Page 11 of Enticing Kane

“I’m sorry we had to leave the site,” Kane said after a while. “I know how much it meant to you.”

Maggie sighed, her shoulders slumping. “It’s not your fault. You were right—we couldn’t stay there. It just feels like we’re leaving something unfinished.”

Kane looked at her, his gaze steady and reassuring. “We’ll go back. I promise you that. But we have to be smart about it. Whatever’s going on here, it’s bigger than just an archaeological dig.”

Maggie met his eyes, searching for the truth in his words. There was something about Kane that made her want to trust him, to believe that he could protect her, protect all of them, from whatever dangers lay ahead.

But the fear of failure, the fear of losing everything she had worked for, still lingered in the back of her mind. And as much as she wanted to believe that they would get through this unscathed, she couldn’t shake the feeling that they were on the brink of something much larger—and much more dangerous—than they had ever imagined.

Chapter Five

Kane

The following morning, they broke camp and began to move toward the cave that would be their temporary home until Kane thought it was safe to return to the dig or he could arrange an extraction by Cerberus. The wind howled through the narrow canyons of the Syrian desert, carrying with it the scent of sand and the ominous promise of danger. He led the team with the practiced ease of a man who had spent most of his life navigating hostile environments. Every muscle in his body was taut, his senses on high alert as they moved through the treacherous terrain.

He’d chosen this route carefully, guided by old military maps and the intel gathered from the locals. The hidden cave system they were headed toward was supposed to be secure, a place where they could regroup and plan their next steps without the constant threat of surveillance or attack. But the desert was unforgiving, and the path ahead was far from safe.

Kane kept a sharp eye over his shoulder on the group trailing behind him. The team of archaeologists, exhausted but determined, followed his lead with varying degrees of trepidation. Their expressions were a mix of fear and trust—trust that Kane would get them through this in one piece. Maggie’s face was set in a mask of focused determination. She moved with surprising agility for someone whose usual environment involved dusty digs and ancient artifacts rather than craggy rocks and narrow ledges.

As they navigated a particularly steep incline, Kane couldn’t help but notice the way Maggie carried herself. There was a fierceness in her that he hadn’t fully appreciated before, a fire that matched her intellect and passion for her work. She wasn’t just Matt Dillon’s sister—she was her own person, with her own strengths and flaws. The realization had struck him more forcefully than he’d expected, but he’d quickly pushed the thought aside. He couldn’t afford distractions, especially not now.

The Marines had taught Kane many things, but one lesson had always stood out: stay focused on the mission. And the mission right now was to keep Maggie and the rest of the team safe. Anything else—any feelings or thoughts that didn’t directly contribute to that goal—was irrelevant.

Even so, he couldn’t entirely ignore the way his awareness of Maggie had heightened since they left the camp. The way she set her jaw when the path got difficult, the way she didn’t complain even when the going got tough—it all spoke to a resilience that he found unexpectedly admirable. And it reminded him of something he had lost when he left the military: a sense of purpose, a reason to keep pushing forward.

Kane’s thoughts were interrupted by a sudden rumble overhead. He instinctively threw out an arm, signaling the group to halt. The ground beneath them trembled slightly, and a few loose stones tumbled down the rocky slope. His eyes narrowed as he scanned the area, searching for the source of the disturbance.

“Everyone stay close to the walls,” Kane ordered, his voice low but authoritative. “We’re not out of the woods yet.”

Maggie, standing just a few feet away, caught his eye and nodded, her expression serious. She wasn’t afraid—at least, not in the way the others were. She trusted him, and that trust was a weight on his shoulders. It wasn’t just about keeping her alive; it was about living up to the faith she had placed in him, whether she realized it or not.

They continued on, the cave entrance drawing closer with every step. But the rumbling overhead grew louder, the vibrations more intense. Kane could feel it in his bones—something was about to give.

“Move, now!” he shouted, motioning for the team to pick up the pace. They scrambled forward, urgency in every movement.

The ground shook violently, and with a deafening roar, a section of the cliff above them gave way. Kane barely had time to react before a cascade of rocks came crashing down, splitting the group in two. He grabbed Maggie’s arm, pulling her toward him and shielding her with his body as the rocks rained down around them.

When the dust settled, Kane’s heart was pounding, his breath coming in short, controlled bursts. He and Maggie were separated from the rest of the team, the rockfall having created an impassable barrier between them and the others.

Kane’s first instinct was to curse under his breath, but he quickly tamped down his frustration. He turned to Maggie, who was breathing heavily, her eyes wide with shock but otherwise unharmed.

“Are you okay?” he asked, his voice softer now, more concerned.

Maggie nodded, though she was clearly shaken. “I’m fine. What about the others?”

“We’ll have to find another way out,” Kane said, his mind already working through the options. “They’re trapped on the other side, but they’ll be all right. We just need to get out of here and regroup.”

He could see the fear in her eyes, but also something else—resolve. Maggie wasn’t the type to break down in a crisis. If anything, she seemed to draw strength from it. Most of the subs he knew would have been having a meltdown, but not Maggie. She had more grit than that. In some ways, she reminded him of her younger brother. Matt had that same kind of quiet courage. The fact was he found himself attracted to her in a way he hadn’t been to other women for a very long time.

Kane led the way into the cave, his flashlight cutting through the darkness. The walls were close, the air thick and heavy. Every step echoed in the confined space; the sound amplified by the silence around them. Maggie followed closely behind, her own flashlight beam dancing alongside his.

The cave system was more extensive than Kane had anticipated. Narrow tunnels branched off in multiple directions, some so tight that they had to squeeze through sideways. Despite the claustrophobic conditions, Maggie didn’t complain. She moved with the same quiet determination that had impressed him earlier, her mind clearly focused on finding a way out.

As they made their way deeper into the cave, the initial tension between them began to ease. They worked together in a silent rhythm, each one anticipating the other’s needs. When they reached a particularly steep drop, Maggie offered a rope from her pack, which Kane secured before helping her descend. When they encountered a narrow passage barely wide enough for one person, Kane went first, guiding Maggie through with calm, steady instructions.

It was in these moments, as they navigated the cave’s challenges together, that Kane began to see Maggie in a new light. She wasn’t just a civilian caught up in a dangerous situation—she was capable, resourceful, and determined. And as much as he tried to remind himself that she was Matt’s sister, that he had a duty to protect her and nothing more, he couldn’t deny the growing respect he felt for her.

They came to a wider chamber, where the ceiling rose high above them, and the air felt cooler, fresher. Kane paused to catch his breath, his mind still racing with thoughts of the team they had left behind, of the mission, of the danger that seemed to be closing in on them from all sides. But it was Maggie who filled his thoughts the most—Maggie, who had proven herself to be more than just a responsibility.

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