Thomas grinned. “Nothing.”
They both stayed silent. He watched Lisbeth. She laughed at something the woman she was speaking with said. His chest felt tight. Why did she leave Tuscany all those years ago? Had she decided she missed London so much? For years, Thomas had done his best to put it out of his mind, but now he felt as if he had to know.
Rafe wasn’t always right about everything, but he was correct in this instance. Why did she leave? They’d loved each other, and that hadn’t been enough for her to stay. Thomas needed those answers from her. Beyond that, he wasn’t sure if anythingelse could exist between him and Lisbeth. Still, having the truth about what happened in Tuscany would at least allow closure.
Thomas would never admit it, but he still dreamed about Lisbeth almost every night—her touch, mouth, and moans. Now, she was here. Not a dream, but the real Lisbeth. He clenched his fist to control the urge to go to her and pull her against him.Christ!Why did Rose not bring the damn map?
Chapter Five
Lisbeth followed Thomas,Benson, Rafe, Abbas, and the guides to the entrance of a cave. Truthfully, it looked like a small opening. No one would assume it was the start of a massive cave system. Thomas had drawn a copy of the map so the original wouldn’t get damaged while they were in the tunnels and caverns.
She glanced up and frowned. The sky was overcast, but the clouds weren’t dark. Hopefully, that meant the rain would hold off. She sighed, and her eyes connected with Thomas’s. He had a concerned look on his face. “You can wait here.”
Lisbeth frowned at him and then asked Abbas, “Did the guides say they were worried about the rain?”
Abbas shook his head, and she turned back to Thomas. “I will be fine.”
His jaw clenched, and fury flared in Lisbeth. Thomas had no right to tell her what to do, especially if she was in no real danger. He laid the paper that contained the replicated map on a rock. Everyone joined him, perusing the drawing. The cave system was miles and miles of tunnels. In the far back was a cavity that had two, potentially three, tunnels leading to it. In the small open space was an X.
On the original map, it contained a more elaborate drawing with various items from the time period, but she supposed Thomas wasn’t an artist. The paths of two tunnels leading to the X were long and winding. The other one followed a more well-known corridor, according to Thomas, but then veered off onto a smaller tunnel leading to the X.
Thomas traced his finger along the paths. “I think it is best if we split into two groups and cover the longer routes first. The map is thousands of years old. We will likely need to dig our way through some areas, or the tunnel system might not exist any longer.”
He then turned to the guides and spoke to them in Arabic. Both men nodded. He looked back at Lisbeth and Benson. “You two will join me and our guide, Farid. Rafe, Abbas, and the other guide, Badr, will take the second path. The last guide will wait outside to alert us to any potential rain or flooding.”
Everyone nodded. Thomas stuffed ropes and other supplies in a bag and handed a lantern to Benson before grabbing another one for himself. Lisbeth said, “I can carry something.”
“Trust me. We will all need to help. Who carries our gear is irrelevant.”
She nodded, and he frowned. “I’m in charge there. Do you understand?”
Lisbeth flushed. “I’m not some young girl looking to cause trouble.”
He lifted a brow as if he didn’t quite believe her. She bristled. Truthfully, at nineteen, Lisbeth probably wouldn’t have taken the situation seriously, but she wasn’t that girl anymore. She rolled her eyes. “Understood. What happened to the fun, dashing explorer? I see you’ve pivoted back to Serious Thomas.”
Rafe chuckled, and Thomas glared at him before turning back to her. “I don’t want to see you hurt.”
She sighed. “Thank you.”
Thomas, Benson, Rafe, Fadir, and Badr lit their lanterns, and they all moved to the entrance of the cave. Stepping in, it felt small. There was only one tunnel before them, and it was necessary, due to the narrow width, for them to move in a single-file line. The glow of the lanterns off the cave tunnel walls added an eerie feel to the space, making Lisbeth shiver. She glanced at Thomas to see that he held a piece of chalk, which he ran along the side of the corridor.
She imagined it was in case they became turned around. Lisbeth had just started to wonder if that was even possible when they burst out into a large area. The space had exits to eight separate tunnels. Fadir spoke to Thomas in Arabic, and he nodded before turning to everyone. “Fadir wants me to explain that if we get trapped in the tunnels by water, there are two options to survive the flooding.”
Nerves flared in Lisbeth’s stomach. His words made her realize that this wasn’t some game. This was a serious situation. Thomas pointed to a ledge above them. “You can hoist yourself up to the ledge. If you look at the markings on the wall, the water never reaches that high.”
Benson muttered. “Christ.”
Lisbeth shot him an apologetic look. He’d been in her employ for many years, but this was likely the craziest situation she’d ever placed them in. Thomas then drew a circle above one of the tunnels. “If you can’t reach the ledge, this tunnel forces water out into the river. You will need to hold your breath for a minute and allow the water to take you.”
Abbas tugged at his collar, his nerves on edge. Thomas looked around, and Rafe said, “Can you be any more ominous?”
Badr spoke in Arabic, and relief seemed to fill Abbas’s face. “Fadir said that no rain is expected today. It is merely a precautionary measure.”
While the explanation was frightening, in some ways, Lisbeth felt relieved to have options. Thomas, Rafe, Badr, and Fadir studied the map. She, Benson, and Abbas waited. Thomas drew a triangle over one tunnel opening and a square over another.“My team will take the triangle tunnel. Rafe’s team will take the square.”
Everyone nodded, and Thomas glanced at her. “Ready for this?”
“Yes.”
