Deadly Twist, page 21
part #2 of Maximum Exposure Series
“This other person was twenty-six.”
Lily turned to him. “I think they may’ve been my dad’s first wife and child.”
His eyebrows bounced together. “The chances of that—”
“Bennett is my surname.”
He blinked a few times and his mouth dropped. “Oh. Then . . .” Carter didn’t finish his sentence, and Lily turned back to the cross to read the second inscription. “Rosa Maria Bennett.”
She frowned at something white wedged beneath Rosa’s cross. Swallowing back the lump in her throat, she lifted the wood and her heart leapt to her throat. It was an old photo. “Oh my God, Carter. That’s my dad.” She pointed at the man in the photo. He had his arm around a woman who wore a long white dress with large flowers decorated across the bottom. Her arms were draped over the shoulders of a little girl who stood in front of her. All three of them were smiling.
“Are you sure? It was a long time ago.”
“Some of the photos in that suitcase I told you about must’ve been taken on the same day. The lady is wearing the same dress in each of them.”
“Oh.” He sighed.
“I can’t believe this. I wonder if they died in that mudslide.” Her voice quivered. “Why didn’t he ever tell anyone?”
Carter curled his arm around her shoulder and a sob caught in her throat. “It probably hurt too much.”
“But what was he doing here in Mexico?”
Carter didn’t answer. Lily flipped the photo over, and there, in her father’s distinct handwriting, he’d written I will love you forever, my beautiful Rose. Tears tumbled down Lily’s cheeks, and Carter wrapped his arms around her. Days of built-up emotion burst, releasing floodgates and as she cried into his chest, he squeezed her to his body and glided his hand over her hair.
When she could cry no more, she sucked in a shaky breath and withdrew from him. “Sorry, I just . . . I can’t believe this.”
“No need to say sorry. It must be such a shock. At least he didn’t abandon his wife and child.”
She nodded. “I feel awful for thinking that.”
“Hey, you weren’t to know. He was the one who’d kept the photos but chose to keep their existence a secret.”
She stewed over his comment for a moment, then nodded. “I wonder why?”
Lily lifted the cross again and replaced the picture in its original position. “Can you take a photo for me, please?”
“I can try, but my poor camera has just had another swim, so no guarantees.” Carter twisted off the lens cap and hissed through his teeth when water poured out. “That’s not good.”
“I know, but give it a go.”
Carter clicked a button and the camera made a terrible grinding noise. The lens would normally extend and contract upon startup, but not this time. It went out a fraction, but stopped. Carter manually eased it the rest of the way, looked through the viewfinder, and adjusted the lens before he snapped a few photos.
“Hopefully they turn out.” He clipped the lens cap back into place and turned the camera to rest on his hip. “Come on.” He reached for her hand. “Let’s get out of . . .” His eyes darted to the entrance, and he tugged Lily down.
“Shhh.” He held his finger to his lips.
The roar of the boat was as sudden as it was loud.
“Shit!” Carter tugged Lily toward the back of the cave.
The engine noise boomed, bouncing off the rock walls. She pictured them right outside the cave and her heart thundered in her chest.
“Que es eso.” A man’s deep voice reverberated off the rock walls.
“Se parece a una bolsa.”
“Oh shit, Lily, they’ve found your pack. Come on!” Carter’s fingers strangled her wrist as he hauled her around the side of the nook and into the blackness.
“My journal.” She wrenched her wrist free and raced to the book. Gripping it like her life depended on it, she raced back to Carter. He seized her hand like she was a naughty child and tugged her forward. There was enough light to see where they were going, but with each step the roof lowered and the walls crept in.
“Que están en la cueva.”
“Fucking hell! They’re coming.” Carter spoke in forced whispers.
They shuffled deeper into the blackness, and with each step it became apparent they were about to run out of hiding space. Hunching beneath the cave roof, Lily shoved the journal back down her top. Soon they were crawling and Lily felt every little rock beneath her already battered knees.
