Page 113 of Counter Attack

“Last night was not my fault.”

“You baited a serial killer, Alexis.”

She gritted her teeth. “Okay, maybe I shouldn’t have done that, but he made me so mad.”

“But that’s not like you. You’ve always been in control, had a plan and worked it. You’re letting this serial killer get inside your head.”

She took a breath to tell Nathan he was wrong and released it without saying anything. The website and video gamehadconsumed her, so much so, she wasn’t thinking clearly. “You’re right.” It cost her dearly to say those words. “I underestimated this Phame character. It won’t happen again.”

“I hope it doesn’t.” He held her gaze. “I don’t think I can go through what happened yesterday another time.”

Her blood raced at the concern in his eyes. “Here’s hoping you never have to,” she said softly.

Just as he caressed her jaw, an SUV blew past them, horn blowing. Alex jumped back.

“Mark,” Nathan muttered and started his motor. “Guess we don’t want to keep him waiting.”

“Good thinking,” she said, covering her grin with her hand. He would have kissed her if Mark hadn’t come along, and she would have welcomed it.

Mark had already climbed to the mouth of the cave when they pulled up to the spot where the ambulance had waited for her yesterday. “I wish I could get closer,” Nathan said.

“I’m good.” She unbuckled her seat belt. “Just have to remember not to put too much pressure on my left hand.”

“You want me to bind it to your body?”

“I think it’ll be fine.” She didn’t tell him her wrist had low-level pain already. Maybe a couple of ibuprofens would take care of it. Alex waited until Nathan was out of the truck and getting their gear from the bed to find the pain relievers and take them.

When she climbed out of the truck, Nathan handed her a helmet with a headlamp and a vest with a bottle of water and protein bars in the pockets. Before she thought, she shook out her ponytail to redo it lower and tried to wrap the band one-handed. Her shoulders drooped. Just how did she expect to put her hair back in a ponytail?

“Ready?” he asked.

She held out the black hair elastic. “Could you—” She pointed at her hair. “It was too high for the helmet.”

“Sure.” He gently pulled her hair back and secured it with the elastic tie. “Is that low enough?”

“We’ll see.” She plopped the helmet on her head. “It’s good.”

“Ready now?”

“Ready.”

By the time they climbed up to the mouth of the cave, she didn’t have to remind herself to keep the wrist above her heart—the pain was enough.

Mark wore jeans and a sweatshirt as well. “I didn’t know you were coming.”

“I wanted to see the place where I was held. Where’s Gem?”

“Home. The only time I took her caving when it wasn’t search and rescue, she whined the whole time.”

Alex nodded toward his fancy caving helmet. “I didn’t know you liked caving.”

“Been doing it for years.”

She hated the thought that popped in her mind—Mark would’ve had no trouble getting her to the cave. And if thedrug she’d consumed in the cocoa was GHB, she would’ve been compliant and have no memory of it.

Alex shook the thought away. Mark had helped Nathan find her yesterday. She turned to Nathan, and he gave her a reassuring smile.

“Alexis and I will go in first,” Nathan said. “You can bring up the rear. Do you have another light, in case that one goes out?”

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