Deeper than the Night - By Amanda Ashley Page 0,112

every caress an unspoken promise for the future. His hands played over her gently, tenderly, as if she were a precious instrument, and he was the only one who could hear the music in her soul.

He called her name as his warmth spilled into her and then, holding her tightly in his arms, he whispered that he loved her, would always love her.

The sound of his voice was the last thing she heard before sleep claimed her.

Alex waited until Kara was sleeping soundly before he left the cavern. He kissed her gently, knowing there was a chance he might never see her again, knowing she would never be safe while Barrett lived.

It was after nine o'clock when he reached Eagle Flats. He drove around the bank to the alley and parked the car. He left the engine running, switched off the headlights, then stepped out of the car.

Standing in the shadows, he glanced up and down the alley. The scent of blood, too faint to be detected by mortals, stung his nostrils. Hamblin's blood. Regret and remorse rose within him. But for him, the young man would still be alive, he thought, and then shook his head. Barrett was to blame.

There was only one motel in Eagle Flats, and that was his next stop. He drove slowly through the parking lot, his nostrils flaring as he searched for Barrett's scent, his lips curling back in a feral grin as he foundwhat he was looking for.

He pulled up in front of the motel room and honked the horn. Once. Twice. After the third blast of the horn, the door opened and Jarvis poked his head out.

Alex heard the man swear under his breath, then Jarvis slammed the door and Alex heard him yelling for Barrett.

Less than a minute later, Jarvis and Barrett burst out of the room. With a grin, Alex drove out of the parking lot.

Kara woke with a start. "Alex?" Sitting up, she placed her hand on his side of the mattress. The sheets were still warm. "Alex?"

Jumping out of bed, she ran toward the door. It was then she saw the note tacked to the door.

"Kara, I've gone after Barrett. If I'm not back by tomorrow afternoon, the main door will open. You'll find my instructions and your cellular phone under that big rock outside the door. I love you. Alex."

She read the note a second time, and then crumpled it in her hand. She should have known he'd do something like this! Going into the living room, she looked at the clock. Ten P.M.

"I'll never forgive you for this, Alexander Claybourne," she muttered. "Never."

But even as she said the words, she knew them for a lie.

"Please, just come back to me," she whispered. "That's all I ask."

He drove fast enough to stay ahead of Barrett, but not fast enough to lose him. And all the while, he thought of Kara, and all she'd been through.

Thought of the baby she carried. Thought of Mitch Hamblin. Thought about the torture he had personally endured at Barrett's hands. The man deserved to die.

The mountain loomed ahead, dark and mysterious in the waning light of the moon.

Alex turned up the narrow road, slowing to make sure Barrett was still behind him.

When he reached the cavern, he parked the car out of sight, then took cover in the shadows.

Moments later, Barrett's car reached the top.

From his vantage point, Alex watched the two men exit the car. Both men were armed.

"Where'd he go?" Jarvis asked.

The doctor shrugged. "I don't know, but this is the end of the road. He's got to be here somewhere. You go that way, and I'll check over here."

Jarvis grunted, then started walking slowly along the ledge toward Alex's hiding place.

Alex waited until the man walked past, then he stepped out of the shadows and struck the man over the head with a tree branch. Jarvis grunted softly as he toppled forward.

Alex caught him before he hit the ground and dragged him into the brush that grew alongside the ledge, then went back to the road and picked up the man's gun. It was a snub-nosed .38.

Moving cautiously, Alex made his way toward the far end of the ledge. And Barrett.

As he drew nearer the cavern, he could hear Barrett's footsteps, and then he saw the doctor standing at the end of the ledge near the entrance to the cavern.

"Looking forme, doc?" Alex drawled.

Barrett whirled around, his gun seeking a target, but there was nothing to see except the