She glanced behind him before looking down at his phone in her hand. A smirk lifted her lips. Fourteen minutes.”
“That’s it?”
“It feels like a lot longer in the dark.”
The statement, said with such surety, gave him a chill. Again, he sensed that she may have been in a similar situation before, but what could cause her to know about working in complete blackness? Was it from crawling in tunnels in the Middle East or further back? Did her parents lock her in a closet or something? Even at the thought, his grip on the spikes tightened. Shit, he hoped he was wrong. “Why don’t we continue working on this plan before we jump to another.”
She gave a curt nod. “I agree. We can take turns. Every hour, we can switch off.”
Relieved that she wouldn’t be wandering off, never to return, he lifted the spikes. “Then I’d best get back to it.” He gave his words a miner’s drawl, or what he hoped sounded like one.
She didn’t respond, simply lifting the light to allow him to see his spot on the pile.
“If you stay directly behind me and talk, it will help me keep on target.”
She looked down at Dog. “We can do that.”
Interesting. She included the dog. He had a feeling this Whisper wouldn’t be getting her dog back when she returned at the end of the weekend. Turning, he climbed up the pile again and stuck his spikes in. “Ready.”
The light shifted away to the far wall then dipped as she sat down. It moved again, telling him that Dog, must have decided her lap was softer than the ground.
“Really?”
At the sound of her disgruntled voice, he knew he was correct, so he kept his position. “Leave the light on a moment. I want to see how the dirt is falling.” Pulling the spikes toward him and to the side, he watched the gravel fall to the mine floor. He adjusted his movement by twenty degrees and did it again. That was better. “Okay, I’m ready for my hour.”
No sooner had he said the words than the light went out. He gave himself a half a minute to adjust to the blackness again and started digging. “You’re going to have to keep talking.
“I don’t talk much.”
Now why didn’t that surprise him. “Well, you do now.” Stab. Pull back. And push. Stab. Pull back. And push. “Riley, I’m not hearing anything.”
“What am I supposed to talk about?”
Adjust. Stab. Pull back. Push. “Anything. How about Last Chance?” That should be something to keep her in the present.
“Fine. I can tell Cole I gave you the employee orientation.”
Stab. Pull back. “He really has one of those?” Somehow that fit his former co-worker.
She snorted. “Oh yeah. Complete with history of every rescued horse, though I don’t think he actually writes those.”
“Who does?” Push. Stab. Pull back. Push. Stab.
“I’m not sure. Maybe Lacey. She keeps everything straight on the financial end. You’re required to know what everyone does, who the current horses are, where to order the grain and hay, how to get purchases approved, what kitchen privileges you have, and what to do in case of a fire.”
At the last, he laughed. “Now that sounds like Cole.”
“How did you meet? You don’t seem as uptight as he is nor as forgetful.”
Again, she attacked Cole. What did she have against him? “You don’t like Cole, do you?”
“What?” Her immediate response accentuated her surprise. “Why do you say that?”
Stab. Pull back. Push. Stab. Pull back. Push. “You criticize him every chance you get.”
“I do?”
He didn’t feel the need to answer. Let her think about it for a minute. As it turned out, it didn’t take a full minute, from what he could tell.
