Acardi was going in completely blind here. All he had to follow washer.K.J. felt his hand on her shoulder with every step.
“It’s called a winze—the walking area. The shafts are ore chutes. Hate to fall into one of those,” Miguel said so quietly if she hadn’t been that close behind him and Acardi she wouldn’t have been able to hear.
She stayed close to Acardi. He was following her footsteps blind. He’d descended into hell to get to the woman he loved. She definitely admired that.
She was almost convinced she was there to help Miguel keep Acardi from going off the deep end.
She just hoped Madison knew how much the man loved her.
Maybe someday K.J. would be loved like that.
They just kept going.
Miguel had given them the game plan.
The idea was to isolate where Newcomb had Madison and get people behind him somehow.
Namely her.
She hadeyeswith the infrared and illuminator. And…they couldn’t take him down with a bullet. She didn’t have her taser. But what she did have, she carried with her always, herskills—either she or Miguel were going to physically take him down. Acardi’s entire focus was on getting to Madison.
She was ready for what she had to do.
They just kept creeping forward.
Then they entered the tunnels.
"Single file," Miguel said. "It's about to get tight in here. Twenty-four inch walking path only.”
No.
Cave exploration was not something going on her bucket list.
They just kept going.
113
Madison kept moving forward,expecting to feel a bullet tear into her back again.
What was to keep him from just shooting up the path?
Other than the fact that if Newcomb missed and it ricocheted, he had to know it could come back and hit him. Or…cave-ins were a distinct possibility and that made the most sense.
She didn't think he was completely stupid. Not to have accomplished what he had.
So no, he probably wouldnotshoot her right away.
Madison just kept going. Then she felt almost open air next to her. Madison heard the rushing water again.
She knew where she was now. Madison’s right foot slipped. She almost went off the edge.
Only jerking to the left kept her from plummeting to her doom.
One step in front of the other. One step in front of the other. That was all she told herself.
She pictured her mother's face. She pictured Dom. Max. Her baby brother, who looked so much like their father it hurtsometimes. She pictured the older version of Dominic Vincent Acardi, the man who loved her mother like she was his whole world. She pictured her sweet little Missy the Cat, waiting on her to get home to her.
She wanted her family.
