“Are you all right?” Alden asked, pausing beside me, his breath as rough and ragged as when we made love.
“Yes,” I said, taking his hand and getting to my feet. “Just stupid.”
Alden took my arm, slowing his pace to match my hobble. We reached the cave entrance in what seemed like an excruciatingly long amount of time. Alden entered first, pausing so we could listen. There was no sound other than the gurgle of the stream.
“Where do you think they are?” I asked in a whisper, following him when he led the way into the dark cave. The lights weren’t on, no doubt their connection having been destroyed in the fire, which made the going rather treacherous. “I don’t hear anything.”
“I don’t know, but they have to be in here. The passages must have collapsed when the house burned.”
We crept our way down the wet rocky ledge, the curve of the cave blocking the sunlight from the entrance.
“Look,” I said, pointing. “Someone has a lantern.”
We hurried forward as best we could, emerging into the cave proper, where the makeshift dock was slowly rotting away. Someone had set a camping lamp there, its blue-white glow illuminating the cave. Behind us was the entrance to the passageways leading into the house. Alden started into it, but stopped almost immediately.
“Blocked,” he said. “As I thought.”
“Then where did they go?” I asked, lifting the lamp to look around. The cave stretched back into blackness, ending with the same wall we’d seen when we first examined it. “It’s empty.”
“It can’t be.”
“But it is.” I walked to the far end of the cave, and swung the lamp around to show him. “See? Nothing. Maybe the passage into the house just looks blocked.”
Alden was frowning, his brows pulled together as he slowly clanked his way down to me. “Do that again.”
“Do what?”
“Hold up the lantern.”
I swung it up in an arc, and then turned in a full circle to illuminate the area.
Alden’s eyes narrowed. “Get behind me,” he whispered, leaping across the stream. At that point, it was only about a yard wide, evidently emerging from under the wall.
“What—”
I stopped when he held his finger up to his lips, gesturing for me to follow him.
With my ankle throbbing and complaining, I jumped over the stream, and trailed him when he headed for the back wall of the cave.
Only it wasn’t a wall. Not a complete one, anyway. There was a narrow slit right where the back of the cave met the side wall. The opening hidden by the shadows of the cave, there was just enough room for a person to squeeze through it.
Alden went first, then stopped suddenly, blocking the opening.
I gave him a little nudge, but he didn’t move. Pressingmyself against him, I got him to take a step forward, giving me enough space to enter behind him.
Five men faced us, each armed with a sword.
“Crap,” I said softly.
“So. You finally figured it out, did you?” Barry asked, shaking his head. He, like the other men, had pulled off his helm, and as he shifted, I saw the prone form of a woman behind him, crumpled up like a discarded bit of clothing.
“What have you done to that woman who lusted after Alden!” I demanded to know, trying to come around beside him, but he held me back. “You bastard! You killed Tamarind, didn’t you!”
“Of course not,” Barry said, exasperation rife in his voice. “We just knocked her on the head. She was in our way, and we don’t have long to get this equipment out. She’ll be fine, and when she comes to, we’ll be long gone.”
“The meth lab!” I said, peering over Alden’s shoulder. Visible behind the group of men were several white plastic tubs, clearly packed with all sorts of drug-making paraphernalia. Included were a couple of wooden tables loaded with high-tech scales, what looked like distilling tubes encased in glass, various metal pots, beakers, and wash bottles. “Holy crap, we were right! Alden, we were right!”
“So we were.” Alden hefted his sword. “Although I’m still a bit confused as to why you chose my house to serve as your drug lab.”
