Page 62 of Bear In A Bookstore
“I’m getting tired of that threat. Show me proof that he’s here.”
“I don’t owe you a damn thing. I’m in charge here.”
Kora held up her hands and looked contrite. “Okay. Okay, you’re right. I’m sorry. I’ll cooperate.”
Desi narrowed his eyes. There was an edge to her tone. She was lying. His heart lurched. What was she planning?
Kora smoothed back her hair and stood dutifully next to Earl. He moved to put his arm around her waist again, but in the blink of an eye, she unclicked his rope from the D-ring on his harness. He glanced down.
She slammed her shoulder into his side, propelling him over the edge. Earl’s arms thrust out to his sides for balance as he fell backward into the expanse.
“Now!”
Desi twisted his head, allowing his bear to come forth. Earl’s goons eyed him in shock as he and Fox advanced, shifting as they ran, landing hard on all-fours. Desi slipped from human to bear just as Earl grabbed the hem of Kora’s oversized tee shirt.
And pulled her down the hole with him.
Desi growled, the sound beating against her scream. He was suddenly body slammed and rolled onto his side. Earl’s men had shifted, their bear forms shorter but stockier. He didn’t know what pack this was, but they were compact animals with twelve-inch claws and daggers for teeth.
Kora was in the mine!
Urgency clawed at him. He had to get to her. He had to—
His rival dug his claws into Desi’s side and slashed with a downward rip. He cried out in pain, twisting, and catching the other bear in a head butt. The met in a violent hug, Desi’s front legs wrapping around the smaller bear’s neck and hanging on tight. His opponent didn’t stand a chance, his breathing fast and erratic, then slower . . . slower, until his body went limp, and Desi threw him to the side.
Fox was bleeding from the head, but it didn’t slow him down as he thrust his opponent in a pile drive into a crop of rocks, driving his head against a boulder. The bear shuddered and fell to the ground. Desi raced to the mine entrance, gave Fox a brief look. His cousin joined him.
They jumped.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Korascrambledtocatchher breath.
Her body hung suspended, feet dangling from the ground. There was no light, and she couldn’t see how far down the bottom was. But by the thud Earl made when he hit, it wasn’t far. She could hear him breathing. Sputtering. Foaming at the lips.
He’d grabbed her shirt, but gravity and his body weight forced him to lose his grip and he plummeted to the bottom. Kora was sure her heart was in the top of her skull. Her body had bounced against the restraint as she hung onto the rope with both hands and clenched her eyes.
Cool air swirled around her legs. The air was musty with the scents of dirt, wet earth, and rot. She tried to hoist herself up by climbing the rope, but she wasn’t strong enough. There was only one thing she could do to try and get out of here. She was going to have to unclip herself and free-fall to the ground.
Sometimes you have to fight harder.
Tears burned her eyes. How had this happened to her again? She’d been forcibly taken, manipulated into believing Desi was here and in danger. She’d realized quickly that he wasn’t. He was anywhere but here, living his life while she had to once again fight for hers.
That’s right, Kora. You have fight. Her inner voice wasn’t in the mood to take any shit. She did have to fight, and fight hard, until she got the outcome she wanted. She was going to get out of here, by herself. No one was coming to save her. Not the cops. Not Desi. And when she got herself out of here, she was going to regroup with her therapist and see what else she could try to get her mental health under control.
Mental health. No, no, no. The moment the words popped into her head; her belly clenched with anxiety. No, not now. She wasn’t going to do this now.
“That was not a suggestion,” she mumbled heatedly. She took a breath and unclipped her carabiner from the harness. Her breath stuck in her throat; her chest pained as if the wind had been knocked out of her as she fell. She hit feet first, her knees crumpling. Her hip landed on a rock as she lurched sideways and came to rest beside a panting, groaning Earl. Pushing herself to her feet, she assessed every ache and pain as she stood. Nothing seemed broken, though her entire body felt bruised. The pit was swathed in darkness. A tiny ray of light seeped down from below. Something scurried and shuffled above, close enough to the edge to kick down a spray of rock. Covering her head with her arms, she knelt and quickly patted Earl’s body for a light. She found a Maglite strapped to his hip, withdrew it, and turned it on. Beautiful, wonderful light burst through the space.
Earl groaned. Kora swept the light over his body and gasped. Heat drained from her face. He’d fallen on a spear-like rock. The sharp point protruded from his abdomen. It had impaled him through his clothing and a space between the harness webbing.
His eyelids fluttered but she had a hard time feeling sorry for him. It was buried somewhere beneath her will to survive. Another spray of rocks rained down on her.
“I’ll send help.”
Turning away from Earl, she shone the light down the tunnel and hurried that way. His men were probably scrambling to harness up and would be down here at any moment. She tried to block out the creepiness of her surroundings. Roots dangled down from above, brushing against her face. Water drizzled from the walls. Dirt had slid and shifted, creating piles she had to pick her way over. Panic clung to her back, waiting for any opportunity to scream in her ear but she didn’t let it.
No, no. She’d fall apart when this was over. She couldn’t think about Earl bleeding to death back there, or the rats running on the tunnel floor ahead of her. Or the bats lying in wait for her to brush by.
