Chapter 22
Elena had outrun her pursuers. They followed her to the edge of the trees, but she’d taken such a circuitous route, dragging branches and shaking trees to dislodge snow, then walking within bear tracks to slow down their ability to follow her.
Assuming they had a tracker with them. If not, then Elena definitely had the advantage.
If they did, then . . . she probably hadn’t bought herself much time.
But she had a good start and had plunged into the abandoned mine moments before, the darkness swallowing her.
Behind her, the angry shouts and gunshots echoed through the trees.
She had no idea why they were shooting. Iris would be furious if one of them actually killed her.
She wanted Elena alive to fulfill her revenge fantasies.
Maybe they thought she’d surrender if she thought they’d shoot her. Or they were letting others know where they were. Whatever. She had no intention of stopping.
With the stun gun still clutched in her hand, she stayed just inside the mine entrance, letting her eyes adjust to the gloom. Had they seen her go inside? It seemed likely, but if so, why hadn’t they followed?
Musty air filled her lungs, along with the scent of damp earth and decay. This had been her and her mother’s escape—a lifetime ago. Fragments of memory surfaced.
Mom’s hand gripping her arm, holding her up. Guiding her. The beam of a flashlight bouncing off rough-hewn walls. Her own labored breathing, the fever making her dizzy. Clumsy. Stumbling against the rough wall. Pain like nothing she’d ever experienced before making her retch.
“Come on, El,” her mother had whispered. “Just a little farther. We need to get you to a doctor.”
Elena wanted to shake off the memory and simply focus on survival. But the memories would help her find her way to the other side. Hopefully.
The shouts grew closer. Flashlight beams cut through the trees outside, sweeping toward the mine entrance. She needed to move deeper, find the way out. A horrible thought occurred to her. What if they’d closed off the exit after her and her mother’s escape? She shuddered.
Too late to worry about that now. If so, they’d catch her. But the one remaining hope, if she was right about why they shot down the drone, was that it was highly likely Sully and the others were looking for her by now. So, she’d keep going.
But . . . she needed light. More light than the faint glow of moonlight the entrance was letting in.
The stun gun. Surely it had a flashlight on it.
Please, please, please. Her fingers found the buttons.
Which one? If she pressed the wrong one, she risked giving away her position with a flash of bright light.
She listened. It didn’t sound like they were coming.
Her stomach clenched. What if they’d figured out her route and were waiting on the other side?
Arghhh!
A clatter at the entrance hurried her to make a decision. She took a deep breath. She’d pushed the center button to trigger the stun gun with the guard. Now, she tapped the button on the side, praying she wasn’t going to set off some kind of alarm.
A faint beam came from the device, and she covered it with her palm, then spread her fingers just enough to allow her to make her way.
The tunnel sloped downward, wooden supports lining the walls at regular intervals.
Some had rotted through, leaving piles of splintered wood on the ground.
The ceiling hung low in places, forcing Elena to duck.
Fourteen years old. Burning with fever. Mom half carrying her through these same tunnels.
“The mine connects to an old access road,” her mother had explained. “LaRoche doesn’t know about it. We can get to town without anyone seeing us leave. There’s a convenience store somewhere not too far.”
“How did you find this?”
And like it was yesterday, she could hear her mother’s words.
“I was working in here, stockpiling stuff, and one day had to wait out a bad storm. I saw flashes of light coming from somewhere down in the mine. I thought someone might need help and went to see. It was lightning. I found a way out. You go down into the mine a little, go lots of lefts, but then you climb up.”
“We have to climb?”
“I’ll help you.”
Elena pushed forward, guided by those memories. The voices behind her grew fainter, but she couldn’t slow down. Iris might know about the mine. Which meant she might be waiting.
The tunnel forked. Elena paused, playing her light over both passages. The left tunnel sloped steeply downward, while the right curved gently away. Which way had they gone that night?
A gunshot cracked the silence, the sound amplified in the confined space. Elena flinched, ducking instinctively. Another shot followed, then another. They were firing blindly into the mine. What in the world?
The third shot struck something—a support beam, maybe—and a deep, ominous groan reverberated through the tunnel. Dust rained down from the ceiling.
“Stop shooting, you idiots!” A woman’s voice—Iris. “I want her alive!”