“We know you’re in there.” The heavily accented voice bellowed from the entrance. “Come out and we won’t hurt you.”
Fear was a nasty vise gripping Lily’s chest as she cowered in the shadows and squeezed Carter’s hand in a death grip. An explosion of sound and brilliant flashes lit up the cave as bullets shredded the walls around them.
“Get down!” Carter hurled her to the ground.
Lily hit the floor. Her cheek smashed onto the rough rocks. She tugged her hands over her ears and squeezed her eyes shut.
The deadly onslaught continued.
Rocks tumbled onto her as bullets ricocheted off the wall just above her head. Something fell on her arm and she opened her eyes to see the remains of a stalactite.
“Last chance or we come get you.” Despite the man’s ominous voice, he said it in a singsong manner, as if he were playing a child’s game.
“What do we do?” Lily whispered.
Carter turned to her, and when she met his wide-eyed gaze, she knew she was going to die.
Chapter Eighteen
Carter had been in terrifying situations before. It was basically impossible to avoid them when traveling to remote places in the world where people were just as likely to cut off an arm for a watch as they were to welcome you into their homes for dinner. But he’d never been as scared as he was right now.
He knew exactly why—Liliana.
He was prepared to give his life to save her. And that’s what he planned to do.
The panic raging in her beautiful blue eyes nearly cut his heart in two. “Listen to me. I’m going to swim out to those guys. You stay right where you are.”
“No. They’ll kill you.” She clutched his arm.
“No they won’t. I’ll reason with them. Explain what we’re doing and it’ll be okay.”
“We’ll go together then.” The muscles in her jaw clenched.
“No.” He spoke in hushed tones. “These are bad men; bad men do bad things to women.”
Her eyes bulged and the panic he’d seen moments ago tripled.
“Just stay here.”
She shook her head. “No. I won’t let you leave.” Her bottom lip quivered.
The lump in Carter’s throat made it nearly impossible to breathe. He leaned forward to kiss her forehead, but she tilted her head upward and their mouths met. Her tears and whimpers mingled with her soft lips. He clutched his fingers behind her neck and released his lips, drawing her to his chest. “You’re going to live. Your survival skills will get you through. Promise me you’ll make it back to your family.”
She shook her head.
“Promise me, Lily. I need it.”
“Estamos llegando ahora.” The menacing voice cut through the void.
“They’re coming Lily.” He put his forehead to hers. He wanted to hold her. To place his body between her and the evil outside. He wanted to tell her how he felt. And in that moment, he did. “I love you.”
Tears pooled in her eyes. Spilled over her cheeks. “I love you too.” For a long, heartbreaking moment, neither of them moved.
Suddenly, she pulled back. Her face changed from sorrow to determination. She flicked tears from her eyes. “The current.”
“What?”
“The water is coming from somewhere. We can swim upstream.”
He blinked at her. “You can’t swim.”
“I bloody well will.” She pushed to her hands and knees.
One of the Mexicans started whistling a melody, as if chasing people with armed weapons was child’s play.
“Come on.” She slapped his arm.
Carter winced at the pain in his hip as he pushed up. He cupped her cheek and leaned in for a quick kiss. “I won’t let you go.”
“I know.”
He reached for her hand and their fingers entwined as if they’d done it a hundred times before. Rounding the corner, the cave darkened even more. A narrow ledge skirted the side of the stream, but the low roof made it impossible to stand upright. Hunched over, they inched along hand in hand.
“When we get in the water, roll onto your back and kick below the surface so you don’t splash,” he whispered.
“Okay.”
“You have to trust me.”
“I do.” She squeezed his hand.
When he couldn’t go a step farther, he released her grip. “Stay there.” He turned to face the wall, and gradually lowered into the water, careful not to splash. With a grip on the ledge, he reached for her. “Okay, in you come.”
