Asher helped me off and Evan climbed down, jumping before he reached the bottom. He threw his arms around me and caged me against the wall while Asher doused the light.
I slipped my arms around his waist and rested my head on his chest. The darkness was consuming, but the sound of his heartbeat kept me calm. He held me against the rough wall as if to shield me from harm, putting himself between me and danger.
Oh my god, I loved him so much.
The sound of footsteps came from somewhere above us. Voices shouting. We held still and silent in the dark. I scarcely dared to breathe.
Finally, the shouting receded. Evan didn’t move. The noises above grew fainter. Then silence.
Only then did Evan step back. Asher turned on his flashlight.
“Let’s go,” Evan said.
Asher went up the ladder first. I climbed up next and he helped me at the top. Evan was right behind me. I was about to tell him I could walk—although I was barefoot—but he scooped me into his arms again.
He and Asher conferred with nothing but a few head nods and flicks of their eyes. Then we were on our way again.
The tunnels seemed endless but finally it felt like the ground sloped upward. That had to be a good sign. The passage widened and it grew lighter. We turned a corner and I squinted, seeing daylight.
Holding me tighter, Evan ran.
We burst out of an opening in the hill framed by thick timbers. I couldn’t see anything but pine trees and dry brush, but Evan seemed to know where to go. He darted through the trees, debris crunching beneath his shoes.
His car came into view. I’d never been so excited to see a Camaro in my entire life.
“You drive,” Evan said. He rushed to the passenger side and opened the door. Without letting me go, he ducked us both into the car, and I wound up in his lap, his arms still around me.
Asher was already in the driver’s seat. Evan jammed a hand in his pocket and tossed him the keys. A few seconds later, the engine roared to life. Asher hit the gas and the wheels spit dirt behind us.
Evan held me against his chest, breathing hard as the car bumped along the rocky ground. Every muscle in his body was tense, his arms hot steel around me.
“We have her,” Asher said. It sounded like he was on the phone. “We’re clear.”
Evan loosened his grip on me, but only enough to lay his palm across my cheek. His eyes searched my face, his dark brow furrowed. “Are you hurt?”
“Not really. Just bumped my head. I think I wrecked my car. Where are we? What happened? How did you—”
He silenced me with a hard kiss, then rested his forehead against mine. “I love you. I should have said it before. I love you so much.”
“I love you, too.”
“Fiona, I’m so sorry—”
It was my turn to silence him with my lips. “I’m sorry, too. It’s over. We’re fine.”
The car jolted and we pulled out onto the road.
Evan’s arms wrapped around me again and I settled against him. His chest rose and fell as he took a slow, deep breath. I didn’t know how he’d found me, but he had. He’d saved my life.
Maybe all that love I’d sent out into the universe had actually worked.
I’d loved him before, but right now I loved him so much it burned inside me, hot and bright like the sun. I was banged up and bruised, my wrists and ankles chafed, and I had to pee so bad my bladder was probably going to have permanent damage. But I hardly felt a thing. Just the love I had for this man, and his love for me, answering right back.
43
Evan
Fiona sat on the couch in Gram’s living room, wrapped in a dark blue afghan. Or more accurately, wrapped up in my arms on my lap with an afghan tucked beneath her chin. She was clinging to me like a baby koala, and I couldn’t get enough of her.
I’d hardly stopped touching her since we got here. Hell, since I’d found her in the old mine. I’d let her go once out of necessity, so she could use the bathroom, but I’d kept her in my arms ever since.
Which was where she was going to stay.
Gram brought her a steaming cup of tea. “Here you are, Cricket. Are you sure I can’t get you anything else?”