Page 48 of Bear In A Bookstore
He tightened the strap around his chest. “Say something nice about me at my funeral.”
“Desi.”
“Here, hold onto this rope so the ends don’t get tangled. Keep an eye on it and make sure this loose end doesn’t get wrapped around my cord.”
It wouldn’t, but it was like sending a man to get hot water when his mate was giving birth. It served no purpose aside from getting him the hell out of the way. Kora studiously picked up the end of the thick rope and held it between her hands.
“If you move down a bit here, you’ll be able to see.” He pointed to the best vantage point. “I’m going. You ready?”
“No.”
“I get that.” Desi touched the side of her face. “But fear doesn’t stop me, Kora. I’m in control the best that I can be. Trust me.”
Her nod was unconvincing. Her eyes tracked him as he moved to a ledge that would serve as his push-off point. Adrenaline coursed through him, lighting him up inside. He lived for this. The rush of excitement and pleasure at doing something risky. Feeling his body free fall for a second before he got ahold of the rock face and found his grips, and then using brute strength and strategy to navigate where he wanted to go. No, he didn’t have to check some stupid cave for a non-existent treasure, but he was living his life his way. He was doing this because he wanted to. No restrictions. No boundaries. Just pure adrenaline and putting his body to work.
He was free out here. He wished he could share the exhilaration with Kora, that he could knock down the walls her trauma had caused so she’d be free too. Desi glanced at her, letting his gaze linger before blowing her a kiss and jumping off the ledge. Her gasp followed him for a split second until his rope caught and he braced his feet against the rock face. Leaning back in his harness, he assessed the path he’d take to the opening. The rock face was fairly smooth here. He’d be able to bunny hop across most of the way, and then he’d have to maneuver over some jagged areas before the opening.
“I’m excited to see if you find anything!” Her voice carried down to him. “I’m really impressed that you’re brave enough to do something like this.”
The compliment warmed him. He pushed against the rock with his feet, sliding his rope to the left as he leaned that way and landed with his toes on the rock again. He repeated the process until he was closer, then found hand and foot holds in the crevices and made his way over the jagged expanse between him and the mouth.
Finally, he stepped inside with his left foot and turned on the headlamp attached to the front of his helmet. Moving completely to the opening, he shone the light inside. Debris and fallen rocks blocked part of the entrance. But he could see around it to a cavernous expanse behind it.
“I’m in!” He hollered.
“You are?” Her voice sounded far above. “Be careful!”
A sense of urgency pinged at his brain. Carefully maneuvering his rope, he entered the cave and breathed in awe. He’d done it!
Man, it felt good. Gave him a rush almost as good as when Kora kissed him. Desi moved farther inside with a healthy itch to begin exploring. He’d poked around a lot of caves in the area but hadn’t been here before. He and Fox had talked about investigating here before, but Desi had never been home on leave long enough and they’d been too busy since he’d been home. As much as he wanted to explore, he had a sense of urgency to get back up top.
He didn’t want to leave Kora alone for long. He wasn’t going to find anything in here. This was a wild goose chase, urban legend, whatever you wanted to call it, but he did it for her. To show her that adventure was waiting. She didn’t need to hole up in her house or her bookstore and daydream when the whole world was waiting for her out here.
Poking around the space, he moved small rocks with his boots and scanned the walls and ceiling with his light. He didn’t even know what he was looking for. She’d mentioned that the clues suggested there was more than one treasure, but he hadn’t dug that far into the text to know.
After a few more minutes, he decided to call it. There were probably bats deeper inside and he wasn’t in a hurry to go round two with those. Holding tightly to his rope with one hand, he used the other to brace himself on the wall as he picked his way back to the opening. His palm brushed against something, a sharp prick making him jerk back. Something fell by his foot as blood trickled down his palm.
“Damn it.”
Wiping his hand on his pants, he glanced down, his light hitting something on the ground. It shone in the light; an unusual color mixed in against the gray rocks. A shimmer of red caught his eye. Bending, he carefully moved dirt out of the way so he could retrieve the item.
He did a double take. The light must be playing tricks on him.
It was a ring. A tarnished gold band ring holding a small red stone. Hurrying to the mouth of the cave, he held his palm in the clear light to get a better look. The metalsmithing was rustic and obviously done by hand. The stone twinkled and shone through a fine layer of grime.
Awed at his luck, he slipped it into his pocket and adjusted his rope. There might be more, so much more, but he’d need help to explore, better lights, more time. His heart thumped excitedly.
“Kora, I found something!”
Getting his footing, he made his way the way he came. Glancing up, he called her name again but there was no response.
His mood darkened as he sniffed the air, trying to detect any scent. Nothing.
Suddenly, “Desi?”
Fuck. Thank God. “I’m coming up. I found something!”
“You did? What? What did you find?”