An explosion cut through the serenity, bullets slammed into rocks around them, showering them in debris.
Lily squealed and crouched down with her arms over her head.
Carter reached up to her, desperate to pull her to safety.
She clutched his outstretched arms and then pushed off the ledge. When she didn’t falter, he fell in love with her just that little bit more. As instructed, she rolled onto her back. Her whole body trembled, and she held her breath.
“You can breathe, Lily.”
She inhaled, and despite the minimal light, terror glistened her eyes. He wanted to wrap his arms around her, to tell her everything would be all right.
Bullets ricocheted above them and a severed stalactite fell from the roof and glanced off his cheek. Ignoring the slice of pain, he hooked one hand under her arm and over her chest then pushed off the wall. “Kick.”
The current was minimal and with both of them kicking, they were able to move upstream quicker than he’d anticipated.
“Esperaremos por ti.” The men yelled their intention to wait for them.
Carter imagined the men sitting with their weapons in their laps. Stalking their prey on the little platform near the two crosses.
If this stream didn’t play out the way they’d hoped, Lily and Carter were trapped.
With each kick into the darkness, he prayed for a miracle. He’d only prayed once before, when his daughter had hit her head while skateboarding and knocked herself unconscious. It’d worked then—he hoped like hell it worked now.
Every once in a while, gunfire shattered the silence. Each time, Carter noted they sounded farther away. He stayed close to the ledge, too close sometimes, causing his leg to brush against the rocky, moss-covered wall. Lily’s fortitude drove him forward. Her ragged breaths proved how much effort she put into her kicking.
Soon what little light they had disappeared altogether, consuming them with complete darkness. The men’s voices continued to echo around them but as they faded, Carter was certain they hadn’t followed.
The peacefulness of the tunnel was surreal, like swimming in a dream. Only their breathing and the occasional shout and gunfire from the men broke the silence. The water lapped at the edges in a soothing melody, boosting his spirits. Soon Carter was entertaining the idea that maybe, just maybe, they’d get out of this alive.
“Do you think they’re gone?” Lily whispered.
Carter debated telling her what the man had said. “Not yet.” He decided on the truth. They were in this together. “They’re waiting for us to come out.”
“Shit. Well, I hope this tunnel actually goes somewhere.”
“Me too.”
Carter used the wall to guide him and he felt rather than saw the roof closing in on them. His stomach twisted in hunger-pang hell. His bullet wounds throbbed with each kick. The slice on his cheek from the falling debris stung. But he’d do it all over again if Lily asked. His mind drifted to those four little words Lily had spoken. I love you too. With her words humming through his brain, he wondered if they’d been a knee-jerk response to his proclamation of love. Was it because she thought she was going to die? Dire situations could provoke bizarre actions. He’d witnessed that firsthand in Somalia, and not just once.
“Do you think we can stop for a bit?” Her whisper lured him from his swirling thoughts.
“Oh sure.” Carter reached for something to hang on to. A rock jutting from the wall was the ideal choice. “Here, hold on to me.”
Lily rolled onto her front, reached for his arm, and released a deep sigh. “This’s crazy.”
“Yeah. Just remember it was your idea.”
“Oh really?” He imagined the surprised look on her face. “Well, don’t let me regret saving your ass.”
“Is that what you call it?” He chuckled.
“Yep. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.”
He curled his arm around her waist and tugged her closer. “Thank you for saving me.”
“You’re welcome.”
It was a long while before their breathing returned to normal and peace returned.
“How long do you think we’ve been in here?” Lily asked.
“No idea. Feels like hours.”
“They’re never going to give up, are they?”
“Probably not.”
She groaned. “My passport was in my pack, you know.”
“We’ll get you another passport.”
“It’s not that, Carter. They’ll know my name. What if this is just the beginning? What if they chase us forever?”
Her voice grew shrill and he pulled her to his chest. “It’s okay, don’t worry, that’s not going to happen.”
