” Derek instructed Kurt, and both began to scrape away more dirt and stone. As they did, Jagger pulled the loose material back and away, keeping it cleared from in front of Dana.
“See if you can work your board in deeper,” Derek ordered, and Kurt pushed against his piece, trying to wedge it in further.
“You feeling any less pressure?” he asked Dana.
“Yeah, a little,” she replied.
“Don’t try and force it,” Mr. Hawkins warned. “Let us get these in a little further for support. If we try and move too fast, we’ll run the risk of bringing more down on top of us.”
They all went back to work, and Kurt wasn’t sure how much time had gone by before Dana said, “Stop.”
Everyone froze.
“I… I can move my left leg.”
“Don’t do anything yet. Let Kurt work a little more on his side, and then we’ll see how things are.” Derek glanced at Kurt, and he went back to work, ignoring the pain of the dirt forcing its way under his fingernails as he dug.
Another lifetime of minutes went by until Derek put his hand on Kurt’s arm.
“How’s it feel now?” he asked Dana evenly.
“I’m… I’m pretty sure I can move both my legs.”
“Okay. I want to get the boards wedged in as tight as we can, and then I want you to try and gently slide forward. If everything looks good, we’re going to carefully pull you out, okay?”
“Got it,” she replied calmly .
“You feel any movement, any shifting of the rock, you tell us to stop.”
“Understood.”
Both he and Kurt began shoving on their boards, driving them in as far as they could. When both had gotten as far as possible, they stopped, looking at Dana.
“Okay, go ahead,” Derek said.
Reaching forward, Dana dug her fingers into the tunnel floor and pulled. At first it didn’t seem as if she was making any progress, then suddenly she was. One inch became two became six, and both Kurt and Mr. Hawkins grabbed her by the shoulders, easing her out gently.
Until she was free.
“Oh, God,” she choked out as she escaped the crush of loose stone, heaving herself up into a kneeling position. Kurt drew her to him, wrapping her tight to his chest.
“You’re okay, darlin’,” Mr. Hawkins said as he gripped her shoulder gently. “You’re going to be fine.”
“Thank you,” she whispered. As Kurt held her in his arms, he caught her stealing a glance at Jagger. He suspected why; he was the only man here she’d not met before, and he was standing a few feet back from them, his arms crossed over his chest, his gaze boring into her in a way that expressed his clear displeasure. After a moment she closed her eyes, leaning against Kurt with a tremble.
“We need to get out of here,” Derek said, standing up. “Are you okay to walk?” he asked Dana, his voice concerned.
“I think so,” she answered with a nod.
“You start feeling any pain, you let me know, and I’ll carry you,” Kurt commanded .
“I’ll be fine.” Her tone held less conviction than normal.
The four of them began to walk back through the tunnel, silence filling the space between them. Kurt felt the same sense of relief he’d had every other time this had happened with Dana before, along with the impending sense of doom it wouldn’t be the last.
Again, and again, and again.
And it was that fatalistic sense of doom which twisted the relief he felt at finding Dana safe into a simmering anger over what she’d done. Again. He didn’t want to feel resentment. He wanted to focus on the fact she was okay, basically unhurt, and alive. He wanted to concentrate on the presence of her at his side, the proximity they shared that would continue to be there for another day.
Except he couldn’t. His mind wouldn’t let him push away the sight of her lying trapped beneath the rubble. Wouldn’t allow him to center on the reality of her eyes looking up at him beseechingly as she had, but instead forced him to envision them as the dull, glazed, lifeless ones he’d seen in his nightmares. As they trudged on, Kurt was thankful they weren’t conversing right now, because if they had, he wasn’t sure what he might say to her in his growing state of fury.
It seemed it took a lot less time coming out than it had going in, but soon the dim light from the mine entrance filtered back into the tunnel, and only another few minutes went by until they were flicking off the flashlights and stepping into the exploration center. Roman gathered the hardhats and flashlights, along with the first aid kit they fortunately hadn’t needed to use, and began putting things away.
“I’d like to go to my room,” Dana said quietly .
“That isn’t going to happen, Ms. Aziz,” Mr. Hawkins said with authority.
“And why not?” Dana shot back, startled.
“Because you have some things you need to answer for before you do.” The Ranch owner stepped up to her, looking down with a gaze that said he wasn’t about to put up with an argument, even from Dana.
“But first you need to be looked at.”
Three heads turned simultaneously toward the new voice, and Kurt recognized who it was immediately as she stepped into the room.
“Erika, what are you doing here?” Derek said in a puzzled tone.
Mr. Hawkins’ personal assistant approached them. “After we spoke, I called Doctor Carter. He and Nurse MacIntosh are waiting for Ms. Aziz in the infirmary.”
“Erika”—Mr. Hawkins closed his eyes briefly—“remind me to give you a raise; you’re a blessing. Thanks, darlin’.”
