Terror gripped me as I hobbled to the other side, trying to get as much distance as possible from the disintegrating wall. My heart raced as I waited for it to collapse, and I covered my head. When it suddenly slowed and then stopped, I eyed that side of the hole warily. With the walls being that unstable, there was no way I dared attempt to scale them.
I was at a loss as to what I should do. Calling for help seemed foolish, considering River was probably the only one who’d hear me. My knee was aching, so I sat, making sure not to brush against the walls. Feeling emotionally and physically drained, I stared up at the moon. I needed to come up with a plan but, for the life of me, couldn’t think of one thing I could do to help my situation.
If the walls collapsed, I’d be buried alive. Panic clawed at me because suffocating to death was something I’d always feared. That and burning to death. I wasn’t ready to die yet. I still had so much to do with my life. I’d only now found love. Royce. It had taken me longer than most, but I’d finally found happiness. It couldn’t end like this, could it?
The grim thought came to me that if the walls collapsed, no one would ever know what had happened to me. This disgusting sludge-filled hole would be my eternal grave. No one would think to look for me underground, and even if they did, it would be too late by the time they dug me out. There was so much barren land in this area it would be impossible to search every inch.
I squeezed my eyes closed and tried, but failed, to calm myself. Was this actually my fate? Had I actually been born simply to die in a hole in the desert? Could life be that cruel? It had certainly been that cruel to Lucinda. She’d died during what should have been asimple operation. Her death was now why I was sitting in a sludgy pit out in the middle of nowhere. Her death had been the catalyst to everything: moving to Rainy Dale. Meeting River. Meeting Royce. It was all because of her death that I’d even met Royce. And now her death was the reason I was losing him too. Probably losing my life.
I didn’t cry easily or often, but my eyes stung with hot tears. I felt so lost. Helpless. There was literally nothing I could do to save myself. If I tried to climb out, I’d just bury myself sooner. All I wanted was to be home with Royce. I just wanted to hold him one last time. Feel his warm lips on mine and hear his husky laugh. I couldn’t understand what I’d done to end up like this.
Bad things happen to good people.
I wasn’t sure I was a good person, but I didn’t think I was bad. Was this fate punishing me for things I’d done wrong or just some random stroke of horrible luck? It hurt like hell, whatever it was. It felt so damn unfair. I wanted to scream. I wanted to rage against the night.
Instead, I sat in silent misery, waiting for fate to take its course.
Chapter Six
Royce
Lucas headed out of town, driving fast. That suited me just fine, seeing as I was chomping at the bit to get to Max. It wasn’t like I could lose Lucas either. The road was empty, and his red taillights stood out like demon eyes in the night. I hoped Lucas was on the up and up. It was possible he was leading me into a trap, although it seemed unlikely. Lucas had seemed sincerely worried about River. Frantic, almost.
I knew the feeling.
I repeated to myself, over and over, that Max was going to be just fine. I might have even sent a few prayers in the good Lord above’s direction. Regardless of what Lucas had said, I didn’t trust River as far as I could throw him. Knowing his reason for hating Max didn’t take the worry away. I still feared he might snap and do something stupid. Humans were fragile, and it didn’t take a whole heck of a lot to kill someone. Just a misplaced knock on the head could do it. I groaned, gritting my teeth.
He’s going to be fine.
It made sense now why River had never talked about his family much. I had no idea if he had any other siblings or not. At least the reason for his animosity toward Max finally made sense. Even I’d noticed that recently, he’d been more aggressive with Max. Now I understood why he’d thrownLucinda’s death in Max’s face at Janelle’s wedding. He’d been sitting on a horrible secret. It must have been painful to see Max starting a new life. Moving on, as if Lucinda had never existed.
That being said, none of that excused River’s behavior. Max hadn’t done anything wrong. Maybe he could have been a little more tolerant of River when he’d arrived in Rainy Dale, but nothing excused what River had done tonight. Nothing.
We drove for what had to be an hour before Lucas finally signaled and took a dirt road that led off the main highway. My car bounced over the uneven road for another half hour. We were definitely heading into the middle of nowhere, and my concern for Max grew. Eventually, we parked in front of a single-story ranch-style home. It was on the small side and in need of some tender loving care. The yellow paint was peeling, and one of the shutters hung loose.
River’s car was in front of the home, as was Max’s Subaru. Anger rolled through me at the sight of Max’s car. How had River managed to get Max and his car out here? I didn’t believe for one second Max had followed River all the way out here. Lucas had mentioned Max had been drugged. How the heck had River driven two cars all the way out here?
Lucas parked next to River’s vehicle, and I took the space next to him. I grabbed my spare gun out of the glove compartment, then exited my vehicle, waving dust away from my face as I watched Lucas approach.
“River is waiting for us inside.” Lucas’s voice was solemn.
“This better not be an ambush,” I said gruffly.
“It’s not. I promise.” Lucas made his way to the front door, and I cautiously followed.
Obviously, I knew the area around Rainy Dale, but there was a lot of wide-open space. I’d had no idea this house even existed. I had to wonder who had built it and why they’d picked such a remote location.
Just as we reached the front door, it abruptly opened, and River stood there. His face was sweaty and flushed as he rasped, “Maxwell is gone.” I’d never seen River looking so frazzled. He wore a sky-blue suit, but his blond hair was sticking up, and his white shirt was smeared with dirt. “He got out.”
Lucas stopped in his tracks, swearing under his breath.
I moved toward River, my heart in my throat. “What you mean he’s gone?” I growled. “Is this some kind of trick? Did you do something to Max, and you’re trying to cover it up?”
“No. I swear.” Wringing his hands, River said, “He got out. He climbed out the window. I even had a chain on his leg, and he got it off somehow.”
Gritting my teeth, I tried not to respond to that comment because it made me want to strangle River. “The cars are still here, so he’s on foot?”
“Yes. He must be.” River nodded. “I have the keys to both cars.”
