Page 16 of From the Darkness

She blinked, probing the darkness—and knew that in the moments when she’d been blinded, he’d slipped away.

“Troy?”

He didn’t answer, and she felt a shiver slither over her skin. He’d mesmerized her, made her forget about the dangerous drop-off.

Then, when he’d thrown the burning brand, she hadn’t even seen him at all. She was still grappling with that when his voice drifted toward her. This time from far away.

“Go back,” he said again. And then he was gone.

“Troy,” she called out, knowing, even as she said his name, that she was absolutely alone. “Troy,” she said again, despairingly, softly. “Don’t run away from me. Let me help you.”

Even as she called out to him, she knew he wasn’t going to answer. He had left her here, left her with light. And she knew she should use the opportunity to go back down the tunnel.

But she could also see that there was a short path that led along the rim of the pit and around a corner to some other section of the underground passage—a section that was hidden from view.

He’d slipped away. He hadn’t brushed past her. So, the only way he could have gone was in the other direction.

The old Bonnie Brennan whispered that she would be a fool to follow him. He obviously knew his way around here, and she didn’t. The new persona she’d worked so hard to create shouted that she had no other options.

It was clear Troy had sought her out because he was in trouble. Yet, at the same time, he didn’t want to—or couldn’t—give her any information.

What if he’d changed his mind about trusting her—and this was her only chance to get some answers from him?

For a long moment she stood with her lower lip between her teeth, torn between safety and urgency. Yet deep down, she silently acknowledged that one reason she’d come here was to test herself. To find out if she’d really changed from the timid woman of the past. To prove she wasn’t her old wimpy self, she took a step forward and then another, hugging the rock wall, staying as far as she could from the pit. Although it was only six or eight feet to the other side, the journey seemed endless. She breathed out a little sigh as she came out onto a wider space again.

But she could take only half a dozen steps forward before she came up against a rock fall that totally blocked her forward progress.

“Troy?” she called out once more, hoping against hope that he would answer. He remained silent.

It seemed impossible for him to have gotten past that pile of loose boulders. Was he here somewhere—hiding?

As she stared at the dead-end tunnel, she saw the light from below flicker, and she knew that the brand in the chasm wasn’t going to burn much longer. If it went out while she was still over here, getting back along the narrow path would be even more dangerous.

Quickly she retraced her steps, surprised that the light flared more brightly as she crossed the rocky passage. In her imagination, she couldn’t help picturing Troy down there, holding up the torch for her. Was that where he’d gone? Down some flight of steps she couldn’t see?

She had just stepped back onto the other side when the flame flared up, then suddenly choked out.

In reaction, she felt her throat close and pressed her hand against the rock. After taking a moment to get her bearings, she eased around the corner and started back up the tunnel, keeping one hand on the rock.

At first, she moved slowly down the passageway. But she picked up speed as she put distance between herself and the chasm, until she was almost running when she felt the surface under her feet change.

She was back in the part of the tunnel that led directly to her bedroom closet, and as she peered ahead of her, she saw the light that she’d left burning.

Relief surged through her as she stepped back into the closet. When her gaze flicked to the window, she saw gray morning light filtering around the edge of the curtain.

Turning on all the lights, she threw the closet door wide and made sure she understood how to operate the hidden entrance to the tunnel. Then she closed off the passage and stepped back into the bedroom. To her relief, she found a lock on the closet door.

Her lips set in a firm line, she transferred her suitcase to a shelf in the large bathroom and hung her few good clothes on the hook on the back of the door. Then she locked the closet, intending to keep it locked for the rest of her stay here.

She supposed someone could still come into the bedroom through the tunnel—if they wanted to break down the door. But they could also break down the entrance to the hall, for that matter. She glanced at the door, feeling suddenly as if someone were on the other side, listening to her every move.

Her jaw clenched, and she thought about marching across the room and flinging the door open.

But she’d already had two confrontations this morning. And she was pretty sure she couldn’t handle another one.

***

Moments before Bree stepped back into the room, a hand quietly twisted the knob on the hall side of the bedroom door—and found it locked.

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