The woman smiled and dipped her head.
Dana made a dismissive gesture. “I… I’m fine. I don’t need to see a doctor. I just want to go to my room.”
Mr. Hawkins turned back to her, his face suddenly cold. “I’m going to be blunt with you right now, Ms. Aziz, because my impression is you need a healthy dose of that. Listen closely: I don’t care what you want. Right now, you’re gonna do exactly what I tell you and let my doctor give you a once-over. And if you don’t do that, my next step will be to call Dan Forrester and have him come out here and arrest you for breaking and entering, trespassing, theft, and—I don’t know, I’m sure I’ll come up with some other charges.”
Dana swallowed. “You don’t intimidate me, Mr. Hawkins,” she said softly, but unlike normal, there was little conviction in her tone.
“Not trying to intimidate you,” he rumbled, “but I am trying to make you see sense. Let me be clear; this isn’t negotiable. The doctor, or the detective—your choice.”
He paused, waiting for Dana to continue arguing. When she didn’t, he continued. “Alright then, you let Dr. Carter look you over, and if he doesn’t find any issues, then you can go to your room and get cleaned up. Once you’re done, I expect you to come see me in my office.”
“Why?”
“Because I’m going to give you one chance to try and convince me why I shouldn’t call Detective Forrester and have you hauled away. Not only that, I’ll give you the chance to explain to me why I shouldn’t contact your boss and get you fired. Because if you can’t do that, Ms. Aziz, then that’s exactly what I’ll do.”
Now Dana bristled like her old self. “I don’t take orders from?—”
Kurt rounded on her, his eyes flashing. “Dana, stop. For once in your life, could you please just do what someone tells you to.”
For a moment the room went still.
“Fine,” she whispered, but her eyes burned at him. However, Kurt couldn’t help but notice it wasn’t with the fury he’d seen her display in the past. There was a tremor at the corners, a look that seemed to indicate the same tone he’d heard in her voice back in the mine.
Fear.
Erika took Dana gently by the arm. “Come with me, Ms. Aziz. The infirmary isn’t far, and Dr. Carter’s waiting. ”
Dana nodded wordlessly, and Kurt made to follow as the two women began to leave the room. Before he could get far, Mr. Hawkins’ low voice stopped him.
“I need a word with you, Mr. Ellery.”
Kurt gazed after Dana, but he turned to face Derek Hawkins as the women slipped away.
“I want you to know your friend’s damn lucky to be alive.”
“I’m aware,” he said. “I’m very grateful for what you and Mr. Jaeger did.”
Mr. Hawkins gave him an appraising look. “You care for that young woman a great deal, don’t you?”
Kurt pursed his lips. “Yeah, I do.”
“I can tell, just like I can also see she’s a very intelligent person. Too intelligent for her own good if I’m any judge of character.”
Kurt smiled grimly. “She certainly has the power of her convictions.”
“I’ll bet she does. And there isn’t anything wrong with that. I’m betting as smart as she is, and good as she is at what she does, people have given her a lot of leeway in the past to do things her way and her way alone.” He gave Kurt a meaningful look. “Including you.”
“I’d be lying if I said no.”
Mr. Hawkins stood silent in thought for a moment. “I want you to know I have no intention of bringing Dan Forrester out here, nor calling your boss. I’m telling you this, but I’d appreciate it if you wouldn’t say anything to her until she’s had a chance to try and explain why in the hell she did what she did.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it.”
“Thank you.” Mr. Hawkins rubbed his chin. “I also think you and I should have a little chat when you have a free moment. ”
“About?”
“Things,” he said cagily. “Sometimes, it’s good to have the sympathetic ear of someone who may have traveled the same road as you.”
“I’ll take that under consideration.”
“You do that.” Mr. Hawkins pointed out of the gift shop in the direction of the main building. “Now, go on and catch up with your friend.”
Kurt left the gift shop and made his way quickly to the infirmary. When he arrived, he found Dana sitting in a small exam room, Erika standing quietly at the end of the bed Dana was on. Two other people were in the room with them, neither of whom Kurt recognized. He could make an educated guess though. For the woman, if her stark white uniform complete with old-fashioned cap on her head didn’t give away her away, the tray full of instruments next to her did. He’d wager this was the Nurse Macintosh Erika had spoken of earlier. Which would make the other person working with her Dr. Carter. The nurse barely graced him with a glance before she returned to aiding the doctor as he looked Dana over.
“And when I press here?” he asked, his fingers pushing gently into Dana’s abdomen.
“It’s sore, but not super painful.”
He moved down, gripping her calves. “And here?”
Dana shrugged. “Same. Sore, but I’ve honestly felt worse after a workout.”
The doctor straightened, removed his gloves and dropped them on the instrument tray. “Well,” he said, giving Dana a kind smile, “you’re a very lucky young woman. Given what I’ve heard, this could’ve been much more serious.”
