Page 47 of Clay

Then the gunfire screamed again, muzzle flares lighting the darkness, and she saw Clay surge to his feet and lunge toward Hamilton, who’d stepped around the corner he’d been hiding behind. Heard the single shot that ended it all.

“Ivy?” Clay asked, his voice gruff and strained and oh-so-welcome.

“I’m fine,” she said, fighting back tears. She hadn’t had to see the bullet hit Hamilton to know the man was dead. Clay wouldn’t be talking to her if it wasn’t safe.

Then he was at her side, lifting her to her feet. “Come on, let’s get you the fuck out of here, and I’ll go back for Cali.”

“But how…” she trailed of as she realized he was walking, completely surefooted beside her.

“I have no fucking idea,” he said, “And right now I don’t care.”

Light from the mouth of the shaft began to peek through the darkness, and then suddenly they were there, almost to freedom.

“Andrews and Foster on our way out,” he called, and stepped into the light. “Hamilton is no longer a threat, but Cali is missing.”

Ivy was instantly blinded, felt hands pulling her to safety, and blinked until Tate’s big form swam into focus.

“You’re okay,” he said as he set her down and another set of hands uncuffed her. It was Jordan, and behind her was Undersheriff Abel Jones, a thunderous expression on his face.

“Clay,” she turned, in time to see him disappearing back into the mine shaft, along with Jordan, who’d also donned night vision gear.

“He’ll be fine,” Tate said, his soothing voice a contrast to his size.

“You don’t understand,” she said as Dev jogged into view. “He reinjured his ankle while we were in there. Hurt it badly.”

“He looked fine,” Jones said.

“Well, he’s not,” she said hotly in response. “Hamilton is dead,” she told Dev. “Cali’s still in there. I have no idea what happened. She went after Hamilton and Clay stayed behind to save me. Then he came back, but she didn’t.”

Everything in Dev seemed to tighten and for a moment Ivy thought he might race into the darkness himself, lack of night vision be damned.

But he held himself back, donned an expression colder than anything she’d ever seen.

“Then we wait. Jordan is a professional. Out of all of us, she’ll know what to do.”

Jones grumbled something under his breath that Ivy didn’t catch, but that made Dev give the man a harsh glare, though he said nothing.

“Ivy, we can send you down to the ambulance,” Dev offered, but his eyes never left the cave entrance.

“I’m fine. I’ll wait,” she replied, found a rock to sit on and hoped like hell that Cali and Clay were all right.

Within five minutes a search and rescue team had ascended the mountain, having waited until it was clear that Hamilton was no longer a threat. They and two armed deputies surged into the cave, headlamps illuminating the way, giving a nod to Ivy when she warned them about the shaft she’d almost fallen into.

The sun beat down on her head, and she was sweating like she never really had before, a mix of nerves and Vegas sun, but there was no way in hell she was leaving, not without Clay.

Twenty minutes later the search and rescue team exited with Cali. She looked dazed, as if she’d just awoken.

“Report,” Jones barked.

“Probable concussion,” the team lead said. “Her team had already found her but were afraid to move her. Then she came around right when we got there.”

“I’m fine,” Cali said, pushing at their supportive hands. “Asshole laid in wait and conked me on the head with a fucking rock.” She looked more embarrassed than injured now.

“Take her in,” Dev said, his tone and body language still encased in ice.

“I said I’m fine.” Now anger flared in her eyes.

Dev stepped forward, right into her space and looked down at her. “Please do this. For me. For all of us.”

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