Too late. The ancient timbers, weakened by decades of neglect, gave way with a sickening crack. The ceiling collapsed behind her as Elena lunged forward, choosing the left tunnel. “Lots of lefts.”
The roar was deafening. Rocks and dirt poured down, filling the passage. Elena scrambled forward on hands and knees, choking on dust, the beam of her light barely penetrating the cloud.
When the rumbling finally stopped, she found herself sprawled on the ground, covered in a fine layer of dirt and grit. Everything ached, but she didn’t think anything was broken.
Thank you, Lord.
She pushed herself up, wincing. She still gripped the stun gun flashlight and pointed it back toward the entrance.
A solid wall of debris blocked the tunnel. No way back—but at least her pursuers couldn’t get to her this way. She drew in a breath. Then choked. After a coughing fit, she was finally able to breathe easier.
Oh please let there be a way out, God. I’m not so sure this was the best idea.
For a moment, claustrophobia clawed at her. She was trapped in an abandoned mine with a light that seemed to be slightly dimmer than when she’d started, and no clear way out.
And somewhere on the other side of that cave-in, Iris and her people were probably looking for another entrance. Or digging.
Sully, please be looking for me!
Elena continued down the tunnel.
The passage narrowed, forcing her to turn sideways in places. The air grew thinner, harder to breathe. Or maybe that was just panic tightening her chest.
The two escapes blended together. The second time, they’d left the compound for good. “Almost there, El. Just a little farther.”
Her mother’s voice echoed in her memory, so vivid she almost looked around for her. “You deserve better than this life. We’re going to stay with the Sullivans tonight, then tomorrow, you’re free.”
“The Sullivans?”
“They own the ranch I pointed out to you that one time we took a detour to the post office. They have a granddaughter about your age. Her name is Maya. I think she’s there now.”
“Okay. But I don’t want to do this without you. I’ll miss you. I need you.”
“I’ll miss you desperately, but this is the only way.
Your father and LaRoche will look for us.
He’ll probably even hire private investigators.
There’s a school in Maine I’ve arranged for you to go to.
Your name is now Elena Thompson. Say it over and over in your head and get used to it. Do this and don’t look back, okay?”
“Okay, but come with me. Please!”
“I can’t take the chance that he’ll find us. If he finds you, he won’t find me, because you won’t know where I am. And I’ll never tell him where you are.”
“Will I see you again?”
“Of course. One day when it’s safe.”
And she had. She’d had two beautiful months with her mother before she’d passed away. It hadn’t been long enough. Hate for the man and the organization that had dictated the events of her early life swept through her. Choked her worse than the dust from the cave-in.
The tunnel widened into a chamber where several passages branched off. Elena stopped, playing her light over each opening. Which way led out? Her memories of her two journeys through this mine were fragmented, one clouded by fever and the other the passage of time.
She closed her eyes, trying to remember. They’d gone . . . left. “Lots of lefts.” Then left at the next fork. Or had it been straight, then left?
A distant shout reached her and her breath seized. They’d found another entrance, or the cave-in hadn’t been that bad and they’d dug their way through. Most likely the latter. She hadn’t passed any openings before the cave-in.
Elena’s heart pounded against her ribs. She had to choose. Now.
She studied the ground, looking for any sign of previous passage. Nothing. She pulled in a ragged breath. Oh, God, help me, please.
Which way? Which way?
Okay, which way looked like it went up. She definitely remembered going up. Elena entered the left passage, moving as quickly as she dared. She did seem to be going up. The tunnel curved, then split again. She paused, listening. Nothing. Maybe voices, maybe just her ears playing tricks on her.
“Lots of lefts.”
She took the left fork. Definitely sloping up.
The air grew fresher. She must be getting closer to an exit. Elena quickened her pace, ignoring all her aches and pains.
Another memory surfaced—her mother stopping at a junction similar to this one, hesitating before choosing a path.
“This way,” she’d said. “There’s a ladder that leads up to the access road.”
A ladder. Elena played her light around the tunnel, looking for any sign of a vertical shaft. Nothing but rough stone walls and rotting support beams.
The passage split again. Left, right, or straight ahead? The voices behind her grew louder. They were gaining. Elena chose the left path, moving faster now. Her beam weakened. The battery was dying.