“You don’t know that. They could come after my family too.”
“Shhh, we can’t think about that now. We need to focus on getting out of here first.”
Her shaky breath confirmed she was crying, and he squeezed her tighter. “It’s okay, babe, we’re going to make it.”
She sniffed and when she reached up, he assumed she was wiping tears from her eyes.
He’d do anything to keep her safe, but right now, getting out of this tunnel was first priority. “Ready to get going again?”
“Okay.” Her voice quivered but she didn’t hesitate to push back from him.
With no choice but to continue into the blackness, he just hoped there was a way out of this mess, or they’d be floating back to certain death.
Ignoring his numerous aches and pains, he kicked off the wall. Lily rolled onto her back, and at her side, he curled his arm under hers and over her chest. Together they pushed upstream. Little lights dotting the cave roof offered some relief from the black void.
“What are these lights?” Lily asked.
“Glow worms. They use their light to attract mosquitos and other insects.”
“They’re beautiful.”
Soon, the entire roof was full of them, illuminating the blackness like little stars. The cave became a stunning, starry night.
Something brushed Carter’s shoulder. When Lily jumped, he knew she’d felt it too.
“What was that?” Her voice hit panic mode.
“Not sure.”
Then there was another. He reached for it, and upon running his hand over the rough, rubbery thread, he realized what it was. “It’s a tree root.”
“Is that good?”
“No idea. I haven’t been lost in an underwater cave before.”
She huffed. “You’re not helping.”
“Shhh. What’s that?”
A strange clicking noise echoed about them and the hairs on Carter’s neck bristled as he realized what it was. “Shit!”
“What?” Lily reached for his shoulder.
“Bats, I think.”
“Bats? Are they dangerous?” Her voice escalated a notch.
“Shhh. We don’t want to scare them.”
“Scare them? What about me?”
An explosion of flapping wings filled the air.
“Hold your breath,” Carter yelled over the noise. He heard her inhale and seconds later, he pulled Lily below the water with him. With one arm around her, and the other on the wall, he struggled to keep them beneath the surface. Lily curled around, clutched his waist, and although he couldn’t see, she must’ve also grabbed the wall because it became slightly easier.
He counted out the seconds, but soon Lily began to wriggle. Long before he wanted to surface, she punched his chest and he had no choice but to let the wall go and resurface.
The bats had gone and the sound of gunfire had Carter imagining the creatures had reached the cave entrance. The gunmen were probably taking pot shots.
A root brushed his shoulder, and Carter jumped before he brushed it away.
“Are they all gone?” Lily asked.
“Possibly.”
“I hope so.”
A new noise caught his attention, and he squeezed her arm. “Can you hear that?”
“What?” Her high-pitched voice showed her edginess.
A dull roar rumbled from farther up the tunnel. “I think it’s a waterfall.”
“A waterfall? But how can that be?”
“Not sure. But let’s find out.”
When Lily rolled onto her back, he curled his arm over her chest and let go of the wall. With each passing minute the roar grew louder. Up ahead a small light caught his eye. For a couple of heart-pounding seconds he thought it might be a flashlight. But as it grew, he decided it wasn’t. With each kick their tunnel lightened, showing the cave roof, barely inches above their heads. “There’s light up ahead.”
“Where?” Lily rolled to see over her shoulder. “Oh yeah.”
Her kicking increased and soon the cave was bright enough that he saw every dangling root and the dozens of spiders hanging in their webs.
He couldn’t get out of the water quick enough.
As the tunnel lightened, it also grew narrower, and soon it became impossible to swim side by side. “Lily, roll over and grab my waist.”
She did as instructed, and with Lily holding on, they exited the tunnel and entered a large natural well. Squinting against the glare, he made his way to the center of the pool. Sheer walls rose up twenty feet around them, and on the opposite side, a waterfall tumbled into their pool. Long tree roots dangled down from the surface to touch the water in a lush natural curtain.
