Page 11 of They Will Fall

I lean down and press my lips to hers. “Good thinking, baby.”

She stands up from her crouched position, wiping the dirt off her hands with a satisfied smirk on her face. “And now we search for more.”

Ten minutes later, we’ve found three other cameras—one on each side of the cabin. Riley now has a stash of micro-USBs in the palm of her hand.

“Think there’s more inside?” she asks me as she stuffs them into the pocket of the coat she’s wearing.

“It’s possible,” I tell her, looking at the front door of the cabin. “We can't take any chances. We need to make sure every surface and corner is checked because if we're shown on those cameras, we’re screwed.”

Not wasting any time, Riley walks up the steps to the cabin. Her hand rests on the handle and I hear her audible exhale as she pushes the door open. I stay back, giving her a minute to reflect on her time at this place.

She stands frozen in the doorway, as if she’s peering into her past.

“You okay?” I ask, slowly making my way toward her.

Her head twitches toward the sound of my voice, a broad smile on her face that takes me by surprise. “Yeah. I think I am.”

Three long strides bring me to her and I place a comforting hand on her hip as we step into the unknown.

“It’s just how I remember it,” she says, her voice nothing short of a whisper.

I follow her line of sight, taking in the abandoned space.

My first instinct is to skim the area for cameras, but I don’t see any in plain sight, so I think we’re out of the eye of the owner.

There's an old couch in the small living space to the left. The fabric is worn and faded and dare I say, in worse shape than the one in Lev's cabin. A tall grandfather clock with tarnished brass hands sits against a wall and isn’t ticking.

In the center of the kitchen area is a round, wooden table with old newspapers on it. I walk over to them and run my fingers under one in particular from 1963.

“Damn. This is some old shit in here.”

“Over here,” Riley says, beckoning me to her side. I drop the paper and go to where she’s standing, angling my body to follow the line of her gaze. Her eyes are fixed on a piece of wood flooring that seems to be out of place. “That’s the door to the underground room.”

“That’s it, huh?” I draw in a sharp breath. “Then what are we waiting for?” I crouch down and drag my fingers along the edges, hoping to get a grip, to no avail.

Riley steps away as I fight with the damn floor to open, returning a moment later with a screwdriver. Without a word, she jabs it into a crack like she’s stabbing her worst enemy. Then she bends the screwdriver and lifts part of the flooring.

“Damn, baby,” I say in a slow breath. “Have I ever told you how sexy you are when you're determined?”

She cracks a smile and continues to lift the flooring, now using her fingers. The next thing I know, it’s open and I’m staring down into a pitch-black hole.

On my hands and knees, I look over the ledge, noticing a ladder. Immediately, I fling my legs over and step onto the first plank. “Guess we’re going in blind since we have no light.”

Riley’s eyes widen in surprise. “You brought us all the way out here and didn’t bring any source of light in your trusty backpack?”

My shoulders lift and I squint in regret. “Our supplies were limited since Ridge took so long.” I reach one hand toward her. “Come on. I’ll be the eyes for us both. I promise I won’t let anything happen to you.”

Hesitantly, she takes my hand then sighs heavily. “I’m trusting you, Maddox Crane.”

“As you should.”

I’m forced to let go of her hand as I climb down, but she’s coming right behind me. Or, above me. However it’s described in a situation as such.

As I descend, I can’t help but feel the weight of guilt heavy on my chest. Riley trusts me, but she shouldn’t.

The truth is, I haven’t been honest with her. The note I left for Ridge didn’t tell him my plan. In fact, he’s not coming at all because he has no idea where we are.

When I overheard her talking to Scar about leaving to find Lev on her own, I knew I couldn’t let that happen.

---