Perfect Specimen: Brietta (10 page)

Shrieking, she pulled the gun and fired directly at him, but to her horror, the bullet went right through him. Then he gave her a final glare, repeated his command to stay away from “the viper-filled cave,” and dissolved into nothingness.

Stunned, she wiped a stream of blood from her face, then stared at her palm, shocked that she had been wounded so harshly and unexpectedly. Her whole face was throbbing now, as the gash merged with the sinus infection in one hideous burst of destruction. She wanted to run back to Kasha, but the cave was so close and had been such a haven she sprinted toward
it
instead, instinctively craving its protection.

You must be nuts
, she told herself through a haze of panic.
What if it’s full of snakes like he said? What if he comes after you again?

Stumbling into the dimly lit interior, she realized immediately that she had made the right choice, at least for the moment. The pain was gone—instantly and completely. And not just the sinus pressure. Even the slash across her tender flesh had stopped stinging, and so she touched it gingerly, hoping that the bleeding had slowed.

But there
was
no bleeding. No blood at all, not even on the palm that had been smeared with it only moments earlier.

Collapsing in relief, she rested her face on the cool rocky floor of the cavern, trying to understand what was happening. Not that it really mattered. Despite her fear and exhaustion, the absence of pain was a miracle to be savored, and she almost didn’t care if there were vipers in here with her.

“Maybe that’s what happened to the ancient executioner. He buried the silent witnesses in the cemetery, then he came up here, laid down on this floor, and let the vipers sting him to death, knowing it wouldn’t hurt. Because
nothing
hurts in here.”

It was a comforting thought—that the cavern had magical healing powers, enough to close a gaping wound. But she knew the reality wasn’t so romantic. In fact, it was downright cruel.

There had never been a gaping wound. And as for the rest, she simply didn’t know what to believe anymore.

Chapter Ten

It didn’t take Taggert long to realize Brietta must have doubled back to the cave, curious and irrepressible. Not that he blamed her. It was an amazing phenomenon. And even though he had done his best to keep it away from all prying eyes, he knew this could be for the best. For one thing, he was dying to talk to someone about it. To brainstorm the possibilities.

Plus, there were other intriguing non-archaeological possibilities, weren’t there? He had meant what he said—she was perfect for him. Not just physically, although her body did drive him crazy with lust, but in every other way as well.

And she seemed hot for him too, didn’t she? No matter how many times he pissed her off, she kept coming back, even this last time. Of course, she had just seen a nest of snakes, so maybe part of her reaction had been skewed by that.

Except there hadn’t really been any vipers. Just her overactive imagination fueled by the mother of all sinus infections.

* * * *

Even though he was sure she was fine, it was a relief when he finally spotted her and Kasha galloping back toward the camp. He watched from his seat under the canopy, but stood and walked out to greet her when she drew near.

Ignoring him, she rode right up to the hitching post, looped the reins around it, and disappeared into her tent without making eye contact or speaking to anyone.

She probably knows you know she went back to the cave. And she figures you’re pissed
.

He wanted to put her mind at ease. To tell her he’d decided to make her an official part of the real expedition. More than that, he wanted her to start taking the mega-antibiotic right away, rather than waiting until the amoxicillin was gone.

She reappeared in minutes and walked over to him, a strained smile on her freshly washed face. “We need to talk. But first, I need to tell Hannan and the others to go to his aunt’s house without me. That’s nonnegotiable,” she added firmly.

“I totally agree. Want me to get rid of them?”

“I’ll do it.” Turning away, she walked over to the SUV, where Hannan and the grad students were waiting. Taggert could see they were trying to change her mind, and he was glad when they didn’t succeed. As much as a night away from this desolate spot might have been good for her on some levels, it was no substitute for clearing the air, once and for all, about the project
and
about their relationship.

As soon as the SUV had pulled away, she walked back over to him, a wistful smile on her face. “Your tent or mine?”

“Mine.” He took her by the arm and led her into his spacious quarters. Then he told her, “First things first,” and handed her the bubble pack of five azithromycin tablets.

She surprised him by popping a tablet free of the wrapping. When he poured her a cup of water, she downed the medicine without hesitation, then heaved a weary sigh, as though just this simple act had exhausted her.

