Page 217 of Valor

Honza patted his knee and silently passed him a bit of cheese.

CHAPTERTWENTY-ONE

Northern Moravia, 2025

Meghan weighed her choices.She could follow Oliver or wait out here for a gang of Russian men. When Oliver reached for her and held her tight against his chest, she knew he wasn’t just doing his job, protecting anasset. He cared for her. Meghan took a deep breath and squeezed between the boulder and the rock face.

Oliver turned his phone light on.

“We will need to go deeper into the cave in case they find the entrance. Watch your head; the ceiling drops a little further ahead. There are also a couple of tight squeezes, so turn sideways when we get to them.”

“You had been here before?”

“A few times.”

“Lead the way, then.” She pulled out her phone and turned the light on.

“Let’s just use mine in case it runs out of power; we will have yours to light the passage on our way back.”

Meghan tucked her cell away and followed him. The first few meters were fine. Oliver’s light bounced off the glistening walls. The squishy sound made by her drenched shoes drove her crazy, but given the overall situation, that was the least of her concerns.

How long did he plan to stay in the underground hideout, and how would he know that the Russians had left?

God, what did he mean when he said he had been to this cave several times?Could Oliver be a cunning serial killer, orchestrating this entire adventure for his amusement? Meghan looked at the man confidently guiding her through the narrow passage. She could let her mind spiral down into a fantastical nightmare, or she could choose to trust. Trust Oliver? And if she wasn’t all that confident about him, she could trust God. Even though, at times, she didn’t understand His guidance, He had never let her down. She gripped the little heart-shaped pendant.God is love. As their footsteps echoed through the corridor made of bare rock, Meghan forced her mind to focus on the ancient prayer.

“Our Father, who are in Heaven…”

* * *

When they finally reached thecave’s inner sanctum, Oliver took off his jacket and spread it on the ground.

“We can rest here,” he lowered himself to the cave floor, leaving enough space for Meghan to do the same. She dropped her weight next to him and leaned against the cold stone.

“How long do we need to stay here?”

“I’ll go out and check the area in about an hour. If I don’t see them, I will call for the evac with our new coordinates. Hopefully, the weather will clear.”

“So, we wait?”

“Yeah,” he grumbled.

“In that case, maybe you can finally tell me what is actually going on.” She turned to him. Her eyes glistened in the dim light of his phone. He liked having her sit this close to him, even if it was under these circumstances.

“A couple of friends of mine and I found this cave. Years ago. I was twelve.” Oliver shone the light around the perimeter of the space. “This is where my interest in history was born.” He illuminated a list of names marked on the wall opposite them.

“What is that?” Meghan asked.

“That’s what I wondered. At first, my friends and I wanted to add our names to it, thinking everyone who had found this cave in the past had done so.”

Meghan got up and took a few steps closer to the graffiti.

“It’s part of the history of this place. Let me start with the mill.”

She carefully touched one of the names with the tips of her fingers as if concerned that her hand could erase it. Meghan sat back down next to him.

“Okay.” She scooted closer. “Hope you don’t mind. I’m starting to feel the chill.”

‘Take off those wet shoes,” he said and reached to untie them.

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