She sniffed. “How gallant.”
With a yank, she pulled her hand free. His hand flailed underwater, but she slipped away.
“Damn it Red—”
“Wait here.”
Before he could respond, water splashed and silence fell around him.
Shit. Clenching his eyes shut against the darkness, he began to count. It didn’t help.
His heart slammed into his ribs while his stomach roiled. He swallowed forcibly. No need to feed his lunch to the fish—or whatever else lived in here.
A minute passed. Two.
What if she didn’t come back?
Visions of treacherous seaweed and venomous snakes swirled through his mind. Alligators. God, if only he’d held her hand tighter. They could be on their way out of this hellhole.
“She’ll come back.” Tommy’s voice wavered. “She’s the bestswimmer I know.”
Christian couldn’t answer. In situations like this, skill didn’t matter.
Water bubbled and he went rigid, his fingers biting into the wood of the torch. She surfaced, sucking in a breath. A wave of pain radiated from where his teeth clenched together.
“You still there?”
He thrust his hand out. “Enough of this foolishness; we are leaving. Now.”
She evaded his attempt to catch her.
“Nonsense. The tunnel opens up just a few feet ahead.”
“Red, I mean it. This is a fool’s errand. It’s time to give it up.”
Her heavy breaths filled the air. A few feet indeed.
“It’s not as dark in there. Do you really want to turn around and try to find your way back in the dark?”
Yes. He could probably swim it in record time too. Back meant safety and sunshine and wide open spaces. His muscles fairly vibrated with the urge to get on the way.
“Now, Red.”
She sighed. “Fine. Can I at least have the torch?”
Finally, some common sense. She could have whatever the hell she wanted if it meant getting out. He shoved it toward her voice and she took it. No sooner than it had left his grasp she disappeared.
“Son of a...” He made one last grab for her. “Damn it, Red.”
His face bumped against the cool rocks and he curled his fingers into a fist.
“Fine. Go then.” The hoarse shout reverberated in his ears.
Let her go. If she wanted to get in trouble, it was on her shoulders.
He pressed his lips together and turned toward the entrance.Sunshine. The word became a chant in his head.
A few feet later, he stopped. Who was he fooling? If he left her and something happened...