“Maybe we should sit,” he began, but she backed away, shaking her head.

“I know you want to talk, Taggert, but I need to go first. Okay?”

“Sure.”

“Well, first of all, I went back to the cavern.”

“Yeah, I figured that. And it’s fine with me.” He reached out to touch her cheek. “I’m sorry I lost my temper again—”

“It’s fine. That’s not what I want to talk about.” She bit her lip, then explained in a rush, “I don’t think there were any snakes up there today. I think I imagined them.”

“Yeah.” He grinned in sympathy. “You’re lucky you can see straight at all. That sinus thing is a killer.”

She winced but moved closer, as though encouraged by his attitude. “It wasn’t just the snakes, Tagg. After you left, I saw this guy up there—”

“What?
Who
was
he?” Taggert demanded, stunned at the thought of anyone snooping around his father’s project. “Did he know about the cave? You should have told me this right away.”

She was staring at him, clearly horrified, and he realized how he must have sounded. So he asked belatedly, “Did he hurt you, Brie?”

She rubbed her eyes, then explained softly, “He wasn’t real. That’s what I’m trying to tell you. He was like the snakes. All in my head.”

“How can you be sure?”

“I’m sure. I wish I wasn’t.” Her tone cooled. “But at least your precious cave is safe, right?”

Frustrated, he reached for her, but she backed away, assuring him, “I shouldn’t have said that. I didn’t mean it. I’m just tired.”

He nodded. “Believe it or not, I want to be here for you. So just keep talking. Don’t shut down.”

She hesitated, then said simply, “It’s some kind of tumor, I think.”

“What?”

“I might need to go home.” She clamped her hand over her mouth, but not before he saw her bottom lip start to quiver. Then she held up her free hand, as though warding him off. “I have to get some sleep, Tagg. I’m so tired I can’t think straight.”

Ignoring the warning, he pulled her into a bear hug. “Give the new antibiotic a chance. You’re messed up, and yeah, it’s weird that you’re seeing things. But you have a history of sinus infections, right? This one just got
way
out of control. Maybe it even formed some sort of abscess or something, which is scary. But not
tumor
scary.”

She clung to him for a few moments, then insisted, “I hope you’re right.”

“We’ll both go to bed. Together—”

“No, not tonight. I need to be alone. I need—I need—”

When she raised her eyes to his, the misery in them was palpable, and he nodded quickly. “Go ahead, then. I’ll be right here if you need me. And, Brie?”

“Yes?”

“It’s gonna be fine. More than fine. I promise you that.”

To his surprise, the well-intentioned words seemed to be the last straw for her, and while she didn’t actually burst into tears, she ran out of the tent so fast he knew she was sobbing inside.

As much as he wanted to rush after her, he knew she needed something different from his usual bulldozing.

“Give her some space. And time for the antibiotic to do its job,” he told himself with shaky determination. “In the morning if she’s still this bad . . . ”

He didn’t want to finish that thought, not that it mattered. She had called it herself, hadn’t she?

Brietta Ryerson needed to go home.

* * * *

Stumbling to her tent, Brietta cursed herself for falling apart in front of him the way she had. It wasn’t fair to the poor guy, who was clearly trying to help.

Except he can’t get past his obsession with the cave
, she reminded herself, still hurt by how he had reacted to news of the strange guy outside the cave.

“How was he
supposed
to react?” she demanded aloud. “Just stay away from him. This is crazy, and he doesn’t handle crazy well. Who does, for crap’s sake?”

All she wanted was some sleep, but she knew it would never happen. For one thing, her eye sockets were literally pulsating, and even when she stretched out on her cot with a blanket over her face, she couldn’t shut out the pain.

The pain
or
the images. Vipers, whips, the lizardy man—

“You bastard,” she whispered, half hoping he could hear her. “You threaten my
clan
? What the hell does
that
mean? Taggert, sure. But what have Melody and Vince ever done to you? Or Hannan, for that matter?”

She knew she was delirious again, but didn’t care. She needed to work through this, because in her gut she knew she was missing something. Some pivotal fact. It was staring her in the face—she was sure of it—but her face was too battered to recognize it.

If only Taggert could be objective. She could lay it all out for him—that first staggering headache; the spine-wrenching pain when her shovel had hit that rock; the vipers; the threats; the silent witnesses.

