Page 166 of Capturing You
Another man whispered, “No chatter. They must not have called…” The rest of his words were drowned by a wave crashing on the headland.
Chatter, as if on a police radio. Leo was reassuring his men that Forbes and Brooklynn hadn’t called 911. He didn’t realize yet that they knew the chief was in on the smuggling ring.
Small favors.
Forbes backed away silently, gun aimed toward the cave mouth.
His heart thumped so loudly that he feared the men outside would hear.
He and Brooklynn would wait in the cave, and if they had to, they’d make their stand there. In the middle of the pitch-black rocky space.
If anyone tried to hurt Brooklynn, Forbes would kill him. Orher, he added, thinking of Maury Stratton.
He’d die before he let harm come to Brooklynn.
He feared it would come to exactly that. And, just like with his father and mother and sister, he’d fail.
And the one he loved would pay the price.
CHAPTERTHIRTY-FIVE
The silence and darkness pressed in until Brooklynn could hardly stand it. She’d texted Grant and Jon and Lori Putnam and the number Grant had sent for the FBI.
None of the texts had gone through. She was too deep underground.
With no other options, she prayed, lifting her fears and needs to the Lord who was always close, no matter the dense rocks and soil and roots between her and clean, fresh air.
God was in the cave with her. She knew that, even if she didn’t feel His presence.
Help us, Lord. Bring Forbes back. Please, please…
It seemed he’d been gone an hour by the time she heard quiet footsteps on the rocks.
“Is that you?” Her voice was barely a whisper.
“Yes.”
She exhaled her terror. He was here. He was safe.
He reached her, still without his flashlight. “You all right?”
“Glad you’re back. What’d you learn?”
“They know.” His voice was tight with worry. “They’re waiting for us at the mouth.”
She gasped. “They know we’re here?” Turning back the way they’d come, she half expected to see enemies approaching. “What should we do?”
“They think we’ll go out by the shore. I’m just lucky I heard them talking. We have no choice. We have to go back to the mansion.”
“But…but they’ll see us.”
“If we wait in here, they’ll eventually come after us. They’ll have us cornered. Our only hope is to get out and hide in the mansion. They won’t be able to find us. We can call Jon’s friends again. We can wait for help.”
But they had to get there. They’d be exposed.
“We have no choice.” Forbes scooted past her and continued up the slope. “Come on. We need to move fast.”
The trek back up toward the house was harder than the trek down had been. The closer they got to the forest beside Forbes’s house, the more she dreaded the moment they’d reach the entrance to the passage.
