Page 72 of The Spy Who Ghosted Me

She pressed her lips urgently against mine before murmuring against them, “I love you.”

“Ditto. Let’s go.” I released her, grabbed my backpack full of gear, and shut the hatch.

“According to what I looked up on the way over here, this cave is under construction. It used to be open for tours, but they found some new ‘big’ rooms and an underground waterfall. They are currently building more paths and adding additional lighting,” Sabrina informed me as we crossed the cracked parking lot, deserted save Soren’s car.

I did a quick scan of his vehicle as we passed it to make sure no one was in it. “Since your GPS tracker doesn’t work underground, we can’t be sure where they’ve gone. From what I remember of your grandfather’s map of this cave, even before the discovery of the new rooms, there were two paths to follow.”

“Did you memorize those maps?”

I tapped on my head. “Near genius, remember?”

“Color me impressed.”

“Don’t be impressed with me yet.” I was still kicking myself for this situation. It should have never come to this.

“I’ve seen you without your shirt on. I’m very impressed.” She grinned.

I appreciated the lightheartedness she added to the serious situation.

We passed the booth where I assumed people would pay to enter the cave. It had a cracked window, and the red paint was peeling. There was a sign on the entrance of the cave that said, Danger. Do not enter. It was too late for that.

Sabrina closed her eyes and steeled herself.

“If you want to wait in the car, you—”

“I want to stay with you,” she cut me off.

“Okay. Make as little noise as possible. And listen to me at all times.” I tried to drive that point home.

“I will, as long as it doesn’t endanger you.”

I held back my disagreement. “You are infuriating.”

“I know.” She smiled. “Now let’s go save my ungrateful sister and get those diamonds.”

I grabbed my low-beam flashlight and clicked it on. “Stay close to me. This won’t emit much light. We don’t want to announce that we’re here.”

She nodded.

“And remember, if you take a shot, make sure it hits your target. We don’t need bullets ricocheting against the cave walls.”

“Got it.”

“All right. Let’s go.” I climbed over the busted barrier and helped Sabrina over. We were immediately hit with a damp and moldy smell with a hint of sulfide. On the upside, it was warmer in the caves than outside. Not like it was balmy, but mid-fifties was doable.

I took a moment to listen for any signs of Izan and Lexi before I risked shining the light in front of us, gauging where we should go. According to Sabrina’s app, they had arrived at the cave an hour ago. There was no telling how far they’d trekked inside or when they would come back. The dim light revealed some of the incredible stalagmite formations, but I was more interested in the fresh drops of blood on the stone path leading to the left. I pointed them out to Sabrina.

“Lexi,” she whispered.

“It might not be hers,” I tried to comfort her. More than likely, they were both bleeding after the shower of glass that had come down at the rehearsal. How Sabrina had come out of it with only a few minor cuts was a miracle. Regardless, at least we knew which way to go.

As we headed down the path slick with moisture, the air thick with humidity, I had to wonder if Lexi had come down here willingly or if this was going to be a hostage-type situation. I prepared myself for either scenario. Lexi had to be feeling things, knowing that Izan wasn’t who he’d claimed to be. I just hoped she had enough sense not to fall for whatever story he was trying to sell her—or worse, try to escape. There was no telling what he would do if he caught her.

Every little sound, from the trickle of water to the crunch of the rocks under our feet, made Sabrina jump. I knew she was trying to be brave, but she was obviously terrified. It was the first time in my life that I was terrified too. But it was for her, not for me.

The low light barely pierced the deep darkness, so it was slow going. My arm began to ache more than I would admit to. I’d stitch it up myself when this was all said and done.

Sabrina held the gun with one hand, and with her other, she held my shirt. My phone vibrated violently in my pocket. No doubt Ivy wanted to know where I’d disappeared to. I was already thinking up a cover story as to why I’d taken Sabrina into the cave with me. Sabrina had texted her parents to say we just needed some time alone to process what had happened. Her parents believed I was shaken up after shooting and killing Isla and her friends. While it ate at me, I didn’t regret it. Ivy was going to be ticked about all the legwork she would have to do to cover up my name in the police reports, but she might forgive me if I got the diamonds and the FBI apprehended Izan. Maybe.

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