And the cavern. Wasn’t
that
the key? Her head didn’t hurt there. Cuts didn’t bleed there. Everything seemed better there—

Because you’re losing your mind
.
Face it, Brie. This is more than a tumor. It’s some sort of freaking break with reality.

She needed to sleep, but it wasn’t going to happen. Not here at least. And not in Taggert’s tent—in Taggert’s
arms
—as tempting as that sounded.

For reasons that convinced her she was crazy for sure, she somehow knew she could sleep in the cavern. Not because it had magical powers, but because her diseased mind
believed
it had magical powers.

“You’re as bad as Taggert,” she muttered. Still, for the first time in hours, she felt a semblance of control over her own fate. So she rolled off the cot and reached for her backpack, discarding the heavy pistol while double-checking that she had her xenon flashlight.

“You’ll need more than that to find the cave,” she scolded herself, so she dug in her duffel bag for a second light—smaller but almost as powerful as the first one. Taken together, they might get her and Kasha to the right spot. And once inside the cavern, she could use the full-sized lanterns Taggert had accumulated there.

“Put down that light and
stay away from that cave
,” a voice snarled from behind her. “Stay away, or I will come for you.”

Oh, no
. . .

She didn’t turn around. Couldn’t bear to see him again—that hideous figment. Even when the whip cracked against her back, she stifled her screams and stuffed the second flashlight in her backpack, insisting desperately, “You’re not real.
Leave me alone.”

Standing up, and still refusing to look at him, she slung the bag over her shoulder. But as she reached for her windbreaker, a shock of pain seemed to actually split her face in two, then traveled through her sternum and into her rib cage, crushing it as well. Crumbling to the ground, she tried to scream, but it was too late for that now. She had no air, no spirit, no will. All she could do was writhe in agony, praying for unconsciousness or death.

* * * *

Taggert knew Brietta wanted him to stay away, and he knew he should respect that wish. But the thought she might be sobbing, or frightened, or even just confused about her future—
their
future—drove him out of his tent and toward hers.

Pausing outside the entrance, he strained to listen for any clue to her current state, knowing that if she had actually managed to doze off, he should just go away despite his urge to see her. To his surprised relief, there were no sounds at all from inside the tent.

Still, he had to be sure, so he carefully, noiselessly moved the flap aside, then stared in horror at the sight of her on the ground.

“Brietta!” He fell to his knees and gathered her into his arms. “
Talk
to me, baby. Tell me what’s wrong.”

“Taggert,” she moaned. “Taggert, you’re here.”

“Yeah, I’m here. Everything’s fine. Just let me help you—”

“Taggert!” She jerked away, grabbing the top of her head as though it had just exploded. Then she collapsed against him, wailing softly, “He’s killing me.
Killing
me. And he’ll kill you too. He’ll kill my whole clan—Ooh! Oh, God . . . Taggert!” She took a deep breath and for a moment seemed almost coherent. “Take me to the cavern—oh! Oh, God, Taggert, take me there now. I’m begging you.”

“We’re going into town,” he corrected her, trying to sound more confident than he felt. “It’s a long ride, but—”

“No, no. It
has
to be the cave. It’s the only thing that works, don’t you see? That’s why he doesn’t want me to go there—oh,
God
!” She doubled up as though someone had punched her in the stomach, and Taggert knew he had to act fast.

There had to be a doctor in the village who could help with this. And if not, the sooner they got onto a plane, the better.

“Just close your eyes and leave it to me,” he told her with forced confidence. “We’re gonna beat this—”

“Taggert!
Listen
to me. It has to be the cave. Please, please—”

“You’re not thinking straight—”

“Taggert!” She sandwiched his face between her palms. “It
has
to be the cave.
Please
, Sean? Please?”

Her use of his given name stunned him into action, and even though he knew it was crazy, he lifted her up in his arms and strode out of the tent, murmuring over and over, “Hang in there, baby. We’re going to the cave, just like you said. So just hang on for a few more minutes. Okay?”

* * * *

The horse seemed to understand the urgency, because she didn’t balk, even when lightning split the pitch-black night. Instead she galloped as though her own life depended on it, delivering them to a spot within a stone’s throw of the nearly invisible fissure leading to the cave.