“How sweet, Acardi. Maybe you’ll name one Ernie,” Newcomb just had to add.
“Hardly, pal.” Madison dug her fingernails into his arm as hard as she could. He cursed and tightened his hold. She tried to bite him, but it didn’t work.
Madison dropped one hand. There was one other trick her stepfather had taught her. Told her it worked every time.
She had to get his arm off her, so she could…get to Dom.
Madison was going to get to Dom, and they were going to get out of here, forever.
She reached behind her.
He was wearing thin trousers. And she strongly suspected pretty boyErniewore thin silk skivvies—or tidy whities. He seemed the tidy whitie type.
She grabbed. Right on target. And twisted. As hard as she possibly could.
He howled. Screeched. Jerked back. “Let mego!”
“Oh, poorbaby.Mads has Ernie by the balls, and he can’t handle it. Make a trade, Ernie. You let go of my neck,” Madison yelled it. So Dom knew what was happening. She didn’t know if he could see her or not. “And I’ll let go of your balls!”
Madison gave a vicioustwist.
He keened. Like she was killing him through his penis.
Ernie dropped his arm. And Madison could breathe again.
She stepped away from him as fast as she could. “He has a gun!”
Then she heard it.
The sound ofrockcrumbling beneath her.
120
K.J. watchedit happen with the infrared. She watched Madisonfall.
She yelled. “Madison! Madison is down!”
Madison and Newcomb were justgone.The ground beneath them was gone.
“Flashlights, now!” K.J. yelled, moving forward as carefully as she could. But…quick. “Madison’s down! Ground is gone! We have a cave in! Flashlights now!”
Acardi was yelling Madison’s name. Yelling for her to talk to him. To tell him where she was. Almostbegging.She would never forget how he sounded now.
“No one moves until we have light,” Miguel yelled. It wasn’t going to do any good. Acardi was only holding back for so much longer.
Two flashlights were on. K.J. flinched from the light.
But it was enough. They could at leastsee.
Where Madison and Newcomb had just disappeared.
“Miller…go. Dom, stay back. You don’t want to send rock down on her now.”
K.J. nodded.
She crept to the ledge. “Mads? Can you answer me, please!”
She braced herself—she didn’t know what she was going to see when she looked over the ledge.