Dana simply nodded .
The doctor turned to Kurt. “I’m Dr. Carter. I take it you’re Ms. Aziz’s co-worker?”
“Kurt Ellery,” he replied, taking the man’s hand.
“As I said, your friend’s very lucky. Keep an eye on her over the next few days. I’m pretty sure she’s fine, but sometimes these things can take a while to show up. If her head begins to ache or she starts to feel nauseated or dizzy, bring her to the infirmary and ask Nurse MacIntosh to call me,” Dr. Carter instructed.
Kurt glanced toward the nurse, who looked back at him with clear disapproval in her eyes behind the lens of her tortoiseshell glasses.
“I’ll make sure of it.” Kurt cast a pointed look Dana’s way.
“I’d like to go to my room now,” Dana spoke quietly, not meeting his eye.
“That’s fine,” Erika replied before anyone else could, “but remember, Master Derek wants to see you in his office once you’ve freshened up.”
“I’d really rather do it tomorrow,” Dana countered.
“Master Derek said tonight, and that means tonight.”
“I’m under no obli?—”
“Dana.” Kurt shot her a stern look. “Tonight.”
Her jaw went taut, but instead of arguing further she said, “I’m going to my room.”
Standing up from the high bed that doubled as an exam table, she and Kurt both made polite goodbyes and left the infirmary, heading back through the main lobby.
“So, um, who was the cowboy with Mr. Hawkins?”
“Mr. Jaeger, but he prefers to be called Jagger.”
“Not Master Jagger?” Dana quipped. Kurt ignored the flippant comment, keeping his gaze fixed straight ahead, his demeanor stoic. Dana’s smile faded, and they continued in silence as they crossed to the guest wing and headed to Dana’s quarters. When they arrived, Kurt didn’t ask to be invited in. Instead, he simply pushed past her and strode into the room.
“So,” she began, closing the door behind her, “let’s get this out of the way; I know you’re angry with me, but you need to understand I really had no?—”
Kurt whirled, everything from the evening crashing together in a tumult. “Angry? Angry?” he snapped, the wall he’d built to keep from confronting her in the tunnel crumbling. “You think I’m angry?”
Dana didn’t flinch. “Yes.”
“Well, guess what?” he retorted hotly, stepping close to her. “You’re wrong. I’m not angry, Dana, I’m fucking furious!”
“Okay, okay, fine, I get it, but you need to calm down.” She reached toward him in appeal. “Kurt… I found it. I found the indication.”
“I don’t give a shit what you found!” he growled with exasperation. “I couldn’t give a single fuck what’s in there! There’s only one thing I care about.” He stabbed his finger at her. “You.”
She gaped back in bewilderment. “What?”
“You heard me. You and I are supposed to be… partners. Co-workers, and—yeah—sometimes friends with benefits. Well, guess what, Dana? The most important part of that statement is in the first fucking word: friends. And I’m so fed up with you claiming to be my friend but then ignoring everything I ask that doesn’t fit your agenda. Hiding things from me, doing things that get you in serious trouble, then turning around and expecting me to just forgive and forget. I’ve done that up until now, but…” He stopped, shaking his head .
“But, what? Are you going to try and force the issue with me, Kurt? You preach to me about friendship; is that what friends do? You don’t own me. You can’t force me to become someone I’m not.”
“No, you’re right, I can’t, and you can’t force me to be someone I’m not. But I’m not gonna lie; you need someone holding you accountable in a way you’ll accept, otherwise you’re just gonna keep doing the same shit over and over, and one of these times you’re not gonna make it out of the mine.”
“What’s that mean?”
“It means something’s gotta give, Dana,” he said with quiet firmness. “I can’t keep doing this with you.” He ran his hand over his head. “We need to come to some sort of an understanding, but…” He heaved out a frustrated sigh. “We can’t do it right now.”
“Why not? If this is that important to you, I’m more than willing?—”
“We can’t do it right now, Dana,” he said forcefully, “because Derek Hawkins is waiting for us in his office, and the biggest problem we’re facing at the moment isn’t sussing out our relationship, but what he’s gonna do about what you did tonight.”
Dana set her jaw. “I’ll take care of Derek Hawkins,” she responded with a glower.
“Oh, yeah?”
“Yeah. I can deal with him, trust me.”
Kurt contemplated her for a long moment before slowly shaking his head. “I don’t know about that, Dana, but for your sake, I hope so.”
She narrowed her eyes. “You heard me tell him he doesn’t intimidate me.”
“Yeah, I did,” he agreed, “but if he doesn’t like what you have to say, and he gets on the phone and tells Gary what you’ve done…” Kurt shook his head. “You and I…”
Now Dana’s eyes went wide, as if she knew what he was about to say.
“We’re finished. For good.”