Had probably started falling during that first kiss in the parking lot when he’d shown her exactly who he was—someone who didn’t waste time playing games, who dove in with his whole heart and who trusted her to catch him.
She hadn’t been ready to catch him then. But she was now.
If she survived this cave, this cold, this darkness that pressed against her skin like all the fears she’d been running from, she’d find a way to make it right. To show Noah that she understood now. That she was done running.
That she chose him. Chose them. Chose the adventure of discovering what they could be together instead of the safety of being alone.
Another tremor shook the cave, longer this time. More rocks fell, the sound drilling into her bones. The temperature kept dropping, but she barely noticed.
She was too busy planning what she’d say to Noah when she saw him again. How she’d explain that she finally understood what he’d been offering all along—a chance to soar higher together than either of them could alone.
Ripley’s sudden attention shift startled her from her thoughts. The lab’s entire body had gone tense, nose working frantically in the darkness.
“What is it, girl?” Sabrina’s pulse quickened. Had the man with the gun found another entrance? Was something worse coming?
But Ripley wasn’t growling. She was whining softly, pawing at something near the cave-in. The sound of her nails scratching against rock echoed in the confined space.
“Ripley, come back.” Fear squeezed Sabrina’s chest. Another cave-in could kill them both.
Instead of obeying, the lab continued her frantic investigation, moving with the purpose Sabrina recognized from their training sessions. This wasn’t random—Ripley was working.
She crawled toward the sound, her hands outstretched in the darkness. “What did you find, girl?”
Her fingers encountered Ripley’s fur, then the rough edge of stone, and beyond it, the faintest whisper of fresh air. A crack, barely wider than her wrist, had opened in the rockfall. Too small for a human, but maybe—
“You brilliant dog.” Hope surged through her veins. “Show me.”
Ripley needed no further encouragement. She wiggled closer to the opening, her body language signaling the excitement she displayed during their SAR practice.
The next few minutes passed in a blur as Sabrina carefully widened the crack, just enough for Ripley to squeeze through. She’d never been so grateful for all those hours spent training the dog to find missing persons, to navigate difficult terrain, to seek help.
“Find Noah,” she whispered, pressing her face close to the crack. “Bring him back here.”
Ripley hesitated, torn between her training to stay with her handler and the command to seek help.
“Go, girl.” Sabrina’s voice broke. “It’s okay. I’m counting on you.”
With a final whine, Ripley squeezed through the narrow opening, her movements sending a small shower of pebbles cascading down. Then silence.
Sabrina pressed her eye to the crack, straining to see anything in the darkness beyond. Nothing. But somewhere out there, Ripley was running through the canyon, seeking help. Seeking Noah.
Please, God, let that be true. Don’t let the man with the gun see her. Fly, Ripley, fly.
She settled back against the wall and wrapped her arms around herself. The cold penetrated deeper now, but the spark of hope burned brighter. Ripley knew what to do. She’d been trained for this.
It was time for Sabrina to trust her partner, just as she needed to trust Noah. To believe that sometimes, salvation came in the form you least expected.
All she had to do now was survive until rescue came. And when it did, she’d be ready—for everything.
CHAPTER 21
Noah squinted against the morning glare, his clipboard notes on the junior handler’s technique with his Malinois forgotten in his hand. The early session was wrapping up, but his gaze was on the jagged peaks beyond Peavine Canyon, visible in the distance. The mountains stood sentinel against the horizon, uncompromising and unforgiving—a physical reminder that beauty could be painful. This training spot offered the perfect blend of varied terrain and accessibility, but that’s not why he’d chosen it.
He’d chosen it because it hurt to remember, and he needed to cauterize the gaping wound Sabrina had left behind.
“You with us, Colton?” Steve’s voice carried across the training field, a knowing edge to his words.
“Yeah.” Noah forced his attention away from the view and back to the clipboard. “Just evaluating Sandra’s retrieval pattern.”
