DIRTY LITTLE SECRETS (20 page)
He’d seen enough of the birds growing up in Texas, and he’d
befriended one in Bellevaux while on surveillance. Sitting in the tree above his
hideout, for the price of a few breadcrumbs the damn bird had kept Daniel from
going insane while he’d been stuck in one location for weeks. After being forced
into that godforsaken dungeon, Daniel had imagined the raven’s life. Outside his
cell. Outside the prison. Free. Daniel would imagine being free someday like the
raven, and used the memory as a lifeline when the world had seemed hopeless.
Maybe this was a sign?
Or maybe he had totally lost his mind, and it was just dawning
on him now.
The ground trembled slightly.
Daniel cursed, then scooped her into his arms and stood. “Let’s
go, Trouble.”
The woman’s eyes opened, gorgeous, fear-filled eyes, the color
of cinnamon. “Who are you? Did I come here with you?”
“I’m not the one who put you here,” he said. A rumble sounded
from somewhere overhead. He let out a curse. “We’re in an unstable mine, and we
have to get out. Now.”
Her eyes widened. He clutched her close against his chest and
took off toward the bend.
The mountain shook again, then a spray of dirt and debris
showered over both of them before one of the ceiling supports gave way with a
loud crack.
“Cave-in!” Daniel curled her beneath him and covered her with
his body, hoping she wasn’t bleeding internally. And hoping to hell the roaring
panic slamming through his mind didn’t make him explode. They were being buried
alive, and he was losing it fast.
* * *
D
IRT
AND
ROCKS
pelted the ground
around her, but they didn’t hit or hurt her. The man lying on top of her let out
a soft grunt, his broad shoulders protecting her from the onslaught.
The dog she’d seen momentarily, before all hell broke loose in
the cave, now sidled up against her and whined, burying his cold nose against
her hand. She grabbed its fur, then slowly released her grip enough to pet it,
trying to calm the animal’s fears as well as her own.
The man groaned and shifted against her; the contours of his
hips and thighs settled over her, pinning her down. She took a panicked breath.
Who was he? She couldn’t remember him, and yet he’d protected her.
And why had he said he wasn’t the one who put her here?
She couldn’t be sure of anything with the incessant pounding in
her head. Her mind spun with confusion. A bevy of rocks cascaded down the wall,
thudding on the ground. At any moment the cave could bury them both.
She knew they had to escape but couldn’t focus on anything
except the feel of strong arms holding her and the hard body shielding her from
the cave-in. She couldn’t let reality in because something was horribly,
horribly wrong. She was supposed to be somewhere. Doing...something. Something
important but she couldn’t remember what.
Her heart seized, and she struggled to regain control.
“Hey, you okay?” the man on top of her whispered. “I’m going to
try to move and see what shape we’re in.”
As he spoke, his warm breath caressed her ear, helping her
relax a bit. She didn’t know why, but she felt safe with him. Which was stupid,
considering where they were.
The mountain around them rumbled again, and she trembled,
gripping his shirt. He wrapped her closer, pressing her cheek against his chest.
Despite his calm demeanor, his heart raced. Did he think they would die here?
Her head throbbed like the devil pummeling his way into heaven, but she didn’t
want to move. She didn’t want to know they were trapped.
When the tremors stopped, he raised his head. She blinked and
stared at his face. The beam from the flashlight had gone dim in the dust, but
she could make out his features. Barely. His dirt-filled hair fell over his
forehead and nearly reached his chin. The scar down one side of his cheek made
him look like a pirate, and the hard pulsing line of his jaw seemed to confirm
her worst fears. “Are we going to die?”
The shadow that swept through his hazel eyes was there and gone
so fast she thought she’d imagined it.
“No.”
“Thank you, if you’re lying.” She reached up to his face and
touched his cheek, his jaw still clenched, contradicting his assurances.
He met her gaze, and his eyes flashed with gold. “Are you
hurt?”
She tried to sit up, but rocks surrounded them. Oh, dear God,
how would they get out of here? She couldn’t breathe. Her head throbbed worse
whenever she moved, and her heart thudded against her chest like she had run a
sprint. The feeling that she had to do something struck again. What was she
supposed to be doing? Every time she tried to focus, pain stabbed through her
brain, triggering flashes of light and odd sounds...and terror.
“My head feels like it’s going to explode, and I’m seeing
double. I can’t think.”
She struggled to rise, and the world grayed. She clutched at
his shirt, twisting the fabric hard. She panted and stared at him, unblinking,
willing the world to come into focus.
The first thing she noticed was the bloodstained carpet, and
she gasped. “Was I inside that?”
The man backed away, preparing to stand aside, but she clung to
his cotton shirt. She didn’t want him to leave. She needed him close. He was the
only thing real in this craziness. “Someone tried to kill me, didn’t they?” she
asked, pressing her hand to her bloodied forehead.
She should know the answer, but her entire mind was blank.
“I don’t know what happened,” he whispered, his voice
deepening. He stroked the back of her hand, his touch gentle but steady. “But
you’re fine. Just breathe in. I need you calm for us to escape.”
His gaze held her captive. He took in a deep but shaky
breath.
She did the same. The dog pushed against her leg, and she
curled her fingers in its fur again. Daniel exhaled, and she mimicked him,
breath for breath. Unable to look away, she pinned her focus on him, inhaling
through her nose, letting her lungs expand and fill.
Her grip eased a bit on his shirt, but not enough that she
couldn’t feel the rapid heartbeat beneath her hand. “Are
you
okay?”
Something dark and haunted crossed his face again. A second
later it was gone.
“I’m fine, but you’ve got a hell of a knot on your head.”
She raised her hand and felt the swelling and the sticky
residue. A small whine escaped her. “It hurts.”
“I bet it does.” He pressed his fingers gently against her
scalp. “Why don’t you sit back down and drink while I dig us out.” He tugged a
canteen from his belt, tilting it against her lips.
Gratefully she let the water sluice down her throat. “Thank
you.” Her voice cleared somewhat.
She took another sip. “How did you find me?”
“Trouble must have heard you.” The man turned and started
pulling stones to the side to clear the passageway.
“Trouble?”
“The dog. I’m Daniel, by the way.” He threw a large rock
farther away. “And your name?”
She opened her mouth, and nothing came out. Why couldn’t she
think of it? Everyone knew their own name. In an instant the crushing pain was
back. The flashes of light. Muffled cries and hazy images. Trying desperately to
stop her head from spinning, she clutched the heart-shaped locket around her
neck like a good-luck talisman. “Oh, my God...”
Daniel turned around at the panic in her voice.
“I don’t know my name.” Her hands clutched at his. “Daniel, how
can I not know my own name?”
Copyright © 2013 by Robin L. Perini
ISBN-13: 9781460323120
DIRTY LITTLE SECRETS
Copyright © 2013 by Rickey R. Mallory
All rights reserved. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M3B 3K9.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental. This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
® and ™ are trademarks of the publisher. Trademarks indicated with ® are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the Canadian Trade Marks Office and in other countries.
