Page 80 of Doyle

“Stand up.”

“Bossy.”

“Brace yourself, honey. I’m just getting started.”

Oh.

He didn’t look like he was kidding, and her eyes widened as he turned her, then pulled her against him, the pack in front of her. He held out the straps and climbed in behind her, the straps crossing behind him.

“It’s, um, a little snug in here, Doyle.” Indeed, the pack squished her against his back, his body pinned to hers.

“This way you don’t fall.”

“What? You said, ‘Who’s falling?’ I heard you.”

“Not you. Not today. Listen, we’re climbing down this cable. I just need you to hold your weight against the wall. I’ll do the work. Have you ever been climbing?”

“No! Doyle, I can’t?—”

“Trust me.” His voice fell into her ear, soft, calm. “I’ll be right here.”

Yeah, because he wasstrappedonto her. “I’m going to fall and kill you.”

He chuckled then, his body rumbling against hers. “No, you won’t.”

“Are you sure you’re not a SEAL?”

“I’m better than a SEAL. One of my hobbies in college was rock climbing.”

“Are you lying to me?”

“You’ll just have to believe me.” He had tucked the Maglite into the pack, zipping it into the front pocket, the face shining out. “I’m going to reach out and grab the cord. You do the same. Then we’ll step out onto the rock. I want you to flatten your feet against the rock wall, stick your backside out, and if you have to, sit on my lap. Then we’ll move together down the cliff.”

“What about the waves? They’ll kill us!”

“No. Even in the few minutes I watched, the tide was going out. By the time we get down there, the water will be down to the top of the tunnel. Even if it’s not, it will only be a few feet deep. Then we’ll swim to the beach and walk back to town.”

“Just like that.” Oh, she wished she could see if he was smiling.

“Or we could stay here, build a nice vacation home.”

“What about daylight? I like daylight.”

He said nothing as his chest rose and fell. “Yes. But the longer we wait, the more Rohan, Gabriella, and Jaden risk being burned alive.”

“What?”

“The sulfur in here doesn’t just smell bad—it’s flammable and could ignite with heat. If the laser heated the air, it could have ignited, which would mean that deep inside the mountain, there is fire burning. If the sulfur dust accumulates, it can create an explosion. More, the gas can also ignite. So, if they aren’t already... Well, we’re running out of time.”

She’d gone cold at his words. “Okay. Yes. Let’s do this.”

NINE

Doyle didn’t knowwhat was riskier—his crazy plan, or the impulse to simply drop into the ocean and swim for their lives.

The waves still threw themselves, foamy and furious, against the rocks, and he couldn’t exactly look down to see if his prediction about the tide proved right.

Please, God.

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