Page 68 of Doyle

Zeus leaned in. “I don’t know?—”

“Watch.”

It appeared again, almost a flash, before vanishing. “That’s the lift opening a second before the feed is replaced.”

Zeus picked up his walkie. “Milton. I need you in the control room.”

Static.

He tried again.

Nothing.

“I’m going down there,” Stein said. “You should be able to see me.”

Zeus nodded, and Stein exited the office, striding across the wing to the main lodging. He ran his card—with the new code—over the elevator pad and called it. It arrived... from below.

Aw...

He stepped into the opening and thumbed the button for the lower floor, hit it again and a third time, just... because.

And also just because, he took his gun from its shoulder holster.Please, please let her not be there?—

The lift opened.

Empty.He walked out into the room, looked at the security pad. The lights glowed green, the locks secure.

“Let me know when you arrive.” Zeus, through the walkie.

Oh no.He turned and looked at the cameras. Keyed the mic. “You don’t see me?”

“Negative.”

His heart sank as he stalked back to the lift. “We’re too late,” he said. “She was already here.”

EIGHT

This might be a singularlybad idea.

Doyle, following his gut, again, listening to his impulses instead of taking a breath, stepping back, waiting for an organized rescue team.

But waiting could get people killed,thank you.

He and Tia had climbed the trail to the cave under the light of the moon, his Maglite illuminating the path. Now they stood at the opening, the darkness inside thick and brooding.

“There are ghosts in those caves.”

Elias’s words rose inside him, and maybe he wasn’t wrong.

A chilly, ghoulish breath filtered out of the space.

“What were they thinking?” This from Tia. She’d changed out of that pretty sundress into a pair of hiking pants, boots, and a long-sleeve shirt, and pulled her hair back.

Still so pretty,and he had to shake away the memory of a different impulse, the one he’d followed at the beach...

Nope.Maybe he should thank Jamal and Elias for stopping him from getting in over his head.

He and Tia were simply two broken hearts on a rebound, colliding into each other.

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