She didn’t think twice about the body beneath her. Just another dead enemy, but the exit! Scrambling up, she stared at the blackness in front of her. Blocked.
Buried alive…again.
Chapter Five
Garrett rubbed his side where Riley’s elbow connected as they fell. The dark mine was eerily quiet after the cave-in. Not even the dog he’d seen in her arms made a noise. The only sound was heavy breathing coming from directly above him. “Riley?” He kept his voice low, not wanting to scare her more than she already was.
She didn’t answer.
Concern had his mind racing even as he slowly stood. He knew panic when he heard it. For such a tough woman, something about being in the mine had seriously freaked her. It could be the darkness, claustrophobia, or even a fear of paranormal spirits. It was a rare mine that hadn’t seen at least one death, and from the looks of the age of this one, it had seen more than a few.
Again, he kept his voice low like he would when one of his men were hurt. “Riley, it’s okay.”
The crunch of dirt was his only warning as she spun toward his voice. “Okay? Okay? Sure. Everything’s just fucking fine. Dying in a cave is just what they want. Isn’t that how you always pictured you’d go?”
“They?”
She laughed, but it was a far cry from real. “Personally, I expected a bullet through my head or child bearing presents in the form of a grenade.”
Understanding dawned. The cave-in must have triggered an episode from when she was overseas with the military. Damn, had Cole said where she was? He racked his brain, but came up with nothing.
Slowly, as not to startle her, he crouched down and searched for his phone. As his hand brushed it, the light, which was still on, streamed across the ground.
She pounced, trying to wrestle the phone from him as if it were a gun, and he was intent on shooting her.
“Riley, stop! It’s me Garrett.” He wrenched it free and turned it on her.
She held her arm over her eyes and lunged for him.
He easily side-stepped her rush. Would she recognize him? Quickly, he turned the light on himself, careful to shade his eyes so he could still see. “It’s just me, Garrett.” When she didn’t attack him, he risked shining the light against the ceiling to spread it over them.
She stood absolutely still, her chest heaving from her exertion, her brows lowered in confusion, her hands curled into fists. But it was her eyes that rooted him to the spot. They stared at nothing until she lifted her gaze to his. His stomach tightened even as he broke into a cold sweat. He’d seen that look before…on a corpse.
What would shake her out of it? Something important. Her horse? No, the paint was outside, patiently waiting for her, and she was stuck in here. The dog? “Where’s your dog?”
For a moment he didn’t think it had worked, but then she blinked. “Dog?”
“Yes, the dog you were holding?”
She glanced around the immediate area as if she couldn’t move. “Dog? I don’t own a dog.”
“He’s a little white thing with brown spots. He licked your face.”
Her eyes widened, and she spun to look behind her.
Damn, now she thought the dog was buried. He hoped not. “What’s his name. I bet he ran into the tunnels with all the noise.”
“Dog.” Her voice came out in a whisper, completely defeated.
He had no clue what the hell he was doing, but his gut told him he needed to get her back into the present, such as it was. Turning away from her, he yelled. “Hey dog. Come here, boy.”
A whine greeted his call and relief flooded him, though the whine was concerning. “Come here, boy.” He gave a whistle, which sent small stones cascading down the cave-in behind him.
“Don’t.” The word came up on him in a hiss. “The dirt is still unsettled. The ceiling could go.”
He looked above where they stood, his light revealing rotten cross beams. She had a point. The sound of soft footsteps came closer, and he shifted his beam back down the tunnel.
Suddenly, Riley brushed by him and crouched down as the mutt came into the lighted area. She scooped him up and stood, turning around to face him. “This is Dog.”
